From the Heart of Marrakech: Gardens, Stories, and Sound
By Chase Brown
Today started with the transition inland into our next city on the trip: Marrakech! As we drove south to Marrakech, we watched as the landscape shifted from the coastal plains we had come to love in Morocco to a drier, desert-like view the closer we got to our destination. Once we arrived in Marrakech after a five-hour drive, we all enjoyed lunch as a class, excited for what the rest of the day would bring.
Our first official stop in Marrakech was the Majorelle Garden, a lush, green oasis created by French painter Jacques Majorelle in the 1920s and later restored by Yves Saint Laurent in 1980. The cobalt blue buildings mixed with the assortment of cacti, palms, and blossoms were a nice detour from the heat and noise of the city. Within the gardens, we explored the Berber Museum, which had various art, jewelry, and traditions of Morocco’s Indigenous people. It was a powerful way to look back in time and see the cultural threads that intertwine with Islamic, Jewish, and Christian influences in Morocco.
In Morocco, the name “Berber” itself has become the center of the conversation about identity and language, specifically the use of “Berber” vs “Amazigh.” While Berber has been widely used in the West and when speaking about Morocco in older contexts, the word has been increasingly seen as a colonial label. Many people from these communities nowadays prefer the term Amazigh, due to the history of the word Berber. Berber was derived from the Latin word barbarus, which means foreigner or barbarian, suggesting a negative connotation to people the word refers to. This is why many people prefer the term Amazigh, which means “free men” in the Berber language. The shift in the terminology reflects the broader cultural and political movement in Morocco and North Africa. Today, conversations about Amazigh heritage are about preserving the past, claiming recognition in the present, and shaping the future.
After the Berber Museum, we visited the nearby Yves Saint Laurent Museum, where we saw old collections and drawings from YSL himself. Within these collections, you could see how the designer was deeply influenced by Berber and Moroccan patterns, textures, and colors. It was interesting to see familiar designs you would see walking down the street or on the runway juxtaposed with their traditional Moroccan culture inspiration.
Later, we made our way through the maze-like streets of the medina to the Riad, where we are staying during our time in Marrakech. A riad is a traditional Moroccan house built around a central courtyard. These Riads aim to be unrecognizable from the outside streets, allowing you to feel like you have entered another world once inside.
After settling into our rooms, the night ended with a Sufi performance by Muslim woman. We were greeted by the strong smell of incense, which is crucial to the beginning of a Sufi performance. Sufism is a branch of Islam focusing on sharing the spiritual connection with God through music, poetry, and dance. The performance we witnessed used rhythms, chants, and drumming that created a powerful presence in the room. This Sufi tradition represents resilience and devotion. This tradition is normally dominated by men, but a few female groups remain practicing in Morocco. Modernization is making the Sufi tradition harder to expand and grow, as the songs and poetry are only taught through oral teachings, as nothing is written down. The tradition is truly kept in these women’s chests (hearts). The beat of the drum was able to connect everyone in the room as if we were in a trance. This performance was truly moving and showed the importance of keeping tradition alive. After the Sufi women finished up, we were able to hear a traditional Moroccan story by a professional storyteller, a job title we don’t see often today. The storyteller told a tale of a water seller and how his honesty and kindness led him to the best fortune.
Overall, the beauty of the Sufi performance and the story told by the storyteller echoed how these traditions can bring people together even in modern times, making it a great way to end the night.
