The “Belmaune” Carnival returns to Agadir at the beginning of July… and the institutionalization of the demonstration receives praise

After its first edition, which was organized last year, the “Belmaune” International Carnival returns to be a date for lovers of this Amazigh heritage in Agadir during the three days of next July, as it is expected to be organized again by the elected councils of the region, after attempts to institutionalize it have appeared in recent years. It was organized by civil society associations in its primarily rural format.

Last year, the carnival included artistic performances by various groups representing the “Agadir el-Kabir” region, in addition to artistic evenings, while the demonstration was known for holding scientific seminars attended by professors and academic researchers in sociology, anthropology, and history, including foreigners, who tried to highlight the cultural and civilizational aspects of “Belmaune.” And ways to push it towards globalization.

The councils participating in organizing this demonstration believe once again that organizing Bellmaune “will contribute to its advancement from a marginal art known in a limited territorial area to international folklore, in a way that supports the territorial marketing of the region and promotes the cultural and tourism dynamism of Souss-Massa, in a way that guarantees its preservation, with the prospect of registering it in the name of the region internationally.” However, the trend towards institutionalization remains, in the eyes of others concerned, “emptying the demonstration of its spirit, especially since it arose in the bosom of the desert and was organized only by civil society, and any development of it would domesticate it rather than guarantee its sustainability.”

In the global direction

Abdel Aziz Yassin, professor of history and civilization at Ibn Zohr University in Agadir, said, “The trend towards institutionalizing ‘Belmaune’ remains a product of the accumulation of collective and civil work, and the continuation of this traditional ritual for years, until the awakening of a number of elected councils within the territorial area in which it is organized appeared with the aim of developing it and introducing it.” “The intervention of institutions to develop this activity can only be positive, especially if things are moving towards classifying it globally.”

Yassin said, telling Hespress, “The current experience in the region is that of the Agadir municipality, with the hope that other councils will engage in these workshops, as its institutionalization serves the territorial marketing of the region and also serves the revitalization of tourism dynamism, especially in the coastal areas of the region.” However, we are supposed to find Bellamaon present at the level of the territorial groups’ work programs in the future and not linked to a specific office or council.”

In response to the question of the possibility of the institution negatively impacting the roles of civil society in ensuring the sustainability of “Belmaune,” the university professor revealed that “the elected council’s entry into the line of artistic heritage does not mean at all stripping the desert of its status as the first celebration of this activity, as the suburbs of Agadir still know how to organize this demonstration.” By civil society alone, at a time when no one has the capacity to talk about a specific way to commemorate this annual demonstration.”

Councils support “Belmaune”

Houcine Bouyakoubi, Deputy Director of “Belmaune, the International Carnival of Agadir,” stated that “the elected councils at the region level have always been present in organizing the activities related to the Belmaune celebrations, whether directly or indirectly, through logistical, material or moral support, without this being involved.” Within the framework of implementing its development programme.”

Bouyakoubi added, in a statement to Hespress, that “what is new in Agadir is that the group placed the Belmaune Carnival in its development plan, which it approved, and allocated a budget for it, which is what it has been working on since last year after searching for partners to make it a success and present it in a manner befitting the city of Agadir.” As one of the largest tourist cities in Morocco; The attempt to institutionalize the organization of this carnival is not new, as the Inezgane-Ait Melloul prefecture, for example, previously tried to do the same thing, and the experience was very important, especially during the years 2013, 2014 and 2015.”

The same spokesman continued: “In this founding phase of the ‘Belmaune International Carnival of Agadir’, the role of the Agadir community is considered essential in providing the necessary conditions for the birth of a carnival that derives its legitimacy from the ancient Amazigh heritage and from the great popular embrace, and at the same time it is open to internationalism. Later, it is possible to think about establishing a private institution to supervise the organization of this carnival. If we benefit from the global carnival experiences, then supporting the elected councils is essential in its development, especially since they succeeded in linking the carnival with the cultural and economic development of these cities and worked to strengthen their regional attractiveness, which is what the Agadir community is working to achieve.”

Bouyakoubi returned to point out that “the beginning of the institutionalization of the Bellmaune celebrations occurred since the emergence of associations interested in the subject in the nineties of the last century, and it is essentially an urban phenomenon, unlike the rural area in which these celebrations are still organized spontaneously.” The transformations witnessed by Agadir and its neighboring cities imposed the intervention of associations, local authorities and territorial groups to organize these celebrations with great popular reach.” He added: “At the level of Agadir, what the carnival administration does is supervision, but the basic work is still carried out by young people and associations, through diligence.” And compete to present their most beautiful carnival creations. The Belmaune Agadir Carnival presents itself as an international platform for youth creativity at the level of masks, costumes, figures, and street theatre.”

Valuation of inheritance

Lahcen Bakrim, an Amazigh journalist and activist, said, “The transformation of the Bellmaune ritual into a global carnival came after there was a historical accumulation associated with this cultural demonstration, as the Souss-Massa region was known to celebrate this demonstration in a number of cities, including Inzegane, Dashira, and Tiznit; The weather has always been of great importance and there has always been an ambition to introduce it internationally.”

Bakrim added, telling Hespress, “The first experience that was organized last year included academic seminars and evenings similar to organizing popular carnivals internationally, as is the case in France or the Canary Islands. In its depth, Bellmaune remains a demonstration around which multiple wills and different visions gathered, united by the belief in the necessity of rooting for Bellmaune after some districts on the outskirts of Agadir abandoned its revival for objective reasons, including the dominance of movements that prohibit this ritual for religious considerations.

The spokesman added: “What distinguishes this year’s demonstration is that it coincides with the beginning of the month of July, which in turn is known for the organization of the Timitar Festival. Upgrading the Amazigh cultural heritage is a kind of rescue for it, and we want to get it out of some of the dilemmas it is familiar with in order to advance it in form and content, at a time when the city of Agadir needs to value its cultural heritage in a way that makes it the capital of Amazigh culture. However, this will not be possible unless there is a partnership between civil society, the academic elite, and elected councils.”