FINAL TOUR DAY
Later that day, we visited an argon oil shop and a
presentation on holistic oils, kohl eye make-up, and holistic
Viagra! We were served hot tea. I dropped my glass as I
fell asleep while sitting there! Exhaustion and feeling ill
was taking its toll. Addi showed us the communal bread
baking ovens. The bread smelled delicious and we saw the
village people drop in to pick up their fresh breads. The
baker knew their breads by the cloth they had brought in
with their raw dough that morning.
This last day in Marrakech included a tour of the Yves
St. Laurent Museum & Memorial – an excellent multimedia
presentation with stunning exhibits. The Jardin
Majorelle gardens were beautiful, in full-bloom and
a good place to rest. Cobalt blue walls were stunning
against the red bougainvillea.
These grounds also held The Musee Berbere. This was Addi’s
special place. He spoke at length of the history of his people.
It was so apparent how much knowledge he had and how
important it was to him that we understood his background
and ancestors. He is a true educator.
Says Katia, “We went through this museum of Amazigh
life and clothing. Addi showed us instruments used to
smoke bees and carry the queen to a new location. A board
for writing lessons on was the same kind he learned on as
a child. It is mind blowing to think of a person studying
in this old style and now becoming the modern, learned,
worldly man Addi is today. What a range of cultural
experiences in one lifetime for him. Next was the jewelry.
Several cases arranged in a semicircle, each containing a
bust with all the rich, amazing Amazigh/Berber necklaces,
fibulas, and head adornments. It’s one of the most rich,
beautiful things I have ever seen. Next was a room with
full Amasigh/Berber outfits set up on mannequins. It was
painful to not be able to take pictures, as this was ultimately
beautiful to me.”
Side note: The Amazigh people resent being called
“Berbers,” the name given to them by conquerors. They
are the indigenous people of Morocco who were forced
to become Arabacized. They consider themselves a
FREE people.
The group had lunch outside at the Jardin Majorelle cafe. We
all were greatly annoyed that there were cigarette smokers
puffing away mere inches from us. The food and atmosphere
were perfection but this…
Dinner that night at our riad was a simple soup. None of
us were in the mood for a heavy meal. Shortly after dinner,
a special performance by three Shikhat dancers in green
costumes and two musicians in white arrived for a private
show. They insisted we get up and line dance with them,
but several of us hesitated because we were coughing and
not feeling well. They insisted and so we went ahead and
danced! Their dances were simple—step, kick, step, kick.
They would zagareet (a type of call) with a lifting yip at
the end of it. (For more information on this type of dance:
https://www.worldbellydance.com/moroccan-shikhat/)
Compared to other nights, we all got to go to bed early.
Zzzzzz…I awoke to the sound of morning prayer. A bird song
echoed loudly in the courtyard. It was a sweet combination.
By now most of us were sick, including Addi! I was nervous. At
this point, flights were being cancelled all over the world due
to the COVID-19 pandemic erupting. We were all wondering
if we would be able to get home. The breaking world news was
always pinging on our phones.
22 The Belly Dance Chronicles � July 2020