The villages OF THE BENI OURIAGHEL IN THE RIF
The eastern part of the Rif Mountains has become closely linked with Europe in recent decades. The Rif provided during the sixties of the twentieth century the vast majority of Moroccan migrant workers in Europe, almost all Berbers. The Rif evolved from a very poor area plagued by erosion, where people lead a miserable existence with subsistence from agriculture and some fishing, to a region where waged labour has brought unprecedented prosperity.
The area of the Beni Ouriaghel is located in the triangle Ajdir, Tarquist, Aknoul, between the valley of the Oued Ghis and that of the Oued Nekor, the hinterland of Al-Hoceima. The region, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, was in the twenties of the past century the heart of the revolt led by Abd-El-Krim El Khatabi against the Spanish occupiers. Now it is renowned for its ceramic art. The traditional pottery of the Berber women is very popular with collectors. Despite, or because of, the important male migration in this region a major Berber cultural expression was safeguarded. Thanks to the newly acquired prosperity the remaining women could focus on the traditional pottery and turn it into an economically viable business. In the portrait of the Beni Ouriaghel I would like to focus on that duality; tradition versus modernity.
This part of the project is currently in a research phase and will be executed in 2013.