In January 2024, together, with fellow IDSVA students, I walked amid the rich colors and textures of the Marrakech market, where some may say time has stopped. We had a relaxing time at the Secret Gardens and admired the architecture of The Ben Youssef Madrasa, filled with carvings and mosaics, a representation of years of stored knowledge and wisdom. While desperately trying to take a photo of a dromedary (one-humped camel) on the side of the road, I found myself thinking that there is so much more to this place than its form. Its beauty became such a commodity, easily packaged for the Western world in the wrapping paper of Orientalism.

What lies beyond the beauty are thousands of years of rich history, religious rivalries, the rise of philosophical and scientific thought, and fights for freedom. The Imazighen (singular Amazigh), known to the West as Berbers, are the essence of this land. They “consider themselves the indigenous inhabitants of northern Africa, a land they call Tamazgha” (Becker 2). In contemporary Morocco, the Atlas Mountains and their surroundings became their main place of dwelling. Their history, traditions, language, and artistic talents attract tourists and scholars and influence Moroccan politics and education.

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