The mating game is a three-day event for Moroccan Berbers. At Imilchil, speed dating is centries-old tradition; 'You've Burned My Liver'.
As Rakia pushed through the throng, she was on the lookout for just one thing: a potential husband. She ignored the man who rushed by carrying a sheep across his shoulders. She didn't seem to care for the hawker selling goats' heads. But, she did stop when a young, well-dressed fellow ambled over to her and said: "You have captured my liver".
Not the most eloquent pickup line ever. But for the Barbers of the Atlas mountains in Morocco, who consider the liver to be where love resides, it's a lovely sentiment. It got the attention of the heavily made-up Rakia, who chatted briefly with the young man. But the 19-year-old wasn't swept away. "We'll see what happens," she said as she moved on, with eyes peeled for other prospects.
Each year, hundreds of marriageable Berbers gather for this three-day dating ritual, which has been practiced among nomadic tribes in these arid, windy mountains for centries. Today, the ritual has developed into Berber bazaar and a tourist attraction.
The original inhabitants of North Africa, Berbers have lived in the region for about 4,000 years. When the Arabs invaded in the seventh century, some tribes, who fought fiercely, were driven into the Atlas mountains or into the Sahara. In Morocco, Berber resistance helped kick out the next group of occupiers--the French--in 1956, and Berbers now make up 60% of the country's 30 million inhabitants. Berber tribes also live in Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya; most have converted to Islam.
The Berbers have found a champion in Morocco's new king, Mohammed VI, who assumed the throne in 1999. His mother is Berber and, local Berbers say, he has paid more attention to their cause so as to avert the kind of Berber unrest common in neighboring Algeria.
Morocco recently set up a Royal Institute for Amazigh Culture. This month, Amazigh, the Berber language, will be taught for the first time in Moroccan schools. And to promote tourism, the government has become more involved in the Imichil dating festival. The treacherous road to Imichil, which climbs to a height of 9,240 feet, was recently paved.
Most of the Berbers who attend the dating festival are nomads from three local tribes who travel for days across great distances and over sheer mountain passes. Though many come to trade goods, others come to seek love. It isn't the most romantic of dating venues. At this year's event, which took place the last three days in August, about 5,000 nomads set up camp in an area the size of three football fields. It turned into a loud, smelly bazaar. Camel and mule owners yelled. Raw meat hung on hooks, and barbecues threw off thick smoke. The blazing sun at times was obscured by a fierce, dusty wind. Can you imagine it?
Docked out in a poncho-like dress and immaculate silver shoes, 16-year-old Rabha stepped into the singles arena. To show herself to be unmarried, she wore her purple scarf rounded against her head. Married women wear their scarves in a conical shape. Men approached her, usually to say something about their livers. Nearby, men were test-driving mules and loading indignant, roaring camels into trucks. Rabha ignored the hubbub. And she ended several meetings with a rapidly withdrawn handshake--a signal that the man should move on. Finally she met a man she liked, and they agreed to a longer rendezvous after the evening prayer. "It's not easy for me", said Rabha, who declined to give her last name. "My parents are dead and I need someone willing to take me on, as well as my two brothers."