Hamid Qabbal was born on Nov 27th, 1965 in Matmata , Fez, Morocco.  He published his first novel "Head of Mule" in 2005. With the success of the novel, he was encouraged to publish two more novels "The Spirit of a City" 2008  and "The Road to Mogador" 2015.All his novels are dynamic in the sense that they champion the concerns of the poor and oppressed people, the underbelly of society,  particularly women.  According to Wawa Book Review  'On transitions, Agendas and Bad balls' Thoughts on Hamid Qabbal''s 'The  Road to Mogador'  I quote :"Hamid Qabbal has balls. In his third novel, he disowns allegiance to his balls and paints men as monsters and women as angels trampled by these monsters. '  It is true, but  women mainly illiterate women have been suffering in silence for decades.  Mr Qabbal thinks it is high time their voices should be heard and justice done. In his novels, All the women are fighting for change, but are forced back to their traditional roles as wives and housekeepers.



The central character in ''The Road to Mogador' is Warda, the daughter,  who breaks away from the cultural and emotional heritage she is supposed to perpetuate.  The death of the mother at the beginning of the novel marks the end of a style  of life and a way of thinking and the beginning of a feminist multidimensional response to life. Of course Warda is constantly juxtaposed  to her mother to stress the changes  she has undergone and which she would like to effect on her surrounding.  This is done through two techniques: flashback and  the stream of consciousness.



Warda, the protagonist, has choices as a child and as a teenager. As as a child, she preferred the squalo of the dump to the beauty of the lake; the Arabian night stories to her grandma' s religious lessons , nature  to  school;  and life outdoors to the warmth and security of the house.   Warda  like Don Quixote wanted to change everything but succeeded only in changing herself . Her youth dreams and aspirations couldn't do much to change a long-standing corrupt system . As a result, she had to bend to  adjust to the status quo instead of bringing about the so-much-wished for changes.  The symbolic dimension of names is also  interesting . For example,  'Nora' , haja 'zahra', two flowers and  'Warda', a rose. Their acts and actions are as negligible and ephemeral as these delicate plants. Their thorns may sting few individuals ,  may cause an allergy ,but may not  change a whole society.  Warda, the symbol of the Jasmine revolution  in many Arab countries ,   can  go out in demonstrations and shout at protests, but may never bring about long-term changes.

.Insights in the Road to Mogador by Hamid Qabbal

Had Dra Essaouira's most popular market

Lamb

Tea break

               A day in Had Dra market


Souk HadDraâ
(Had-Draâ market) is one of the biggest weekly souks in the province of Essaouira. On Sundays and for ages, this market has been the meeting place of buyers and sellers of a wide range of stuff: For example, camels, heifers, donkeys, goats and hens are sold at 5:00 am.
At six o'clock, people from all walks of life take the vast esplanades by storm: peasants, city-dwellers wearing fashionable clothes ray-ban sunglasses and mobile phones, few audacious and good- negotiating housewives, shy and absent-minded merchants hiding behind pyramids of sweet-smelling spices, butchers selling all kinds of meat and constantly chasing flies away
A thick smog of dust and smoke crosses the canvases of jute and laths of reeds… People barter, buy, negotiate second hand clothes, faucets, nails, tools, horse shoes, fruit, almond cakes, but they generally discuss a lot…
One meets everybody, his/her neighbour, his/her cousin, his/her friends. Hugs, tears, disputes and smiles. One experiences all kinds of smells here: Strong odours of cattle, meat and fresh blood, smells of spices, dust and dung. The whisper of the morning quickly turns into an uproar, nasal vociferations of megaphone-using vendors, screaming children, distraught bleating sheep, roaring chamels. Toward 11h00 am the market comes to a standstill. The constant word ' balek' "(watch out! in Arabic) of the imperious carriers bending under their loads died down in the lamentations of beggars. Well- to- do traders have haircuts at the itinerant barbers', and then leave home with basketfuls of fruit and vegetables. Some bring home even cattle and sheep in crammed vans and pick-ups… and loads of memories and meetings.

Regraga and the history of the Baraka

Regraga Moussem

Regraga are the descendants of Chorfa (a family whose genealogy is traced back to the prophet p.u.h) of the Chiadma region, to the north of Essaouira. Their ancestors made pilgrimage to Mecca where they received the blessing of the prophet Mohamed (p.u.h) and introduced the Koran in Morocco long before even the conquest of Islam to the north of Africa.
Every year in March, their Moussem is organized here to commemorate on the one hand the Islamization of this region, and on the other hand to announce the beginning of the spring season. They are given a special ovation during their itinerary (daour) that starts from the Zaouia of Sidi Ali Bouali and ends in the zaouia of Sidi Ali Maachou. The journey lasts 38 days and includes 44 stages where the faithful pilgrims break their journey at the different cemeteries where their saints and ancestors were buried.
This Moussem can be considered as the oldest marabou movement not only in the region, but also in Morocco. The erection of "Khaima " the tent at the beginning of the daour is a custom that characterizes this Moussem, and it is always present during the tour, except in the city of Essaouira. It characterizes the power given to the Chorfa which they transmit to visitors and claimants of the Baraka. The "khaima " finally collapses the last day to signal the end of the Moussem and to make the promise of a return the following year.
The majority of pilgrims are from the Chiadma region, but some of them come from different Moroccan regions to attend the tour or to welcome the Regraga in one of their sanctuaries. Essaouira city represents the most hospitable stage where the devoted families throughout the Kingdom gather to feast in groups together.
On each stage of these, people and tents move from one village and sanctuary to another, in an ambiance of fraternity and tolerance. The young and old pilgrims and the inhabitants who live near the visited sanctuaries visit this funfair. Very early in the morning, a hectic day is born; the tumultuous movement turns the scene into a stage of perpetual rebirth. Cafés are already open to serve their early-rising clients glasses of hot mint tea, and bowls of soup. Butchers, grocers, and green grocers are there for the annual rendez –vous too. Some visitors come and go among the scattered tents at the foot of the mountain or in the valley, while others sip tea under the soft shade of an olive tree or in a tent tea shop.
The return journey to Essaouira takes place at the beginning of April and particularly on a Thursday. Crowds of people including the city dignitaries made them an exceptionally rapturous welcome. Regraga religious cortege is generally expected in the industrial estate, the starting point for the big tour towards the Zaouiat in the city centre.
The prominent star of this procession is "Laaroussa" (the bride) that is actually a man wearing white clothes, and riding a white mare, both symbols of spiritual purity. This person becomes the centre of attention. He is surrounded by hundreds of people who try to touch and ask him for his blessing while throwing cash offerings in his hands. During the big march towards the zaouiat, prayers to bless the region and its inhabitants, to heal patients and to help the poor are pronounced. A divine ambiance of piety and devotion reigns in this marvelous atmosphere of feast and prayers.
Gnaoua and Hamadcha musical bands accompany the cortege to play a mixture of music that transcends reality to form a make-believe world of beauty through trance and religious chants. Members of Regraga brotherhood precede the crowds to escort a big wooden safe that contains gifts offered along the journey. They made Offerings of ready money, livestock for sacrifice or sugar as a sign of peace and pleasantness. In exchange, they expect Regraga's Baraka (blessings) which is believed to heal the sick, to help the poor or to guarantee a good sowing season and therefore a good harvest.
In the middle of the day, Regraga followers go to nearby peripheral village called Diabet. There they are also very well received. For lunch, they have a ceremony dish of couscous with fresh vegetables, dry fruit and boiled eggs. Providing food for Regraga involves most villages in the region. This act of generosity helps this tradition. The day of their arrival, the locals invite the pilgrims in for dinner to perpetuate this tradition and the concomitant values of hospitality, generosity and tolerance. After dinner, prayers are made for the family that has warmly received them.
On Friday, after the midday prayer, Regraga get ready to leave the city to continue their journey to other destinations and sanctuaries, taking with them their Baraka which they wish to spread over the entire region.
The Moussem of Regraga is not only a religious tour, but also an important socio-economic boost to the poverty-stricken region of Chaidma. It is a Moussem where all trades are in demand ranging from shoemaker, jeweler, tailor to ambulant vendors. It is a non-negligible source of income support that is associated with these spiritual rituals.

Beyond the walls of Essaouira: The Spirit of a City

Beyond the walls of Essaouira: The Spirit of a City by Hamid Qabbal

Beyond the walls of Essaouira: Boujemâa Lakhdar: Pioneer of Essaouira painting

Beyond the walls of Essaouira: Boujemâa Lakhdar: Pioneer of Essaouira painting

Beyond the walls of Essaouira: Writing about Essaouira

Beyond the walls of Essaouira: Essaouira: Past and present

Beyond the walls of Essaouira: Most recent novels about Essaouira

Beyond the walls of Essaouira: Most recent novels about Essaouira: "Head of Mule"

Beyond the walls of Essaouira: The Spirit of a City

Beyond the walls of Essaouira: The Spirit of a City

Beyond the walls of Essaouira: Hommage to Regraguia Benhila

Beyond the walls of Essaouira: Hommage to Regraguia Benhila

Hommage to Regraguia Benhila

Regraguia Benhila

Regraguia Benhila is an artist Essaouiri woman who managed to engrave her name in the world of art. She was born in 1940, and because she was the daughter of a fisherman, she came with her mother and grandmother very close to the Atlantic, to wash sheep hides. For a living, they used to spin the wool they extracted or make carpets.
On the way back home from work, she admired with passion the art galleries. Her love of the brush started to bud since she was a child; a love that grew day after day to become stronger than herself. When she was forty six, she decided and for the first time to visit a gallery, and come face to face with hand-made paintings.
Her patience, courage, and love for colours have paved the way for her to become an accomplished painter. Her deep desire to break up with the old traditions and her long-held frustration have shaped her career as a woman artist: " It is the direction of your look that influences the destination of the boat no matter how violent the waves and storms are " These are the words that translate Regraguia's philosophy and her unlimited will to enter the world of art.
Her numerous canvases, exhibited both in Morocco and abroad, celebrate the joy and love of life, and unravel the secrets of women. They describe the woman in all her states of enjoyment and merriment.
The year 2007 was special for Mrs Regraguia BENHILA as his majesty Mohamed VI officially decorated her with a Wissam (a first-rate national merit badge) in recognition for her passion for the art of painting in general, and for her contributions to the development of art in Essaouira in particular.

Beyond the walls of Essaouira: Boujemâa Lakhdar: Pioneer of Essaouira painting

Beyond the walls of Essaouira: Boujemâa Lakhdar: Pioneer of Essaouira painting

Beyond the walls of Essaouira: Books about Essaouira

Beyond the walls of Essaouira: Books about Essaouira

Beyond the walls of Essaouira: Most recent novels about Essaouira

Beyond the walls of Essaouira: Most recent novels about Essaouira

Boujemâa Lakhdar: Pioneer of Essaouira painting

Boujamaa Lakhdar

"I want to remain always astonished, because whenever I finish something, I have the impression to have dragged a secret away from nature."
Boujemâa Lakhdar (1941 - 1989)
Pioneer of Essaouira painting
Curator of the Museum of the Popular Arts of Essaouira from 1980 to 1989 the date of his death.
The story of Boujemâa Lakhdar began in the fifties. He was strongly inspired by the popular arts and traditions of Morocco. He is considered as the dean of Essaouira painters. Thanks to his work and his interest in culture, he remains the most prominent artistic personality in Morocco.
For thirty years, he had never stopped creating. Since 1959, his works had been exhibited not only in several cities in Morocco, but also in France, especially on the occasion of the sixth Biennial of Paris. The crowning achievement of his long artistic career was in 1989 when some of his works were selected for the world fair called "The magicians of the earth" in the Center of Beaubourg in Paris. By the way, he was the only representative of the Maghreb.
Boujemaâ Lakhdar had done research in different domains: popular magic, traditional songs, sculpture, handicraft and the history of his city for which he had a particular passion.
As an artist, he kept his fans under the spell of his original works. In his sculptures, geometrically-chiseled faces were introduced in copper plates with utmost care and flexibility. He had perused books of popular magic to trace back the origins of this symbolic style of painting.
One of the most astonishing works of his is his house which he had conceived and modeled with his own hands, a unique place in the middle of Argana trees. It is a real sculpture, situated a dozen kilometers south of Essaouira, on the road of Agadir. Today it is the museum of Boujemaâ Lakhdar (Dar el Baz) , and daily open to the general public.

The Spirit of a City

The Spirit of a City

"The Spirit of a City" is an extension to "Head of Mule". However,it adds up more complex problems to the teaching issue the writer has raised in his first novel. The story features the manhunt of a young talented Gnawa musician who is suspected of having links with Alqaida network.
Again Mr Qabbal makes use of his imagination to bring into play both terrorism and counter-terrorism,concepts which he has redefined to suit the cultural context, and set the scene for the local values of Jihad and resistance. When the story ends, Mouh, the assumed terrorist 'wearing a gown, growing a beard and resembling everybody else looked like a needle in a stack of straw, safe and inaccessible.'Here, Mr Qabbbal mocks the view politicians have formed about terrorists and unsuccessful methods they are using to track them down.
"The Spirit of A city", is more serious as a message than "Head of mule". The reason, however, is not far to fetch. This novel is closely-tied to the city as the title suggests it aspires to demystify the city and open up its soul Which takes shape in front of us in the form of a spirit: 'Mouh felt the spirit's presence in the wind, in the ripples of the great blue water, in the whir of the seagull wings...etc'

Most recent novels about Essaouira

Head of Mule

"Head of Mule" is a novel which epitomises Mr Qabbal's literary talents,imagination and originality. Said, the protagonist, is both the narrator and hero of this exquisite novel. His ability to narrate the story in the first-person singular with such ease and depth betrays his emotional and linguistic affinities with the writer,and pinpoints the novel as an autobiography. Whether it is an autobiography or not, does not affect in any way the reader's approach to the narrative. The reader,taken by the story events, finds himself deeply involved in the problems it raises, and eventually doomed to position himself/herself vis-à-vis the situation-problems and the suspended solutions. By setting the scenes of his story in the countryside school and peopling it with vilain teachers and deceitful pupils,Mr Qabbal is certainly inviting the reader to break away from the authority of the teacher and the authority of the writer(a teacher himself)to relive the entire freedom childhood offers.A battery of innocent tricks and pranks bring in some fun. Parallels with Tom and Jerry cartoons also contain parables, lessons and some homework for the dynamic reader whom the writer challenges to find a way or ways out of the teaching impasse in our country.

Books about Essaouira

Books about Essaouira

Essaouira is a tremendous mosaic of cultures and traditions, and hence a fertile ground for creation and renovation. So many writers, artists, poets and politicians have expressed their mysterious attachment to this city in their works.Muslims, christians and jews have revealed to the general public the secrets and sensations the ramparts and the trade wind have inspired them in the form of texts, photos, music or cinematographic scenes.

« Essaouira, cité heureuse » by Edmond Amran El Maleh testifies of the writer's love for Mogador, the writer's hometown. The book is also a watercolour illustration highlighting the poetic moments the writer has lived. Likewise,George Lapassade, in his book « Regard sur Essaouira » shows this cultural diversity which lies in the realm of permanent creativity and renovation. To demonstrate clearly this intense affinity between the intellectuals and Mogador, Paul Claudel said:"There is only one castle that I know where it feels good to be imprisoned, One would rather die than hand over the keys: That's Mogador in Africa."
Many years later, Bruno Barbey et Morgan Sportès had gone in Claudel's footsteps and came up with a nice book called « Essaouira ».
Frédéric Damgaard, a faithful lover of Essaouira, a galery-owner and an art critic has illustrated in his book « Essaouira, Histoire et création » the secret of a tense love for the city and its artists namely the painters, and tried to make answers to the questions of the fermenting art and creation in this small Atlantic city. « Mogador mon amour » An other novel that relates the childhood memories of Marcel Crespil, memories that come with force to describe the nostalgic moments lived in Essaouira.
The woman with haik has not eluded the curiosity of photographers. Abderrazzak Ben Chaabane has zoomed the Souiri haik and succeeded in capturing the charm of the moment, which he has collected in a book called « Haïk, le drapé des femmes d’Essaouira », a true testimony of daily Souiri life in full.
An other book dedicated to this little pearl of the Atlantic is « Essaouira, Mogador parfums d’enfance » by Katia Azoulay, Elsa Rosilio and Régine Sibony, illustrated by Liliane Bénisty and Pierre Gailhanou's photos. A work of art where we find personalities speaking well of the city and expressing with sense, sensibility and talent what Mogador represents today for them.