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Donkeys
Various
The Festival of Beni Ammar-Moulay Driss Zerhoune: In honour of donkeys and Moroccan Culture
From 5th to 7th of July 2013
The first weekend of July, in the nice
large village of Moulay Driss Zerhoune, there takes place
the 11th edition of a festival which has acquired its
letters of nobility and which is talked about very far away,
in Europe, in the African countries, the Persian Gulf and,
of course, in the whole Kingdom of Morocco.
In Morocco, the horse is a royal attribute
But how, starting from the horse can you get to the donkey without ridiculing it, you will ask ? The answer is very simple : in Morocco, at least as much as elsewhere, horse meetings are for a select public or are celebrated in private circles, often attributed to princes and princesses. Impenetratable ! From this has come this thirst for adventure, for freedom which has gripped us, looking for a reality which touches the common people in Morocco.
The donkey : a childhood friend and companion in misery
We have therefore chosen to take the very sinuous ways, from the Imperial Town of Meknès and its rich farming region (The flower of teh farming developmenet programme « Green Morocco » undertaken by the Moroccan authorities) to get to the crest of the montanous circle of Roman ruins of Volubilis, and then above this high place of pilgrinage there is the « darih » (mausoleum) of Moulay Driss Zerhoune, and then still further towards the interior of the land , to the feet of the hamlet of Beni Ammar. A little disinherited village ? This would be without knowing the spirit of initiative of its inhabitants, and in particular of the Belemou family to whom we owe this so sympathetic and from now on greatly publicised « Donkey Festival of Beni Ammar » !
The Belemou cousins : a doctor and a journalist poet
Both are named Mohammed, both are
involved 1000% in the organisation of the donkey festival.
It is not easy therefore to distinguish Mohammed Belemou
from Mohammed Belemou, i fit wasn’t that one is doctor and
the other a journalist. But they both have this faculty of
transmitting a formidable positive energy in favour of the
Beni Ammar Festival. But be careful ! Make no mistake : no
satirical representation of the donkey is tolerated here,
just the contrary !!
The donkey must be respected, cared for and protected
In the Festival programme, there are
bouts of all kinds, , competitions of morphology, docility,
address and velocity : each has his speciality and the
champions are numerous in all the different categories !
Intellectuals from all over the world will be present
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