M’barek Oularbi(saghru band)

Born in Mellab, a little village in the of the southeastern region of Morocco, M’barek Oularbi, the front man of the group Saghru, discovers his true passion for arts at a young age: Painting, guitar, composition, animation and poetry. His intelligence, his supporting family and the contact to other artists initiate him to advance.
Due to the influence by artists like , Idir, Bob Dylan and others, he started to compose his first pieces of music. He sang with friends, at school, in the course of cultural activities and finally, at the university.
A few years later, the young artist graduated in French Public Law and science politique and Literature and founded the Saghru Band, a fascinating modern band who then created together with Mallal their own unique style, the Amun Style.
«Your place now is within the stars that continue to shine high in the dark sky…»
The anniversary of the death of the artist Embarak Oarabi.

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How to cook berber couscous

Berber cuisine varies according to region, but traditional dishes include couscous and tagine. Couscous, a blend of steamed semolina wheat now eaten throughout the world, is thought to have originated with Berber people. Tagine is a form of stew cooked in a heavy clay pot. Berber tagines usually consist of lamb, apricots and dates, cooked with a blend of spices such as cinnamon and cumin. Pastilla is another traditional Berber dish: a complex pie, made from the meat of young pigeons and crisp pastry.

NOTES : You may use 3 pounds lamb or beef, or half meat and half chicken

Choose seven vegetables out of those listed--onions and tomatoes

VARIATIONS:

You may add 1/2 cup raisins or pitted dates towards the end.

Other possible flavorings are 1/2 t. ground ginger, 1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon, and 1 t. ground coriander.

Morocco put in runner beans and green peas.

Ingredients :

5 cups couscous

5 cups warm water

2 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 tablespoons butter == or more oil

==FOR THE STEW==

3 KG lamb, cubed  see note

2 large onion ==cut in slices

1 1/4 cups chickpeas == soak overnight

3 tablespoons sunflower oil

pepper ==to taste

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads

salt == to taste

5 whole tomatoes ==quartered

1 pound carrots == cut in half

1 pound turnips ==peeled & quartered

1 small cabbage == cut into 2 chunks

1 pound zucchini ==cut into 2 chunks

1/2 pound fava beans == shelled

2 each fennel bulbs == quartered

1 pound pumpkin cubes == peeled

1/2 pound eggplant == cut in pieces

2 each bell peppers == cut in ribbons

2 each chili peppers

1 cup cilantro == chopped

1 cup Italian parsley ==chopped

2 teaspoons harissa ==moroccan red pepper sauce ==or to taste

Preparation :

Put the couscous in a wide oven dish so that the grains are not squashed

on top of each other. Gradually add the warm salted water, stirring all

the time so that it is absorbed evenly. Keep fluffing up the grain with a

fork and breaking up any lumps (as the grains stick together). After about

10-15 minutes, when the grain is plump and tender, mix in the vegetable

oil and rub the grain between your hands above the bowl, to air it and

break up any lumps.

Put the meats in a large pan with the onions and the drained chickpeas.

If you are using canned ones, leave them out now and put them in towards

the end of the cooking. Cover with about 3 quarts water, add the oil,

pepper and saffron, and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Add salt, the

tomatoes, carrots and turnips, and cook for 1/2 hour more, or until the

meats are very tender.

Add the remaining ingredients except the harissa and more water--you need

to have plenty of broth--and cook a further 1/2 hour.

Make a hot, peppery sauce to accompany. Take 3 ladles of broth from the

stew and stir in the harissa or 2 tablespoons paprika and 1 teaspoon

ground chili pepper, or more to taste--enough to make it very strong and

fiery.

Put the couscous, uncovered, in a preheated 400 degree F. oven and heat

through for 15-20 minutes, until very hot.

To serve, pile the couscous onto a large round dish. Add butter or more

oil and work it into the grain as it melts. Shape it into a mound with a

pit or crater at the top. Arrange the meat at the top and the vegetables

down the sides, and pour a little broth all over.

Serve the broth in a separate bowl. Pass the broth and the hot, peppery

sauce round for people to help themselves.

A French way of serving is to present the couscous separately, and the

meat and vegetables with the broth in a large bowl.
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The name Berber

                             

The name Berber appeared for the first time after the end of the Roman Empire. The use of the term Berber spread in the period following the arrival of the Vandals during their major invasions. A history by a Roman consul in Africa made the first reference of the term "barbarian" to describe Numidia. Muslim historians, some time after, also mentioned the Berbers.The English term was introduced in the nineteenth century, replacing the earlier Barbary, a loan from Arabic. Its ultimate etymological identity with barbarian is uncertain, but the Arabic word has clearly been treated as identical with Latin barbaria, Byzantine Greek βαρβαρία "land of barbarians" since the Middle Ages.

For the historian Abraham Isaac Laredothe name Amazigh could be derived from the name of the ancestor Mezeg which is the translation of biblical ancestor Dedan son of Sheba in the Targoum. According to Leo Africanus, Amazigh meant "free men", though this has been disputed, because there is no root of M-Z-Gh meaning "free" in modern Berber languages. It also has a cognate in the Tuareg word "amajegh", meaning "noble".This term is common in Morocco, especially among Central Atlas, Rifian and Shilah speakers in 1980,but elsewhere within the Berber homeland sometimes a local, more particular term, such as Kabyle (Kabyle comes from Arabic: tribal confederation) orChaoui, is more often used instead in Algeria.

The Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines mentioned various tribes with similar names living in Greater "Libya" (North Africa) in the areas where Berbers were later found. Later tribal names differ from the classical sources, but are probably still related to the modern Amazigh. The Meshwesh tribe among them represents the first thus identified from the field. Scholars believe it would be the same tribe called a few centuries after in Greek Mazyes by Hektaios and Maxyes by Herodotus, while it was called after that the "Mazaces" and "Mazax" in Latin sources, and related to the later Massylii and Masaesyli. All those names are similar and perhaps foreign renditions to the name used by the Berbers in general for themselves, Imazighn .
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Berber Tradition

                                 

Traditionally, men take care of livestock. They migrate by following the natural cycle of grazing, and seeking water and shelter. They are thus assured with an abundance of wool, cotton and plants used for dyeing. For their part, women look after the family and handicrafts - first for their personal use, and secondly for sale in the souqs in their locality .

The Berber tribes traditionally weave kilims. The tapestry maintains the traditional appearance and distinctiveness of the region of origin of each tribe, which has in effect its own repertoire of drawings. The textile of plain weave is represented by a wide variety of stripes, and more rarely by geometrical patterns such as triangles and diamonds. Additional decorations such as sequins or fringes, are typical of Berber weave in Morocco. The nomadic and semi-nomadic lifestyle of the Berbers is very suitable for weaving kilims. The customs and traditions differ from one region to another.

The social structure of the Berbers is tribal. A leader is appointed to command the tribe. In the Middle Ages, many women had the power to govern, such as Kahina and Tazoughert Fatma in Aurès, Tin Hinan in Hoggar, Chemci in Aït Iraten, Fatma Tazoughert in the Aurès. Lalla Fatma N'Soumer was a Berber woman in Kabylie who fought against the French.

The majority of Berber tribes currently have men as heads of the tribe. In Algeria, the el Kseur platform in Kabylie gives tribes the right to fine criminal offenders. In areas of Chaoui, tribal leaders enact sanctions against criminals. The Tuareg have a king who decides the fate of the tribe and is known as Amenokal. It is a very hierarchical society. The Mozabites are governed by the spiritual leaders of Ibadism. The Mozabites lead communal lives. During the crisis of Berriane, the heads of each tribe resolved the problem and began talks to end the crisis between the Maliki and Ibadite movements. In marriages, the man selects the woman, and depending on the tribe, the family often makes the decision. In comparison, in the Tuareg culture, the woman chooses her future husband. The rites of marriage are different for each tribe. Families are either patriarchal or matriarchal, according to the tribe.
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the famous Imilchil Amazigh Marriage

The Souk Aamor Agdoud N’Oulmghenni, or the renowned Imilchil Moussem; the “Fête des Fiancés” or “Marriage Market”, is the most impressive of all the Amazigh mountain souks. Held at the end of summer, over three days late in September, it represents the annual meeting of the great family tribes Aït Haddidou, Aït Morghad, Aït Izdeg and Aït Yahia. A gathering of the Amazigh people of remote villages of the Middle and High Atlas mountain valleys and nomadic herders of the southern slopes .leading to the fringes of the Sahara deser

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historical times, the Berbers expanded south into the Sahara (displacing earlier populations such as the Azer and Bafour), and have in turn been mainly culturally assimilated in much of North Africa by Arabs, particularly following the incursion of the Banu Hilal in the eleventh century.
The areas of North Africa which retained the Berber language and traditions best have been, in general, Morocco, highlands of Algeria (Kabylie, Aurès et cetera) most of which in Roman and Ottoman times remained largely independent. The Ottomans did penetrate the Kabylie area; Turkish influence can be seen in food, clothes and music, and to places the Phoenicians never penetrated, far beyond the coast. These areas have been affected by some of the many invasions of North Africa, most recently that of the French.

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The Berber people

The Berber people are native to North Africa, notably the area west of the Nile Valley. You can find them spread throughout this area from the Atlantic Ocean to Egypt and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. The Berber language has many different dialects all of which are part of the Afro-Asiatic language. These people refer to themselves as free men, but throughout history they have been known by many different names, such as the Moors, the Mauri and the Numidians.

As far back as there are any recorded settlements in Africa, there have been Berber people. There are references to them in the history of ancient Egypt and they formed the main population of the Western portion of the Sahara Desert since the earliest times. There were large concentrations of Berber populations along the Atlantic coast of Africa who came into contact with a wide group of invaders and travellers. All of these interactions influenced the Berber culture making causing small changes and adaptations over the course of centuries.

One of the most important influences on the history of the Berbers was the coming of Islam. It permeated all aspects of life and often replaced tribal rituals and practices. The Berbers were very quick to convert to Islam and to provide assistance to the Arab invaders in any way they could. Islam came to the Berber territory in the 7th century, but there were tensions between the Berbers and the Arabs because of the prejudice the Arabs had for the Berber people. In most cases they were regarded as second-class Muslims and were often forced into slavery. This resulted in a revolt by the Berbers in 739.

Many Muslim Berbers supported the Kharijite form of Islam, which afforded them more equality. The Kharijites established some tribal kingdoms, but most of these were short lived. The Berber communities established on the main trade routes, however, became very prosperous.

In the 9th century, the Banu Hilal tribe arrived in Northwest Africa. They had been sent into the area to punish the Berber Zind dynasty for having adopted Islam and abandoning Shiism. The arrival of this tribe was a significant factor in the Arabization of Africa and the spread of the nomad way of life in areas where there had been communities and agriculture.

It was not until the middle of the 20th century that Arabic became the official language of North Africa and this led to a rise in Berber nationalism with respect to the language. Berber is now an official language in Algeria and it is recognized as an official language in Morocco, and taught in the schools.

At one time in their history, Berbers were discriminated against in society. This is not true today as long as they do not openly display their political affiliations.
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