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IN MOROCCO, WOMEN WORK. MEN THINK.

Women working; smiling Moroccan children; Berber grandma MARRAKESH, MOROCCO.
Mohammed Lansar is only kidding. "In Morocco" he says, "Women work. Men think." No one in our party is laughing and Lansar looks worried. Did the guide slip up? It was all a joke he assures us. Yet after one day in this remote Berber town positioned in the High Atlas Mountains, we notice it's the women trudging with sacks of straw, sticks, and vegetables, while balancing babies on their backs. If they're lucky, a donkey plods along hauling whatever they cannot carry.
Contrast this scene with the big romantic and exotic cities of Marrakesh, Casablanca, Fez, and Rabat, where the men wander the streets with one another, sit in cafes without women, and appear to run the country from behind their demitasse cups of tea and coffee.
"Mohammed, is it all right to take a picture?" someone inquires. The tour guide looks uncomfortable as people try to catch the workers toiling in the fields. Having mastered the art of dodging cameras, the women quickly turn their faces away. Not so with the children who run gleefully towards us. As soon as our shutters click, their spontaneity fades. "You have money?" they ask. "Un stylo?" A pen? Someone reaches for a ballpoint, and everywhere there are youngsters thrusting hands in our faces.

Women walking with child.

Berber souvenir stand. This signals the arrival of several townspeople with objects to sell. One has Moroccan daggers made of alabaster, inlayed mother-of-pearl, and multicolored marble. Five dollars is the incredibly low price for such craftsmanship. Another holds up classic Berber jewelry containing chunky amber stones diffused with real fossils and wood. The cost is thirty dollars, but he agreeably accepts half the amount. Unfortunately, it won't be as easy bartering for one of those coveted hand woven Berber carpets, so resilient that they are often used as blankets or even mattresses.

As we continue our tour through this typical Berber village or "douar," life seems routine if not backward. Outwardly the terrain appears isolated, yet inside is a network of families residing in simple homes made of flat log roofs and branches covered with earth. Whatever the design, in Berber-land women look as if they're doing the menial tasks, while men folk are negotiating the price for Morocco's distinctive souvenirs.

Good buys keep coming at unbelievable bargain rates and outstanding quality. Among the specialty items -- exquisite silver, pewter and copper teapots, genuine fossil paperweights, and engraved silver boxes imbedded with precious stones. But make no mistake: The country's #1 seller remains the Tajine pot - that large round ceramic casserole container in which meat, fish and vegetables are slowly simmered. Now just one question: "How much do you want to spend?" Answer: If you don't like what you hear, walk away. No one will chase after you unless it's to ask, "What's your last price?"

Welcome to Morocco with its pricey 2,200 miles of coastline that borders the Atlantic and Mediterranean, a land where the High Atlas is the highest mountain range in all of North Africa. That's right. North Africa. The location makes for the widest range of climates in the region, and within a day's travel the visitor can go from the snow-capped Atlas to the sun-streaked dunes of the Sahara. Surely this qualifies for a millennium spot, especially considering that from JFK, Royal Air Maroc flies to Casablanca's Mohammed V International Airport in less time than it takes to go from New York to San Francisco.
Saharan desert camel ride.

Exotic and romantic, Morocco is a land untouched by modern madness. Take those squawking boom boxes. There aren't any. And you're not likely to be interrupted by jingling cell phones, or have your eyes diverted by menacing billboards. Nothing much clutters the landscape or competes with outside influences. For instance, Morocco is one of the few places in the world where you'll hardly see a pair of blue jeans. Instead, you're more likely to observe men in monochromatic colors and women clothed in traditional "selhams" - a garment that loosely covers their bodies and a veil to conceal their faces.


Tour guide Mohammed Lansar At first, a newcomer may feel a splash of danger in not being able to see a person's identity, but safety isn't really an issue unless you count a few roving pickpockets. Whether you travel solo or in a group, the key is to stay alert. Watch your backpack as it can be snatched or have its contents ripped open. That's why, for a modest fee, you can hire an English-speaking guide. The extra security will help as you wind through souks or marketplaces that gush with excitement.

Ultimately, having a guide also means gaining a driver. And a good one at that. Contrary to what you may have heard, there are very few speedsters on the road. Instead, motorists navigate calmy in between camels, horses, and donkeys, often vying for space on the same thoroughfare.

Talk to enough people and ask them why the country has a long line of stability and outward tranquility, and they'll mention King Hassan II who has ruled for thirty-eight years. Under his watch, the country seems to zig and zag at its own speed, unlike its neighbor Spain who wows foreigners with its tangy image. Morocco is at times so low-key that it's mistaken for other areas of the world. Take what happened when I told a friend I was headed there. "You're so lucky," he said. "You could run into Prince Rainier."

Tour Morocco and you'll run into a country that has been independent from France only since 1956. Such influence, though, has brought a dab of sophistication to the North African land, and has given it its modern priceless calling card. But don't discount the rich aura it possessed dating back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD when the Roman city of Volubilis flourished. In its heyday this was a veritable metropolis with a House of Dionysus, reception halls, private apartments, and courtyards decorated with mosaics. Today the ancient town is dotted with travelers eager to track down history.
The Great Volubilis (ancient city)
If it's antiquity you're after, journey to the "Holy City of Fez," the first capital of the kingdom and oldest Islamic town. Long considered the country's spiritual and cultural center, Fez is also pure romance to the tourist. The streets, French cafes, and sweet ambience will cater to the fanciful heart.
Among the places to tour is the Dar el Makhzen or Royal Palace that was once the sultan's residence. Across the street is the famed Mellah or Jewish quarter with its large Moorish-styled houses, carved wooden balconies, and neoclassical colonnades.

But Fez is not really Fez without a trip to the souk. Different from other marketplaces, this one is overrun with donkeys trudging up and down crooked streets hauling backloads of merchandise.
Only here are donkeys catered to and given the right of way!

Squiggle along the pathways for ornate silver teapots, decorative copper plates, and tin-glazed earthenware patterned with cobalt-blue designs. Still, the most memorable sight is the Chouara or tannery.
View it from the rooftops for its clusters of stone vats filled with vibrant yellows, reds, and brown dyes. Skins of sheep, goats and dromedaries hang everywhere drying in the sun.

Of course, if you want your sun blended with exotica, head for Marrakesh! With its Petra red-rose look, "The Imperial City" is the place that mighty kings fought for.
Framed by the snowy heights of the Atlas Mountains, Marrakesh brings you the rhythm and music of Moroccan life.

Hail a caleche or horse-drawn carriage for a relaxing half-hour jaunt, as you gaze at the pink marble tiled courtyards dotted with turquoise greens and white mosaic. Then watch the tranquil scene diminish with the approaching Djemaa el Fna, the notorious marketplace that shimmies with commotion. The sights are bizarre, addictive. Seductive.
Men with monkeys

Toothsayer Move from corner to corner to catch a spot of madness: Snake charmers coax their pets to wiggle and dance.
There are troupes of acrobats tumbling before you in mid-air, storytellers delivering Oscar winning performances amid monkeys being paraded around by their owners.

But of all the intriguing acts, you won't want to miss the "toothsayer."

He's the dentist who'll pull out your infected tooth for one dollar. Don't worry. First he'll use a dab of Old Spice to numb the pain. His calling card? A macabre pile of extracted teeth stockpiled in full view.
Now go left or right until you hit the food stalls dripping with fresh figs, almonds, dates and olives, succulent escargots and kebabs.
Another spin and you'll arrive at pint-size cubicles showcasing an array of babouches or traditional Moroccan leather slippers, colorful tribal masks, Frankincense, lead-glazed pottery, mandolins, and handcrafted Berber dolls.

All this plus a Berber Pharmacy stocked with natural herbs to help fight depression, stress, or insomnia.

But all this good natured madness evaporates with Casablanca, the nation's largest city. Rambunctious and yet cosmopolitan, "Casa" is the leading port and modern business center. With over four million people, there seems to be action going on any time of the day or night. That includes the ubiquitous "watermen" or Guerrabs who tramp through town selling their cups of water from copper or brass bowls. The jing-a-ling of their brass bells will capture your attention almost as much as their fanciful, vibrant costumes and oversized hats looking like leftovers from a long ago Halloween party.

Another spectacle is the Hassan II Mosque accommodating 25,000 devotees with an added space for 80,000 pilgrims praying on the esplanade. Meanwhile, if you have a call to shopping, you won't want to pass up the Quartier Habbous. This district showcases a collection of copper teapots, candlesticks, vases, and hanging lamps. But if it's only window shopping, Casablanca tops them all with its millions of art deco adornments. Stroll along the Boulevard Mohammed V for facades richly decorated with cupolas, belvederes, pillars, cedarwood balconies, and skylights.
Still, there's no denying what gave the nation its lasting prominence. It all happened back in 1942 with the hit film "Casablanca." Humphrey Bogart had just mumbled "Play it again, Sam," when Bergman walked in and soon they were locked in each other's arms. Never mind that the motion picture was filmed in Hollywood. Suddenly, Casablanca became synonymous with amour and old-fashioned romance.

The best way to approach this subject, it seems to me, is to relate the events in their chronology and, eventually, draw some provisional conclusions from this placement in a chronological perspective. For that I will consider three events : the publication of the Amazigh Manifesto by Mohamed Chafik, the creation of the Institut Royal pour la Culture Amazighe (IRCAM(2)), and the Monarchy's choice of Tifinagh as the official script for Tamazight.

The Amazigh Manifesto

I will not go over the content of this Manifesto ; I had done it when it first came out. What is important to point out is that this Manifesto appeared to many observers and actors of the Amazigh cultural movement as the foundation for the Amazigh identity claims. This vision of things was supported by the second argument discussed below. However, there are two other arguments that escaped their attention :

1. Mohamed Chafik is a nationalist who lived through the war for independence. He is totally impregnated with nationalism, including in the language that he uses today. This is an established fact. Perhaps the day will come when researchers will be interested in studying this language from the lexicon and rhetoric standpoints in order to better understand this period of Morocco's history. It is, therefore, not surprising that he entitled this text "Amazigh Manifesto," for the birth of the national movement is also a text whose title is "Manifesto for Independence." This similitude in the names of the two events is not fortuitous ; It is determined by a political culture, even if Chafik's objective has not been accepted by many nationalists. In any case, it was not part of the nationalist claims. On the contrary ! In addition, the structure and the content of the two manifestos are comparable in the sense that they are both drawn from historical and sociological considerations. Of course, one may believe this is the only possible form. Certainly not for us who know, today, that any new content implies a special form of speech, except when it is diluted in an old one. In any case, the orthodox nationalists have perceived the Manifesto as a manifesto for autonomy of the Amazighs. Even the companions of the author of the Manifesto were surprised by the tone and the content of the text. A third similitude that deserves to be mentioned is the call for signatures of this Manifesto. We know that this is exactly the same operation that was used for the Manifesto for independence. As far as public opinion is concerned, personally I signed this Manifesto because it contained just claims, though I had some reservations about the analysis that preceded these claims. What I retained from the formal analysis of this text was that the claims made were rooted in the culture and the language of nationalism. Now, the Amazigh claim rejects the dogma of the orthodox nationalism founded exclusively on the Arabo-Islamic ideology. It, at least, includes the long time concealed, indeed fought, Amazighness by the tenors of the Arabo-Islamic nationalism. I am not certain this does justice to the Amazigh struggle. But, after all, one can see in the Manifesto an important breach in the nationalist discourse from within.

2. The most important characteristic of the Manifesto is the fact that its content makes no reference to the different events that have punctuated the history of the Amazigh cultural movement since the sixties. This omission or occultation did not go unnoticed by certain actors of this movement. I will quote a very important text, which, in my opinion, is the founding text : the Agadir Charter. This is a text that contains a number of minimal claims that the big associations of the Amazigh cultural movement of that time agreed upon, and which served as a common platform of action for these associations. One will note, therefore, the difference in the name. The fact that the Agadir Charter was a text commonly negotiated by legal institutions, and not an individual text, is something completely new in the history of the Amazigh movement. This is, therefore, an important event, to which probably the promoters did not give its just value.

In fact, the Agadir Charter marked the birth of a movement that risked becoming a mass movement, as someone has said recently. Additionally, it has spawned the creation of a multitude of associations in small towns and the countryside while, so far, the claim had been exclusively a big-city claim, of concern only to the Amazigh elite. From this standpoint, one can consider the Amazigh Manifesto a catalyst of this mass orientation towards a more restricted framework : that of a cultural claim, which was the first inspiration of the Amazigh movement at its beginnings. This has been the case for AMREC since its foundation.

The Creation of the IRCAM

Here again, I will not dwell on the content of the Dahir (law) instituting the IRCAM. However, I will summarize two points, which, I think, are interesting to meditate on. These are the public ceremony of the creation of IRCAM and the basic structures of the latter, particularly the board of directors.

1. I had noted that this ceremony was exceptional in its choice of venue and progression of events, as well as in the number and the quality of the guests. The place is the town of the maternal family of the king. To my knowledge, no Dahir has ever had a proclamation place of this kind. The natural place to proclaim a law, in Morocco, is the parliament and the official newspaper. To proclaim a law in the open air is unusual in the history of this country. This meant that the event deserved this unusual and exceptional proclamation. It does, indeed, for it put a symbolic and legal end to the identity monism inherited from the triumphant nationalism. And it was necessary to manage it in this manner so that it would not be perceived as a "deviation" or a disavowal of this nationalism, but rather a simple omission, a necessary complement, it seems, promised by Hassan II since independence. A delivered promise therefore !

2. The number and the quality of the guests of this ceremony are very significant. In fact, all the state institutions were represented, including political parties, labor unions, the civil society, including Amazigh associations that did or did not support the Amazigh Manifesto. Therefore one must conclude that the Amazigh issue went from being a concern of one group of the population to symbolically become the matter of the state and that of all Moroccans.

3. The board of directors posed a more delicate problem. The discussion focused on who will sit on the board. In a nutshell, two positions confronted each other. Being of an academic nature, the first one proposed that only Amazigh language and culture experts would be members, given that the basic mission of the IRCAM is to introduce the language in the educational system and to promote the Amazigh culture in the media and society at large. The second, the activists' position, demanded that the associative movement be represented. The first one forgets that the IRCAM, given its judicial statute, cannot be only academic, for if its nature were such, there would not be any reason for it to be tied to the monarchy ; it would have sufficed to tie it to the university. The too-close proximity to the center of political decisions imposes that it be not exclusively scientific. The second forgets that the IRCAM is not a framework for activism. How could it be when the institution itself is linked to the central power ? The two positions are therefore conflicting. Nevertheless, the current board of directors is composed of scientists and activists. Some will see this as a contradiction. The IRCAM is not only a place for scientific research but also a place where the Amazigh issue can be managed.

The Tifinagh Script

Here I will summarize the analysis I published in a monthly Moroccan journal. Note that the choice of Tifinagh is the first public decision made by the institute. The process that led to this decision is twofold : internal and external to the IRCAM.

1. The Institute's Center for Linguistic Development ─the only one to have recruited university language experts─ was in charge of preparing a scientific analysis of the three competing alphabets to be used as the basis for the choice of the official script. The Center did its work following an explicit methodology described in its documents. Thus, the problem is not to discuss the relevance of this methodology but to determine how it weighed on the decision, for the latter does not depend only on the scientific aspect. There is certainly the political aspect to consider ; that is when the external process comes into play.

2. Before the board meeting, a number of associations met in Meknès claiming the Latin script as their choice. The press gave a big coverage to this position and, thus, put pressure upon the IRCAM's board of directors. Later, associations of Islamic tendencies met and demanded that the Arabic script be selected. But to my knowledge, no association claimed the Tifinagh script. It is therefore clear that Arabic-Latin antagonism became a political issue, one that would weigh heavily on the choice to make to the point that the scientific opinion was completely ignored. The Tifinagh script was selected in order to "referee" this antagonism. And it was argued that this alphabet was not only adequate but it was also the original Amazigh alphabet. This, for a language expert, is very far from reality. Recall that the Tifinagh script, known to experts in Amazigh linguistics as the neo-Tifinagh, is not the same thing as the Libyan script, the original Amazigh alphabet, which is still hard to decipher. Neo-Tifinagh is a slight variation of the alphabet disseminated by the former Paris-based Amazigh academy, and which was specifically developed to transcribe the Kabyl idiom. This historic reminder is necessary, for the layperson truly believes that the neo-Tifinagh is the actual old Amazigh alphabet.

One will retain, therefore, that the hybrid constituency of the board of directors, in this particular case, was not in favor of the scientific and historic truth of the language. I will conclude with these two important points :

1. Having examined the events from 1967 to this day, I have no doubt that the Amazigh movement succeeded in carrying out many important actions. These include visibility of Amazigh associations, publishing in Tamazight and about Tamazight, Amazigh artistic production, which is in net explosion, the fact that Tamazight is becoming the means of communication of city-dwellers, and the return to their roots of Amazighs who were ashamed of their language and origin to the point of self-hate, a condition well described by Tunisian writer Albert Memmi in Le complex du colonisé (The Complex of the Colonized) and by Algerian philosopher Frantz Fanon in his writings.

2. Nevertheless, there still remains a lot to do. Though Amazighness has taught pluralism to Moroccans, not all of them have accepted it as a tangible part of the Moroccan identity and a factor to reckon with from now on. Since they, at least a non-negligible fringe, claim universal democratic values, credit should be given to the Amazigh cultural movement for not yielding on this linguistic and cultural plurality of the country, plurality already underlined in the Agadir Charter. Therefore, it is necessary to add another task that is more difficult and more complex : the claim of a resolutely modern Amazighness. But that is another issue.

Summary of the Discussion

The main questions revolved around the Tifinagh alphabet, comparison with the Algerian position, and the relationships between the Amazigh movement and the Islamic movement. On the Tifinagh subject, the lecturer referred the audience to an article he published on the subject and gave a copy to the representative of the association Tamazgha who will get permission from its magazine to distribute it and, eventually, to post it on-line. On the comparison with the Algerian position, he specially insisted on this false idea that the Amazigh movement is antagonist to Islamism. He reminded the audience that the history of North Africa teaches us that the Amazighs have widely contributed to the islamicization and Arabicization of the region. Islamism, as a political movement, is indeed a concern to the Amazigh movement. But it has also mobilized all those who claim to be modern. The problem is to define the content of this modernity.

According to the lecturer, the Kabyl specificity resides in a historic process that is different from the Moroccan case. Despite all that has been said on this subject, Kabylia, as all Algeria, lived a colonization that tried to destroy the structures and culture of Kabyl society. An important fact to mention is the establishment of the republican school as early as the 19th century in this region. The length of colonization and massive acculturation of Kabyls is different from the situation of Moroccan Amazighs. The lecturer ended the talk by recalling that nationalism incarnated by the states is a tangible fact. One can pretend to think of the Amazigh world as a whole, but the behaviors are more revealing. He recalled the manner in which the members of the World Amazigh Congress were designated. It was done by nationality, he said, and that is more than revealing, for these are the realities.
1- Abdellah Bounfour is a professor of Amazigh literature at the INALCO (National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations). He is one of the founders of the AMREC, the first Amazigh association created in Morocco in 1967. 2- French acronym for royal institute for the Amazigh culture.

THE AMAZIGH FLAG

The flag shown above, also seen in icon form waving at each end of the WAAC title, is the Amazigh flag adopted by the Amazigh World Congress. It symbolizes Amazigh identity and cultural rennaissance, as well as Amazigh unity all over Tamazgha and the Diaspora.
This flag is often described by the misinformed, including the media, as "the Kabyle flag." This is erroneous, and hopefully, the translated document posted below, the proposal made by the Canary Islands at the First Amazigh World Congress, will help establish the facts behind this universal Amazigh flag.
This flag has also been described as "the Kabyle flag." It is another, older form of the Amazigh banner, found throughout Tamazgha. In the picture below, it is waved by activists from the Canary Islands.
(from http://www.diariodecanarias.com/111indice.html)
PROPOSAL OF CANARIAN SOLIDARITY
TO THE FIRST AMAZIGH WORLD CONGRESS
translated by the WAAC Team from the original Spanish: "Propuesta de Solidaridad Canaria
al I Congreso Mundial Amazigh"
Also available in French at: http://www.arrakis.es/~altasl/amazighf.htm
(the photo is from the above linked site, borrowed to document its presentation by the Imazighen of the Canary Islands before the First Amazigh World Congress)

AZUL FALAWEN,

Many are the hopes of the future that we, Canarians struggling against colonialism, have in this Congress. In this meeting of brethren, separated and mistreated by colonialism in all its forms (political, economic, religious, cultural, etc.) since the dawn of time, we wish for the rebirth of unity. We need to recuperate our fraternal ties, recognize ourselves as brothers/sisters so that we can, together, rebuild and strengthen our ancient common culture and revive the inheritance of our forefathers, our history, our identity.

For centuries, they have tried to erase us as a society, to convert us into pariahs at the mercy of others, but each one of us, often without knowing it, without giving it the utmost value that it has for all Imazighen, we are the possessors of valuable treasure chests of the common "jaima" of our ancestors. We are obliged, in facing the future and the world, to reunite, with much respect and zeal, with loving care so as not to mar their future, those treasures of our identity, which slowly and carefully our forefathers embroidered, to protect our culture that identifies us as a people and were being left on the side of the long roads that the Ancient Imazighen, our elders, traveled.

It is not going to be easy. Our enemies try to weaken our union and our struggles. Divided, diluted under the shadow of foreign banners, we are manipulated and weak servants. Together, "hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder," we shall be respected, we will fortify ourselves. We will not make it easy for the colonialists to impede our resurgence. Let us make this First Congress "The Tagoror," strongly solid, the one from which we cement our future. Let us make the necessary great effort to understand each other, eradicate personality conflicts or crude ambitions for control, which can border on treason, and let us be conscious that the future of millions of brothers/sisters who form Tamazgha depends on us, and thus, for that future, there is a weight of great responsibility over us.

Our struggle needs to fortify our bonds and symbols of unity in all corners where Imazighen are found. For and by them, we propose at this First World Amazigh Congress, the creation of a flag that identifies us. A flag that makes of our struggle a common defense, under which our children will grow freely, under which we feel together with our society, with our people (be we immgrants, continentals, or islanders). A flag which will be the symbol of a reawakening, a password for all Imazighen, wherever they are found. A symbol whose colors and design are drawn from our past, and at the same time guides our destiny, guaranteeing that our children will hoist it permanently wherever a brethren arrives.

National conference on Amazigh culture to begin in Ouarzazate
22/02/2006

The Moroccan Centre of Anthropological and Sociological Studies, which is affiliated with the Royal Institute for Amazigh Culture, is organising a national conference on "Amazigh Culture and Human Development in Rural Areas," that will be held in Ourzazate on Thursday (23 February) and Friday. The two-day event will be attended by researchers and active members of national and local associations, who are scheduled to discuss various themes, including "The State and the Challenge of Rural Development", "Collective Associations, a Model of Local Development" and "Social Heritage and Human Development". Workshops will be organised on the second day to examine "The Type of Rural Associations in the Atlas", "The Role of Associations in Water Management in the Oasis of Toudgha" and "The Role of Feminist Associations in Support of Amazigh Women". (Morocco Times

FEASTS AND FESTIVALS

- February :

Almond Blossom Festival - Tafraout

- May :

Roses Festival - El Kelaa des M'gouna

- June :

Sacred World Music Festival of Fez
Moulay Abdeslam Ben M'Chich Moussem - Larache
Cherry Festival - Sefrou
National Folklore Festival - Marrakesh Rabat National Festival
Essaouira Festival

- July :

Camel Festival - Guelmim
Honey Festival - Ida ou Tanane, nr Agadir

- August :

Asilah Cultural Festival
Oujda Festival
Popular Music Festival - Saidia
Moulay Abdellah Moussem - El Jadida

- August / September :

Marriage Festival - Imilchil

- September :

Horse Festival - Tissa
Moulay Idriss Al Azhar Moussem - Fez
Date Festival - Erfoud
The Wax Festival - Sale mouloud

Festival of timitar 02 july 09 in 2006
The second Timitar festival wrapped up, on Saturday in Agadir, in miscegenation of world rhythms. Amazigh music embraced Brazilian Samba to stage a melting pot night that Amal square will engrave on its cultural memory.
Local and foreign music lovers enjoyed the Amazigh music as played by Hamid Inerzaf, Iness Mezel and Elhoucine Kili. A flow of vibrations throbbed the square.
Brazilian singer, Marcia Short changed the tune open wide the Brazilian culture before music lovers. Rhythms ascended and descended in a lively portrait of a culture that has endured through the years and develops further in meeting other cultures.
The Eight-day festival featured 400 musicians and 46 bands representing Amazigh, Arab and world music notably Alpha Blondy, Faudel, Raul Paz (king of Salsa), Enzo Avitabile & Bottari, Kepa Junkera, Njava, Toto La Momposina, Tarek Nasser, Moha Oulhoucine Achibane and la Raisssa Tachenouiteand Najat Aâtabou.

A Look at Morocco Today
Cool Facts About Morocco!

Geography: Morocco is a North African coastal country aout the size of California. The geography of the country includes a great expanse of Atlantic coastline as well as desert, mountains and plains. The scenery of Morocco is a blend of the African continent, while its monuments reflect the rich and varied traditions of the Islamic civilization which began its influence in the year 710. The land was named "el maghreb" by the Arabs which means "the farthest land of the setting sun", or the far west. Morocco is bounded by two seas, a mountain chain, and the immensity of the Sahara Desert, yet it is Europe's nearest neighbor and the most accessible of the Maghreb countries to visit. Throughout its three-thousand year history, Morocco has been the most open to the crosscurrents of other civilizations from the North to the South. Morocco presents a wonderful variety of geological wonders. The countryside is beautiful, running along both the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. Just eight miles from Spain, Morocco might have lost its soul to Europe - but refused. Though conquered by Rome and colonized by Spain and France, Moroccans held fast to their Berber culture, while adopting the Islam religion brought by the Arabs from the East.

Climate: The geological variety of Morocco also gives it a wide range of climate conditions. The weather in the coastal regions is generally mild but it can become cool and wet in the north, about 12 C (54° F) in winter, to 25 C (77° F) in the summer (sometimes higher). In the desert, temperatures can swing wildly from day to night. This is due to the dryness of the atmosphere, which has almost no humidity.

History: Morocco is an ancient country molded by three thousand years of history. As a result of its unique geographical position, Morocco has been exposed to the religious, artistic and economic cross currents of the East, Europe and the depths of Africa. Many countries have, at various times, attempted to take over Morocco for their own interests. I will mention the most recent colonization in Morocco's history which covers the period of the French presence from 1912 to 1956. The French built roads and railways, developed the port of Casablanca and moved the political capitol to Rabat. During that era, many Europeans settled in Morocco. By the end of World War II, strong nationalist sentiment grew and was supported by the Sultan. In 1955 the French withdrew from Morocco and the Sultan's son, Hassan II, became King. A constitution was established in 1972, which allows the many regional areas of the country to represent the interests of the people. The King, however, remains the ultimate authority in all matters.

People: Many peoples ~ one nation. From earliest historical time, Morocco's population has been essentially Berber; Nomads, semi nomads, and settled farmers. Later other peoples arrived; the Arabs (who brought the religion of Islam with them), Andalusians from southern Spain, Jews, Europeans and Black Africans who intermixed or coexisted with the original Berber inhabitants. The Berbers inhabit the mountain regions and parts of the desert. There are roughly three main Berber tribes which are separated by different dialects. Mohamed is from the High Atlas and speaks Tachalhit. Little is known of the racial origins of the Berbers. The word "Berber" comes from an Arabic word possibly borrowed from the Latin (and ultimately ancient Greek), barbari, signifying the non-Latin speaking peoples of the Maghreb. The most widely used languages currently are Arabic, French, Spanish and English.

Customs and Traditions: The Berbers have many different traditions from one to the other. As in most villages, weddings are looked forward to, but the most famous wedding tradition takes place in Mohamed's home village of Imilchil. All the young people who live in the High Atlas mountains come to participate in the "Moussem". . . a kind of tribal marriage where the brides get to choose their groom. Other traditions include folkloric festivals and music performances.

Culture: Morocco has a rich and varied culture. One can find different lifestyles, crafts, architecture and dress, all depending on which part of the country you are in. Soccer is very popular and the national team was good enough to qualify for the World Cup staged in the U.S.A. in 1994. and france in 1998

Government: Currently Morocco is ruled by King Hassan II and has a democratic parliamentary government. King Hassan II has taken many steps to modernize Morocco. Life in the cities is a harmonious combination of the old and new ways of life. It is common to see both Western dress and native djellabas as people go about their daily routines. Many Moroccan women are employed or attend school. In southern Morocco the lifestyle is more traditional and employment is generally agricultural

The social changes which swept Morocco during the 20th century, saw the birth of a growing mobility of the Amazigh-speaking population . The Middle Atlas witnessed the sudden growth of small towns, such as Khenifra, Azrou and Ain Leuh, as they became a way station for many dispossessed nomads. From the new arrivals sprang a new musical artistic form, removed from the local traditions. It borrows from Izli the basic rythms and themes, while standing out by placing itself on the cusp of the Shiukh's violin performance, such as Hammou Lyazid, and the traditional Izlan rendition. It combines the use of the Lutar, Izlan of various length and a band which, besides singers, is made up of tambourine players and of Shikhats for the dancing and chorus.
Born in 1950 in Khenifra (about 120 miles south of Fez), Mohammed El Houari aka. Rouicha is, along with Mohammed Meghni, the front man of this new tradition. Having left school early to study the art of singing, he went through an imitation phase. In the late sixties he started to write his own music and to perform on the Moroccan stages.
Rouicha is famous for his perfect mastery of the Lutar, the leading regional instrument, and for his individual style of the Izli genre. During his career, he has been a strong influence on numerous artists of this tradition, such as the singer Cherifa. Rouicha sings of love, nature, life's tragedies, death, social justice and politics.
Afulay
Paris, June 2003
Translated from French by
Liza Ben Belkacem
Glossary
Ahidus: word which to the Imazighen (in this instance, Berbers of the Middle or Eastern High Atlas) includes a great number of group dances, while singing to the beat of drums.
Izli (plural: Izlan): lyric poems sang at the beginning of the Ahidus, often performed as a challenge. As a rule the Izli is made up of two verses.
Lutar; three or four strings Lute.
Shikhat: Singers/dancers performing with the shiukh on the violin, the alto Ikamanja or the lutar.
Shiukh: (singular: Shikh); professional musicians.
To learn more...
M. Rovsing Olsen, Chants et danses de l'Atlas, Cité de la musique / Actes sud, 1997.
Site Izlan imazighen <http://membres.lycos.fr/izlanimazighen>

Morocco Imilchil Wedding Festival

Modern Morocco presents a hospitable, profoundly seductive mix of Berber, Arab, Islamic, European, an African influences. Moroccans honor ancient events and local patron saints with festivals known as moussems .

Morocco has a rich culture and civilization.
Each region possesses its own specificities, contributing, thus, to the making of national culture and to the civilization legacy, in Berber villages, these festivals are the events of the year, with religious ceremonies, folk music, traditional dancing, and even marriage arrangements adding up to an extremely lively scene.In Morocco's High Atlas Mountains in the village of Imilchil, one of the nomadic Berber tribes known as the Ait Hdiddou holds the engagement festival evry years in the summer, during the Wedding Imilchil Festival, there is an encampment of more than 25, 000 people settled in the valley of Imilchil,

and in one area, goods of every description are sold, including clothing - both second hand and new. Surrounded by heaps of coats, shirts and pants, hawkers compete for customers. on the other side of the encampment, there are donkeys, sheep and goats offered for sale.
Over the past few years, the marriage festival has been promoted by Morocco's Office of Tourism, and visitors from all over the world have come to witness the celebration at Imilchil

Substance and Origins:

Since the dawn of history, Imazighen have been the indigenous inhabitants of North Africa, their territory stretching from Egypt to Mauritania and from the Mediterranean to the boundaries of historic sub-Saharan Black Africa. Various empires and peoples have conquered portions of historic Tamazgha <http://www.worldlynx.net/tamazgha/tamurt1.html>, beginning with the Phoenicians and Greeks and continuing through the Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs, Turks, French, British, Spanish, and Italians. Imazighen have been subjected to various religious beliefs: their own early pantheistic concepts; the polytheistic dogmas of the Phoenicians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans; and monotheistic Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Since the 13th century, most Imazighen have professed the Islamic faith and Islam has sunk most deeply into their psyches.

Throughout their history, the Imazighen have always had their heroes or heroines who have defended their ancestral homeland but then succumbed to the superior "civilization" might of their conquerors. In 814 B.C., for example, Amazigh chief Larbas negotiated a deal to marry Princess Dido, daughter of the King of Tyre, in return for a small piece of real estate that eventually became Qart Hadasht (i.e., the New City, or Carthage). King Juba and king Massinissa intrigued with the Romans against the Carthaginians. Royal prince Jugurtha learned Roman fighting techniques and then led a formidable rebellion from 106 to 104 B.C. according to the Roman historian Sallust's account of the Jugurthine War.
In the early stages of the arrival of Islam, Aures tribal chief Kusaila, and later the Kahena, resisted the Arabs in the late 7th-early 8th century until they were overwhelmed by the Arab forces, and they were forced to submit. Salih (Moroccan Amazigh) from the Moroccan Berghawata took Islam as his model and translated an "Amazigh" Koran to have repulsed Arab penetration of Morocco's Atlas mountains. Amazigh leaders Yusuf ibn Tashfin and Ibn Tumart established the great Amazigh medieval empires of the Almoravids (al-Murabitun, "People of the Ribat") and the Almohades (al-Muwahhidun, the "Unitarians"), which dominated much of North Africa and Spain in the 12th and 13th centuries. From the 13th century on, however, Arab Bedouin tribes (the Banu Hilal, Banu Sulaym, and Banu Ma'qil) began to inundate the low-lying plains of North Africa and began a process of Arabization that would continue into the 20th century.
Imazighen retained their native tongues “Tamazight Language <tamazight_language.htm>” only in the Atlas Mountains and remote sections of the Sahara not penetrated by these Arab groups. As a result, Amazigh consciousness remained strong in the High, Middle, and Riff Atlas sections of Morocco; the Kabylia mountain massifs east of Algiers; the Aures Mountains of eastern Algeria; the Mzab region of the northern Sahara of Algeria; Algeria's Tuareg sectors of the Ahaggar and Tassili-n-Ajjer; the Nofusa Mountains south of Tripoli, the Saharan Siwa Oasis complex in western Egypt, the Tuareg Azouad territory of northwestern Mali, and the Tuareg-occupied Air mountain massif of north central Niger.



Backgrounds and Definitions

The term "Amazigh" represents the Berber people of North Africa. The still widely used Ethno-linguistic word "Berber". In history the Romans and Byzantines used this term to denote those who did not speak Greek. During and after the arrival of Islam in the seventh century, the Arabs followed the Greco-Roman practice and referred to the indigenous peoples they encountered as "barbar." The French and English speakers adopted "Berber" and "Berber" coined the word "Barbary," implying that the inhabitants of North Africa.
Berber people are using the term "Amazigh" which they use to describe themselves in their own languages. "Amazigh" signifies "free" or "noble" person; the plural is “Imazighen”. To define, in the most generic way, the language that they speak, Imazighen use the term "Tamazight <http://www.multimania.com/aza/langue/index.htm>." This term is also used specifically for the speech of the Imazighen of Kabylia and Shawia in Algeria, the Middle Atlas (Rwafa) and Shlowh in Morocco, Zwara and Nofusa Mountains in Libya and other parts of Egypt and Tunisian territories. Regional Tamazight speakers use their own localized terms to define their own regional variations, such as Tariffit in northern Morocco, Tashilhit in Morocco's Sous Valley, Tanfusit in Libya's Nofusa mountains, Tashawit in Algeria's Awras mountains and the like. The original Amazigh alphabetic transcription system is referred to as "Tifinagh." Variant transcription systems in use include Latin and Arabic adaptations of Tifinagh representations.

Tuareg <http://wwwusers.imaginet.fr/~yusuf/index.html> elements in Mali call their ancestral homeland Azouad (in northwestern Mali), and the Tuareg of Niger call theirs Air (in the Air mountain massif of north central Niger, with its capital at Agadez) and refer to themselves as the Kel Air (i.e., "People of Air"). Other groups of Imazighen are also found in Libya, Tunisia and at Siwa Oasis, Egypt. The word "Amazighité" (i.e., Berberism) is often used to sum up the qualities that Amazigh persons might share. These include speaking Tamazight language <http://www.multimania.com/aza/langue/index.htm>, revering the national homeland (Tamazgha <http://www.tamurt-imazighen.com/tamazgha/>) of the Amazigh people (including all of the Arab Maghrib Union [AMU] countries. Others in Siwa Oasis in Egypt, and parts of Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Canary Islands). Practicing various customs and traditions <culture%20&%20heritage.htm> common to the Imazighen and instilling a historical awareness of the basic outlines of Amazigh <history.htm> and famous historical figures.