Telouet Traditions

After a short break to visit a Jewish cemetery and pick up lunch in Erfoud, we drove via Ouarzazate (the "Moroccan Hollywood" because of all the movie sets there) to a Berber village off the beaten path, called Telouet. If you click on the link, you can see the Wikipedia article only discusses the Kasbah, or palace, which we also visited. However, that was on Friday. Thursday we had to switch from busses to smaller vans just to get through the narrow streets along the mountainous terrain, but when we arrived, it was in time to witness a rhythmic song and percussion-filled custom among Berber tribes for welcoming others. Don't worry, it wasn't planned for us, but we did participate. The girls interspersed and some of the guys tried their hands at the drums.

PICTURES FROM TELOUET










Before going further, I should say a little about our hosts. Berbers are a native people of Northern Africa. The Arabs came during the Muslim Conquest around the 8th Century, but the Berbers, and Jews for that matter, have been living here for far longer (On a side note, Raphy our guide said a few times, possibly even quoting King Muhammad VI, that "the Jews of Morocco are more Moroccan than the Moroccans," that is to say in comparison to the Arabs, since the Jews have been here longer. But the Berbers are the earliest known inhabitants of the area). Once Islam entered Northern Africa, Berbers converted, so today most Berber are Muslim. However, as you can see above, they still practice and incorporate their traditions.

After the chanting, we enjoyed a delicious couscous dinner, and found our way to the sleeping quarters. There I reflected on staying the night in such a remote area (and exotic country), and the people with which I've interacted. The Telouet hosts were of a kindness rarely seen by Westerners, and they were willing not only to provide us with additional blankets, but to share the stories of their lives with us. I found it difficult and problematic that I found myself viewing this space as a type of interactive museum- exhibiting a culture with a lesser purpose than my own. It's a painful reaction to have, based on untrue cultural perceptions! Linear evolution of society was an 18th Century mentality arguing that there was a ladder by which all civilizations developed, with Europeans at the top and everyone else below them. Yet there really is no order or ability to truly compare or evaluate one group next to another. On the contrary, when an apple is explored empirically, it becomes an entirely different object when experienced with an orange. The fact that many of these villages have only received running water and electricity in the last 10-15 years doesn't reduce them! People have their own lives, values and goals, but they are shrouded by difference. The challenge is to enjoy the taste of difference, and not to rationalize it into your terms.

The next question is why we visited Telouet in the first place. There are obviously no Jews here, so the goal must be oriented to a greater world-consciousness, and understanding of the way others live and think. We were only in Telouet for one night, and the direct interaction we had was pretty limited, but the residents shared a calmness and respect with us. Such kindness should push us to improve ourselves so we can also share this kindness with others. Suddenly, all the intricacies of our lives become distractions from the good we are capable of attaining and unfortunately forgetting...

The next morning we visited the Kasbah, a crumbling site, but still intact and beautifully decorated in areas:





Then, on the way out, due to the large number of the group, a bunch of students (and staff) had the "privilege" of riding on the back of a pickup truck, through the steep mountains, and out of Telouet.

AMAZING and MUSICAL!












Once out of Teluoet, we began another long bus ride to Marakesh for the weekend, but through the incredibly beautiful and dangerously steep Atlas mountains...