Having a Blast at the T’Bourida
Do you remember playing Cowboys and Indians, or Confederate vs Union Soldiers? Yeah, neither do I. But those role play games of my youth are what springs to mind as the closest comparison to the phenomenon of the Moroccan fantasia, although I much prefer to use the local term in Arabic, the T’bourida.
We’re on a dusty field somewhere between Rabat and Fes, where people have gathered from all over to watch the spectacle. Twelve mounted horsemen, dressed in the traditional garb of Berber clansmen, are lined up in formation, rifles in hand and swords sheathed across their backs. The charge begins! In a display of astounding horsemanship, they stand straight up on their stirrups as they stampede ahead, and they twirl their muskets in the air as their horses’ hooves kick up dust beneath them, before coming to a grinding halt, and dramatically discharging their firearms in unison with a deafening boom (don’t worry folks, they’re blanks). It’s an awesome display, paying homage to the Kingdom’s war-faring past, the bravery of Berber tribesmen, and the nobility of the Arabian horse.
The t’bourida I’m observing with my camera doing some shooting of my own, is something of a local culture festival and competition between different groups of t’bourida who have come from all over the Middle Atlas. So the different troupes, each with their own signature colours of traditional robes and tack on the horses, line up and do their charge across the field, to the approval of the local spectators who don’t seem to mind the cacophony punctuated by the blast of guns every few minutes. Of course this being a major Moroccan gathering there is food (lots of food), and drink (well ok, mint tea) and a hypnotizing troupe of Berber musicians performing the Ahwach, the trance-inducing call and response chants and drumming that is as ancient as the Berbers themselves (more properly referred to as Amazigh, the indigenous inhabitants of North Africa). It’s a proper Moroccan hoedown and an experience not to be missed, if you’re lucky enough to catch one. Just bring earplugs…and your own hip flask.
Sebastian’s ears are still ringing, but he’s ready to listen to the kind of Moroccan trip you hope to have. Get in touch with him to lock & load your Morocco adventure.
