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Yennayer, the Berber New Year

Version française Every year around January 12-14, a date pit hides inside the tagoula bowls of Amazigh families — good luck for whoever finds it. That’s Yennayer, the Berber New Year: an agricultural feast older than the calendar that replaced it, and one that never quite disappeared. A name from far away The word “Yennayer” comes from the Latin Januarius, the same root as our January. That link points to old contact with the Julian calendar, brought by Rome and …

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The post The Berber World appeared first on Southeast-morocco.com.

Jean-Pierre Datcharry is renowned for being a specialist in organizing camel caravan crossings of Morocco. With his agency Désert et Montagne Maroc, he has settled in a small village near Ouarzazate. Several times a year, he travels with hikers across the country to discover its beauty and diversity. Naturally, during his travels, he encountered nomadic shepherds from southeastern Morocco and established a continuous relationship with them and their families. Like many others, he has observed the decline of the mountain shepherd profession and shares his views on the solutions to be implemented to prevent the eventual disappearance of this traditional and ancestral figure in Morocco.

Southeast-morocco.com – How did you come to discover the life of nomadic shepherds in southeastern Morocco?

Jean-Pierre Datcharry – My encounter with the shepherds and their families took place among the nomadic tribes of the Aït Atta confederation passing through the territory of Aït Bouguemez. At that time, 37 years ago, I lived in a small village at the top of the Aït Bouguemez valley. I was a mountain guide working for travel agencies based in Marrakech or France.

I enjoyed meeting this community and once accompanied one of their transhumances, which allowed me to discover them intimately in their daily lives. It was then that I organized my first hike with a group of foreign travelers along a transhumance route, following one of the families as they moved with their herd. The quality of the experience lived by these travelers led me to repeat this type of hike every year, for the past 35 years.

Southeast-morocco.com – Why did the shepherds of the Aït Atta tribes engage in transhumance on the territory of the Aït Bouguemez tribes?

Jean-Pierre Datcharry – The nomadic Aït Atta tribes’ original territory is the Djebel Saghro massif, although they have also extended southward into the Drâa Valley or northward into the Atlas Mountains, particularly concerning the Aït Atta Oumalou tribe.

The djebel Saghro : (or Adrar Saghru in Amazigh) is a mountain in southern Morocco, reaching an altitude of 2,712 meters. It is located east of Ouarzazate, 70 km south of the Central High Atlas, overlooking the Drâa valleys to the west and south, and the Dadès valley to the north. It forms the eastern part of the Anti-Atlas. / Source : Wikipedia

Part of the Aït Atta tribe once established agreements with the tribes of the Aït Bouguemez valley to use their mountain pastures during the summer on the northern slopes of the High Atlas, beyond the M’Goun Massif, territories with a milder climate than those of the Djebel Saghro. These pastures were already occupied by the herds of the Aït Bouguemez communities themselves, as well as by families of the Aït Mohammed located further north.

It is important to understand that there was a time when all these tribes were in conflict, even quasi-war, particularly over pasture issues. Each had their strengths, but the Aït Atta tribes were renowned for their vigorous fighters. A pacification of these disputes was achieved in the 1940s under the auspices of the French authorities of the Protectorate then in force in Morocco since 1912. An agreement was thus signed in the small town of N’Kob between the parties involved.

This allowed Aït Atta shepherds and their herds to engage in transhumance with the Aït Bouguemez, venturing to the verdant slopes of their territories. In exchange, the Aït Bouguemez tribes were invited to spend the winter in the mountains of the Djebel Saghro, with the Aït Atta, thus leaving the harshness of the snow for the milder temperatures near the Sahara.

And to this day, these cross-transhumance movements of shepherd families and their herds take place every year. Given the success of this activity among Morocco-loving hikers, I also organize a second hike for the return journey of the Aït Atta herds, in the fall.

Southeast-morocco.com – What are the exact periods of these transhumances?

Jean-Pierre Datcharry – The Aït Atta herds are allowed to settle on the pastures of the Aït Bouguemez from June 1st of each year until the arrival of snow. The grazing area is called Tamda and is also located near Lake Izourar.

It should be noted that the month before the arrival of the herds, in May, the pastures are guarded by a group consisting of the three communities involved, the Aït Bouguemez, the Aït Mohamed, and the Aït Atta, to ensure that no shepherd comes to settle with their animals.

For the herds from the Aït Bouguemez valley, there is no specific date for their presence, as the territory of the Aït Atta is vast.

As for me, I organize my hikes to follow the transhumances in May, in order to arrive on the destination lands at the desired time. We usually arrive at the entry point a few days before the opening date. Therefore, we make a bivouac stop at the foot of the Tizi n’Tighrist pass (2600 m altitude).

Today, there are fewer than ten small-sized herds

In the past, grazing areas made available for the Aït Atta herds were allocated by lottery among each tribe. It should be noted that in those distant times, nearly 50 tribes, and therefore 50 herds of over 600 head each, would gather to benefit from the more favorable territories of this valley. Today, there are fewer than ten small-sized herds, totaling around 150 head, that make this transhumance journey each year. This year, we only encountered six families, three fewer than the previous year, and the tribe we were accompanying sold all their sheep during the journey, taking advantage of an encounter with a livestock dealer.

Southeast-morocco.com – Why this gradual disappearance of the herds?

Jean-Pierre Datcharry – This movement of disappearance began about a decade ago and proves to be inevitable. Nomadic families no longer tolerate their ancestral way of life. Living conditions are indeed too harsh, and the nomadic lifestyle is no longer accepted by women or the younger generations who see the allure of modernity surpassing the qualities inherent in nomadic life.

Another factor contributing to the abandonment of this activity is the fragmentation of herds with each inheritance division after the death of a tribal leader. The smaller the herds become, the less capacity there is to generate income sufficient to meet the growing needs of life. And there are fewer people available to take care of the animals, as was once the case with children and youth who quickly took part in collective work.

Southeast-morocco.com – How to reverse this trend?

Jean-Pierre Datcharry – The solution, in my opinion, would be to pool the herds among families that have become smaller than the large tribes of the past. I have often proposed this idea to the nomads I meet. Indeed, if each family brings their sheep to form a large herd, its management throughout the year will become easier and, above all, more profitable. Family heads could take turns caring for the animals, allowing for other complementary economic activities. Families could then settle in towns, as many already do in N’Kob, thereby facilitating the education of children and access to basic public services.

To be honest, this proposal has little resonance among them. Most of them have already decided to quit their shepherd profession.

They have lost the flavor of their own identity as shepherds and nomads

Southeast-morocco.com – Is the Moroccan government doing anything to counteract this disappearance?

Jean-Pierre Datcharry – A few years ago, efforts were made by the authorities such as the construction of tracks and the installation of water points, but this seems too late or insufficient.

Faced with the disengagement of nomadic shepherds from their traditional way of life, the real challenge is no longer just logistical but lies in the revaluation of this tradition, which is now endangered. While pooling resources and means logically appears as the solution to rationalize and therefore revive this economic activity, it must be understood that these shepherds no longer have the strength or even the confidence to organize themselves and together try to perpetuate this way of life.

They have lost the flavor of their own identity as shepherds and nomads and wish for a completely different life for their children.

Southeast-morocco.com – What could be done concretely?

Jean-Pierre Datcharry – Above all, we need to work towards raising awareness within Moroccan society regarding the disappearance of one of Morocco’s oldest traditions. The initiative launched by the Moroccan NGO We Speak Citizen to establish a Shepherd’s House in the Aït Bouguemez Valley is a step in this direction, as shedding light on the reality of mountain shepherds will lead to a better understanding of the nature of the challenges they face.

It will then become clear that enhancing their social status in Morocco as nomadic shepherds is a crucial element for the survival of their profession.

Further reading : The shepherd, the forgotten pearl of Moroccan cultural heritage

It would also be necessary for a major NGO specializing in agricultural issues to get involved in supporting the shepherds to help them move towards this essential mutualization, thus ensuring that each group has greater strength to improve their working and living conditions, to allow for better preservation of breeds, better management of movements, and greater commercial strength to set their prices.

For many years, Morocco has expanded the use and development of cooperatives, especially in the agricultural and artisanal sectors, but it must be recognized that this organizational tool is not suitable for the nomadic shepherd population. Another mode of organization, one that is more flexible, closer to the realities on the ground, and more in line with the mindset of these individuals who are inherently drawn to space and freedom, needs to be invented.

Establishing a quality label for the meat of these sheep is a priority

Southeast-morocco.com – However, there are countries, and France is an example, where the disappearance of the mountain shepherd profession has been avoided, and where we see young people getting involved in this economic activity.

Jean-Pierre Datcharry – Of course, it works in France, and it can work in Morocco. It’s important to keep in mind that the sheep market is very significant in Morocco. Specifically, during the last Eid al-Adha, Morocco imported nearly a million sheep from Spain with a subsidy system. Meanwhile, we see all these nomadic shepherds, especially the youth, leaving their profession to take on menial jobs.

This sheep market generates significant revenue, and it should also benefit the traditional shepherds of the mountains. If we manage to truly highlight the quality of the meat from sheep raised in mountain pastures, animals that have fed on thyme, wormwood, and other mountain plants, then we can establish higher selling prices.

The solution of a quality label for the meat of these sheep, something like “Atlas Morocco Sheep,” should again be a priority for Moroccan authorities, and I am certain that there are consumers in the major cities of the country willing to pay more for the meat they eat, as is already the case for farm chickens or eggs, if they are assured of the territorial origin of the sheep and their full growth in pastures.

Therefore, it requires the mobilization of several stakeholders around this challenge of keeping the mountain shepherd profession alive. It’s about preserving a figure of Moroccan heritage.

Supporting the mutualization of shepherds should allow for the sedentarization of families. Let’s accept the idea that the shepherd’s family settles permanently so that women and children can access more acceptable living conditions today. Each family pools its animals, and only the men continue their nomadic lifestyle, joined by young people who will then choose to become shepherds.

Finally, the establishment of a real social status with health coverage and retirement benefits will be a significant advancement that will motivate the younger generations to continue the path of their parents.

The shepherd resonates within us an essential part

Southeast-morocco.com – While waiting for the situation of the shepherds to evolve, what are you doing at your level to meet the challenge of preserving their profession?

Jean-Pierre Datcharry – At my modest level, aside from the advice I try to share with them, there isn’t much I can do. Certainly, for many years, the transhumance treks I organize have provided income for some of these nomadic families we follow, and I have often recruited young people from these tribes to work as camel drivers or guides within my agency, Desert and Mountain Morocco.

However, and perhaps most importantly, through the organization of these annual treks to follow the transhumance of the herds, I seek to raise awareness among foreign and Moroccan travelers about the unique existence of these shepherd families, still somewhat nomadic, and representing one of the beautiful facets of Morocco.

I have observed that those who experience these transhumance treks, spending a few days immersed in the life of these mountain shepherd families, leave amazed and deeply touched.

Perhaps it is because the shepherd and the nomad carry within them something that resonates with us, something essential, a truth about ourselves; perhaps it is the trace, the memory of our origins, or maybe it is something that speaks to our future.

Watch this

The post The challenge of saving the shepherd profession in Morocco appeared first on Southeast-morocco.com.

Everyone knows it; the tourist economy in Morocco plays an important economic role, not only in terms of the official GDP figures or of foreign exchange, but, even more significantly than that, with regard to the iceberg of the informal economy. In concrete terms, tens of thousands of people, and families, today find themselves without income.

Tourism has also played a major role in affirming Moroccan society as a welcoming culture and as a society constructively dynamic in its openness to the world and to the meeting of cultures.

So what is going to happen now? Are we going to see a profound change in tourist habits? Is this the end of cheap global travel? Is mass tourism doomed to disappear? No one knows, but whatever does happen, it is very likely that the return of foreign tourists to Morocco will take a long time, maybe several months. The outcome of the pandemic may well be that prudence takes over from the thirst for elsewhere, and the financial means of potential tourists will certainly and inevitably have decreased. The key question for Morocco is therefore to ponder what it is going to do in the coming year, which looks as blank as a clean sheet in the pages of its existence.

For the large majority of Moroccans, rural Morocco is a terra incognita.

If evidence is needed; several other countries dealing with the same problem have already begun to prepare themselves: it is an absolute necessity that national tourism save the annual high seasons, meaning that Moroccans must elect to travel within their own borders. The appeals to do exactly that are on the increase, and the Moroccan National Tourism Office has embarked on a campaign of public awareness on public television under the slogan #3lamantla9aw, which can be translated as meaning until we meet again, and which aims to awaken a reflex in Moroccans to choose their own country.

This initiative is commendable, but the challenge is nevertheless a difficult one because the lack of participation in national tourism has always been an issue in Morocco’s tourist economy. Now it will be a prerequisite to face these obstacles if these challenges are to be lessened.

The prime obstacle is the approach of tourist operators in Morocco, who have always considered the foreign traveller to be their target of choice. In fact, the Moroccan traveller often does not feel welcome, especially if he wishes to stay in a hotel. He knows this all too well, and the accommodation providers also make him feel it. Secondly, the pricing of accommodation is far too high for a Moroccan tourist, who will prefer to go it alone and rent private accommodation wherever he decides to stay.

However, the challenge of national tourism faces a much greater difficulty to be overcome: the coastal resorts, from Dakhla to Nador, will always find visitors from among their compatriots, whereas the interior of the country, that is to say the rural areas of Morocco in all their diversity, remains a terra incognita for the vast majority of Moroccans, and is likely to remain so for a long time – unless an individual and collective awareness changes for the better.

Rural Morocco should be the highlight of a vigorous national tourism

Morocco’s interior, rural Morocco, is however the heart of Morocco’s identity because the country, through its geographical location, has been blessed with a nature still preserved in its breath-taking and spectacular authenticity. With its high mountains, its rocky plateaus, its verdant plains, its oases, and of course the vast desert, Morocco offers an enormous palette to choose from for all those who look to encounter a vibrant Nature in all its diversity.

And while numerous foreigners have made and will make the thousands of kilometres from their home countries in order to walk the rock slopes of Siroua or Mgoun, or yet seek out the Saharan sands, how many young Moroccans or Moroccan families have ever crossed a single one of the oases within their country? How many have ever spent a night under the stars brightening the Moroccan desert? How many have hiked the pathways along the rivers?

But more than this, rural Morocco is also the recollection of a Morocco rooted within its territories, and also within the communities of men and women, who, since time immemorial, have written the history of their country; and, in addition, have composed the timeless body of its heritage, stone by stone, gesture for gesture, word for word.

From the prehistoric etchings in the rocks to the skeletons of dinosaurs to the ancestral ways of life of the Amazigh tribes and of the Jewish and sub-Saharan communities, from the ruins of former flourishing cities, the kasbahs of former lords, from the art of music and song, from the crafts that stretch back to far distant times to the customs exchanged across the continent via the great camel caravans, from the memories of great battles and their heroes, as both conquerors and rebels …… all these facets constitute the pantheon of a teeming history of Morocco which truly finally deserves to take its rightful place in becoming the Moroccan darling of a vigorous national tourism.

However, the reality is sadly different. A Moroccan who wishes to set out to unlock the secrets of his own history in all its diverseness would find it very hard to find an organized tourist offer providing him with a trip suitable to enhancing the general knowledge of his own culture, or, in particular, to restoring his pride in being Moroccan, dazzled as he would be by the dimensions of such a flamboyant history.

South East Morocco has a golden touch

South East Morocco acts as a cruel illustration of this because, although providence has made this region the natural and historical treasure of Morocco, nothing has been done to offer the tourist any of the means required for embarking on a wonderful and unforgettable encounter with what constitutes one of the centrepieces of Moroccan heritage – perhaps even the most central one.

Who knows that the South East gave birth to an expanding medieval city, Sijlmassa, whose civilisation once shone across the entire African continent?  How is it possible to venture in the footsteps of the first people to have trodden the land between Tamgroute, Ouarzazate and Errachidia? What was life in the large oases of the Dra’a valley like? How can you project yourself into the thrill of the great battles round the Tinghir mountains, such as the one at Bougafer which will have seen the anarchic resistance of the Ait Atta tribes under their chief, l’Amghar Assou or Baslam? How to rediscover the echos of the valiant warriors of the Saharan tribes of Ait Khbach or R’guibat? How to walk in the Ouarzazate of the time under the French Protectorate, a period that was just as wealthy. How to dive into the culture of the Jewish communities which made up a large proportion of South East Morocco with their very heart, soul and mind? Who still knows that the Alaouite Royal Dynasty of Mohammed VI has its roots in Tafilalet, and how to admire its expansion as far as Rabat? Who has already sensed the freshness of the Valley of Roses in Dades or in the palm groves of the Dra’a? Who can admire the skeletons of the oldest dinosaur ever discovered in Morocco, within just a few kilometres from Ouarzazate?

The South East of Morocco is golden; a delicious honey that can attract innumerable Moroccans to its territories – whole families, children, young people, anyone eager to learn about their own history and therefore delight in being the participants such a universal patrimony.

Towards a new model for territorial development

So, what needs to be done to prevent this honey from disappearing into the sands?

The key to success lies within a collective mobilisation, one that can combat this crisis and its challenges. And this means nothing less than introducing a new model for territorial development, allowing the region of Dra’a Tafilalet to become its yardstick, not simply as a new region but as a significant contributor to Morocco’s history. This model must enjoy protection and allow for an appreciation of its natural, cultural and historical heritage creating the dynamic groundwork for any future policy.

Of course, all this requires tourism professionals increasingly to orient their business plans towards discovering the pedestals of regional identity; both its Nature and its history. It also requires the local authorities to invest in the necessary infrastructures finally to create museums and eco-museums designed to allow Moroccans encounter all the region’s treasures: here dinosaurs or minerals, there for the benefit of oases or Berber crafts, elsewhere about the story of the French presence or that of the great local heroes, and even further afield to learn about the contributions made by the Jewish communities and the peoples who have come up from the South, and not to forget the history of the ksour and kasbahs.

Tourism managers will have to go beyond their logistics offering pretty photos and beautiful landscapes, and understand the virtues of territorial marketing as a cultural agenda.

And, of course, it is equally important that Moroccans themselves rediscover a thirst for their own culture, a wish to resurrect memories, a desire for historical knowledge. The Moroccan media,as well as schools, could certainly profitably play a role in this reorientation and enhancement of Morocco concentrating on its own territory, relying on all this precious and boundless natural and cultural affluence in which Morocco abounds. And this will, in fact, be the least difficult to ensure, because as with any human being, the Moroccan instinctively knows that his inner balance and the strength of his identity rest on a continuity of consciousness between his origins and his prospects.

Moroccans only need to be presented with all the elements of their glorious past, in its plurality, its truths, in its role as part of our humanity. Here in the South East of Morocco just as in every other rural area in the country.

The challenge is to awaken memories in and of Morocco

Finally, this rural Morocco, this magnificent jewel-box of Nature and memories, nowadays see itself as a bearer of an essential part of the country’s modernity since the desire for a greater ecology is now on the increase everywhere.

The slogan of the Moroccan National Tourist Office, however, is naïve since it is not only a question of organising the reconnection between Moroccans and their own country but also of reacting to a generalised lack of consciousness of Morocco’s history.

The challenge is nothing less than to open peoples’ eyes, to force them to turn away from all the superfluities of modern life in order to find the way back to the self, as a collective as well as an individual, to go and meet one’s own image, the true face of Morocco – ancestral, natural, a treasure trove.

And this … is to behold the beautiful.

Translated by : Felicity Greenlaw / Desert Majesty

The post And what if Moroccans were finally to discover their own country…? appeared first on Southeast-morocco.com.