The Dutch presentation

After Paul Dahan's presentation it was the turn for the experts from Holland to say something. The Dutch delegation consisted of Herman Obdeijn and his wife, Mohammed Saadouni and Leon Buskens of the NIMAR in Rabat. Also part of the NIMAR group were Sarah Michiel from Belgium and from Morocco educator Omar Zkik and driver Ahmed Chenouni. Herman Obdeijn took it upon himself to say something about the Dutch connection with Iligh. For us Michiel de Ruyter is of course the most striking connection. However even for the Aboudmiaa family De Ruyter is an unknown factor. They had never heard about him till Bert told them. Herman set things right by quoting from De Ruyter's diaries about his visit with Ali Ben Mohammed Ou Mousa the then ruler who was the first who took the name Aboudmiaa to distinguish himself from the other descendants of the Sufi saint. De Ruyter called him 'Sant' in short. During the presentations Imam was in the room restlessly moving about at first but when he saw that I was sketching he settled beside me. As always I think partly because he want to protect me because he considers me his guest, partly out of affection I think. Of course he knows that when I'm around he gets his portrait taken. After the meeting we went back to the Zaouia were the lunch was served. The students from the driving school joined us and this time men and women mixed around the three tables. Remarkable was that the dignitaries of the Zaouia shared a table with the girls from the hairdressing course and partook in their enthusiasm. It was a heartwarming sight. Maybe the girls were the granddaughters. Who knows.

On the way to Sidi Ahmed Ou Moussa

The next day March 23 the Friends of Iligh went first to Sidi Ahmed Ou Mousa. We left in a caravan of at least three cars. Just like in Tiznit the day before there were a number of hangers-on whom nobody knew who they were. The 'Friends' were spread out over two cars and one little bus. The five people of the NIMAR had a big 4WD, Herman and Wies Opdeijn drove a hired Duster and we were in the little bus. Mohamed Ouhaou was also there and a colleague of his. We took the old road that goes from Tiznit to Tafroute. The Anti Atlas that runs from east to west sort of peters out towards the south when it gets close to the ocean. Stretching out from Agadir southwards is a great big flat basin. Where the basin meets the Anti Atlas the landscape changes abruptly. You notice it whatever road you take to Iligh. The road is straight and flat till suddenly it rises while twisting and turning. The vegetation also changes. In the basin flourish Savannah type plants. As soon as the road hits the mountains the plants change. It had rained copiously in the month of March and it was green and lush. Everywhere were flowers. Yellow linseed flowers were in bloom everywhere and the wheat was coming up. It was in stark contrast to the parched outlook the landscape had presented in September. Just before the market village of Tirmigh is the turn off for Sidi Ahmed Ou Mousa. From the turn off it is about 20km to Iligh. The first time Paul Pascon came this way he walked the distance and the road wasn't paved yet. In Sidi Ahmed Ou Mousa we were welcomed by Moulay Imam Aboudmiaa, the Mayor of the village and the two spiritual leaders of the Zaouia. Imam came in a brand new Peugeot sedan and was in the company of Bouchari the older half brother of Hamdi, but I didn't know that then. The group was taken up the steps towards the Zaouia for a guide tour. I stayed behind to sketch the butcher who had just skinned a goat. While I was sketching the head was discarded, the heart given to a cat and the intestines were taken out and the insides washed.

Bert and Aicha try Plan B

A week before the 'Reunion' of friends of Iligh would take place Bert and Aisha met again in Agadir. An impressive list of people who were coming to Iligh was ready. But there was nowhere to stay for them and it was still unsure if they would get to see anything. Iligh was still more like a warzone than a place of any importance. In the meantime Moulay Imam Aboudmiaa had suggested two locations in the neighborhood of Iligh where people could stay now that Iligh was out. But to stay in the neighboring 'auberges' would cost money and there wasn't any. Aisha suggested to pull political strings. She thought that the safeguarding of the heritage of her family was a matter of public interest. And there was a little matter of certain documents from Iligh having given proof to the legality of the annexation of Western Sahara by Morocco in 1975 or thereabouts. She also anted to cash in on that. Bert and Aisha moved to Tiznit the provincial capital to work the authorities there. For the next days they tried very hard to convince the politicians and civil servants of the prestige of footing the bill for the 'Reunion'.

Chapter 6 Top Guns for Iligh

The only thing that is left to reveal the secrets of Iligh and turn the tide of the deterioration of the historical archives is to get international recognition. In Chapter 6 Bert the writer of the Graphic Story and Aicha Aboudmiaa set out to mobilize the experts in the field of documents, linguistics, history, anthropology and Jewish/Moroccan relations. The family Aboudmiaa starts a society of 'Friends of Iligh'. There is plenty of interest, but everybody demands to be shown examples from the archive that is important to their particular field of interest. Moulay Imam Aboudmiaa lets be known through his daughter that he can and will deliver. This results in a 'Reunion de Amis d'Iligh' on March 22, 23 and 24 2018 in Iligh. What will happen when everybody knocks on the gate of Iligh? Will Moulay Imam Aboudmiaa open up the coffers of the archive and if he does, will it reveal what everybody hopes and even expects it to deliver? And what will the reaction of the experts be? Will they be sufficiently impressed by what they see and by the attitude of the family to offer means and money to safeguard everything for future generations? How will the story end? The drawing shows Bert Hoogervorst and Moulay Imam Aboudmiaa. Do they really understand each other or is it a Biblical confusion of tongues as the Hebrew Thora text reads in the Museum of Iligh?

Chapter 5 the gates of Iligh are opened

In Chapter 5 the gates are finally opened for writer Bert and artist Peti. On September 26 2017 they have an appointment with the father of Aisha, Moulay Imam Aboudmiaa. But from the beginning things don't really go according to plan. Although the two Dutchwomen are warmly welcomed into the bosom of the family, and have a whale of a time with Fatima and Imam, they get the 'tourist' treatment with regards to the secrets of Iligh. They return to Holland with more questions than answers. Is there written letters or texts in Arabic that tell about the visits made and deals struck with Michiel de Ruyter? Are there as many texts in Hebrew as suggested? Imam is supposed to know, but if he does, he did not communicate it with the visitors. But one thing is certain whatever the secret archives are hiding, it is in a deplorable state. Time, changing temperatures and creepy crawlies have caused havoc with the written texts and manuscripts. Will the heritage of this very special little stronghold with its rich, colorful and unique past crumble to dust and disappear into the earth and into oblivion or can the family get what they insist they want: expert help from abroad?

'Friends of Iligh'

In the winter of 2017/2018 Bert Hogervorst and Aicha Aboudmiaa started to organize a 'Reunion des Amis d'Iligh' (a reunion of the friends of Iligh) that had to take place in Iligh in March 2018. The aim was to bring the experts to the 'Museum' of Aicha's father Imam Aboudmiaa. There the 'coffres' (travel boxes)with the old and secret documents of the family would open and the content be revealed. Or at least that was the intention. The experts could then assess the state the documents were in, the level of deterioration, the language in which they were written and the identity of the writers. Or at least they would get a general idea to be able to judge the next steps. Aicha and Bert worked very hard to get an impressive list of participants together. But they ran into a couple of problems. The most important being: where to put up the guests? A stay in Iligh was not an option and the organizers had no funds to spent on accommodation. Aicha decided to make it political: the importance of Amazigh heritage as a tool to battle Islamist radicalism. Bert and Aicha set out to make the 'Reunion d'Amis d'Iligh' the responsibility of the Governor of the Province of Tiznit.

The birth of an idea

On November first 2016 Bert and I flew back from Agadir to Amsterdam. The plane was full and not having a seat booked we were placed far apart from each other. It is a four hour plus flight so I had plenty of time to think over our meeting with Aicha. Yes, I would like to come back to Iligh to make drawings especially if Bert could come along. Of course we would have to pay our own fare, but if we could stay there and we could do our own cooking that would make things a lot cheaper. Bert could do research into those mysterious documents and I could draw. And then I got the idea for a graphic story. We could make the history of Iligh come alive if we told the story from the point of view of Aicha's father as a young boy. Start at the time that the film crew from the Alliance Israélite came to Iligh to film in the Mellah. That must have been a life changing experience for a ten year old. Him being the crown prince having to witness that the spotlights were turned instead on the scruffy kids from the narrow dusty alleys. That would make a great intro. From there the story could revert back to the time that Michiel De Ruyter did business with the first Aboudamiaa trying to sell Dutch hats and sides of smoked pork to a Muslim ruler. When the plane landed I thought I had it all in the bag. Bert wasn't adverse to the idea, but wanted first to see if there was any interest in the Netherlands for a story on a little chiefdom on the edge of the Sahara.

Meeting Aicha Aboudamiaa in Agadir

On the last day of October 2016 Bert Hogervorst and I met up with Aicha Aboudamiaa in the Ibis Hotel in Agadir where we were staying prior to our flight back to Amsterdam. Bert and Aicha welcomed each other as old friends. It was the first time I met Aicha. Still Bert didn't know much about her. She is a daughter of Imam Aboudamiaa the descendant of the first ruler of Iligh: Ali Aboudamiaa. Bert had told me that the name in Arabic meant literally 'Father of Tears'. One could only speculate what it stood for. Aisha didn't have the answer there on that day in Agadir. Aisha told us that her father wanted to get international interest in Iligh and its history. Aisha was supposed to do that, but she has a full-time job in Agadir and not the time nor the connection. Could we help? I thought: I don't think so! Bert told her about our visit to the Jewish museum in Casablanca and our talk with Zhor Rehilhil director of the museum. Bert told Aicha that she should get in touch with Zhor. The museum is very well endowed and Iligh obviously isn't. But Zhor wants proof of the many documents in Hebrew that are supposedly in Iligh. Aisha tells us that her father doesn't want any of the documents to leave Iligh not even for preservation and documentation purposes. He has been in contact with the government minister in charge with the national heritage. He is afraid that once the historical papers are in Rabat, he will never get them back. Her father wants to get the international focus on Iligh in the hope that that way enough money will be generated to get the documents saved without interference from up high. After excuses that nobody had been in Iligh to open the door for us when we were there, I showed Aicha the drawings I had made there. The one of the Zaouia and the two in the part of the stronghold that is open to the public. She likes them very much and asked point blank if I want to come back a.s.a.p. and make more drawings.