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The separation of Berber tribes in Morocco from peasant and city-dwelling Arabs was axiomatic for the French, who needed to divide their North African colonies in order to rule effectively. Berbers were given every encouragement to think of themselves as a separate people. While the postcolonial Moroccan and Algerian states sought to embrace all of their subjects as equal citizens, Berbers continue to speak a language and maintain customs and traditions quite different from those of their Arab neighbors. Here we see a group demonstrating their solidarity and strength in a display of horsemanship at a musim, a festival in honor of a local saint (Marabout).

Traditional Flute Player from Iraq

Name: Berber Warriors During a Ceremonial Show in Agadir, Morocco

Material: Digitized 35 mm film

Size: 2,288 x 1,712 pixels (718 KB)

Date: January 31, 2006

Place of Origin: Agadir, Morocco

Location: Wikimedia Commons

Source and Registration#: Wikimedia Commons. Link to resource (accessed May 7, 2010).

Martin Stokes

Fellow of St. John’s College, Oxford University