Rabat – A group of Irish girls impressed Moroccans with their flawless performance of the Amazigh (Berber) ahidous dance.
Ahidous dances involve both male and female singers and dancers either forming a circle or forming lines facing each other. Men and women sing Amazigh poetry to the music of the bendir, a traditional wooden-framed drum.
Standing shoulder to shoulder on stage, the girls wore white traditional Amazigh gowns or white djellabas and yellow slippers known as “balgha” to represent male dancers.
Deeply rooted in Amazigh culture, the Berber folklore performance is found in Morocco’s Atlas region and Algeria. In the past, ahidous was a primary form of entertainment for Amazigh tribes.
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One of the pioneers of the Moroccan ahidous performance is the late Mouha Oulhoussein Achiban who made ahidous known internationally.
Achiban performed ahidous with his troupe in Africa, Europe, and the US, and was given the title of “maestro” by the 40th US president, Ronald Reagan.
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