Return to Tamazgha: Documentary film about weaving in Morocco

In addition to showcasing the technical side of weaving, this film also gives you a glimpse into strong and matriarchal weaving communities throughout Morocco.

This film is deeply personal as it showcases some of my favorite artisans while highlighting the deep camaraderie that exists between them. Throughout the film’s vignettes, you get a real sense of the universal nature of both friendship and motherhood.

You hear the women speaking with each other, but you don’t need to understand Arabic, or Tachelhit, or Tamazight to make sense of what is being communicated. There’s the contented murmurs that pass between the women as they weave, the levity and laughter that only happens among old friends, or the sharp warning tone of a mother to a mischievous child.

I collected all of the sounds that make up the background of this film. Of particular note are the call-and-response songs that happen at the beginning and end of the film. These songs were recorded at a wedding in a small village near Taznakht.

We only stayed for an hour or so, but if you can imagine, these weddings go all night and are lively gathering places for the women in the village. They are joyful celebrations, where the women sing, drum, and dance for hours and hours.

I recommend watching the film with the volume on, so as to truly immerse yourself in the cadence and rhythm of weaving and life in rural Morocco.