Last weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Zawiyat Ahansal to learn about and engage in the Atlas Cultural Foundation’s (ACF) developmental work.
As an American studying abroad in Rabat, experiencing all Morocco has to offer is my priority. Before last weekend I had visited numerous bustling cities but had yet to experience Morocco’s core: its indigenous, rural communities. Last weekend, however, I learned about the population of Zawiyat Ahansal’s past and present; specifically, how the ACF is developing ancient traditions to fit modern needs.
Zawiyat Ahansal, in the Azilal Province of the Tadla-Azilal region, is a small, rural commune with roots in nomadic culture. Four villages inhabit this valley: Amezray, Aguddim, Taghia, and Tighanimin. With a rich but vulnerable culture, the Atlas Cultural Foundation aims to develop Zawiyat Ahansal by improving inhabitants’ quality of life. According to one of ACF’s coordinators, Chafia Idhammou, ACF’s goals are focused on “poverty reduction and empowerment, (under a) sustainability model.”
The itinerary for the weekend included an informational hike around the four villages, multiple discussions with ACF’s partners–including a women’s empowerment and a clean water association– and teaching English to students at the elementary school.
Upon arriving in Zawiyat Ahansal, we learned about the history of the commune. We were told that it was founded “…in the 13th century by Sidi Said Ahansal.” According to Chafia, Ahansal “…was a student in the village Quranic school and his master ordered him to establish this Zawiya.” Ahansal was given a mule and a cat, and told to build the school and “…start his life wherever the cat jumped off the mule.” He followed his mentor’s orders and thus became the founder of Zawiyat Ahansal.
The villages now house two main nomadic tribes with a strong and quite empowerment. Though ACF aims to preserve the villages’ unique Islamic, nomadic, and Amazigh culture, they do so in a manner which is in line with the community’s needs and values.
One of ACF’s initiatives is community education and youth development. Chafia told me that ACF started a tutoring program in 2012 that “…helps primary students in their education six days a week for free.” ACF funds two tutors to teach in collaboration with public school teachers. This program, in tandem with a new school being built in Zawiyat Ahansal, has greatly improved the quality of education in the area. Now, students of Zawiya achieve the highest marks in all of Azilal city.
Another one of ACF’s projects is to improve foreign language competency in the area. Learning English can provide many opportunities for the children of the village, and is therefore valued not only in this rural commune but all over Morocco.
During my time in Zawiyat Ahansal, I spent a morning teaching English to students between the ages of 10-12 who reside in the community. While other groups in my cohort were tasked with explaining English pronouns or with teaching the necessary vocabulary for brushing teeth, my group and I were charged with developing an activity which would teach the students the names of planets in English. We devised an art project, whereby they first learn all planets in English and then they choose one to draw. Evidently–and unbeknownst to me–this role necessitated a prerequisite knowledge of the planets in Darija. However, the students made it clear that if they were required to learn the planet names in English, I would be forced to reciprocate in Darija.
It struck me how open the students were to learning. Some of them already had a basic grasp of the English language, but even those who did not were engaged and excited to learn. It proved to be an enjoyable and rewarding few hours, from which both the children and I improved our language skills.
Throughout the weekend, we also attended several seminars with various non-profit partners of ACF.
The first of these talks was hosted by an organization that improves clean water access in Zawiyat Ahansal. In the past 20 or so years, the water quality in Zawiyat Ahansal has greatly improved.
The ACF coordinator commented, “The association takes care of the water which was bad before the association was established. But now, the water in the village is clean for drinking and washing.” As such, improvement in water quality has commensurately improved the population’s general health.
We also visited a women’s empowerment organization that gives women of the village a space to congregate and collaborate. Chafia, who works specifically with this women’s organization, commented, “Long ago the role of women in Zawiya Ahansal was limited to feeding and raising their families,” and that women would spend their time “bringing the wood from the forest, and going to gardens.”
However, after the establishment of this women’s empowerment program, “Women are able to read and write, learn handicrafts, travel, and do different activities to earn some money.” We visited the site of one of these activities: saffron manufacturing. This work enables the women to develop independence, and in some cases, work towards self-sufficiency.
My time in Zawiyat Ahansal and with the Atlas Cultural Foundation opened my eyes to a completely different side of Morocco. Zawiyat Ahansal brims with vibrant sights, culture, and people. With the help of ACF, the commune’s future looks extremely bright.