Nomads of the Sahara – Part 2
Nomads all over the world are are disappearing fast due to modernisation, climate change and marginalisation and with them goes their legends and survival methods as most nomads do not have written language to record their ways. There are still some nomadic communities in the world but not in places where it is safe or accessible for tourists and that is what makes this part of Morocco so unique.
The Sahara is the home of nomads, and over time they have become known for their everlasting battle to survive in one of the harshest parts of the world. Their struggle is a lesson of patience and endurance for all of us. The reason for sharing these stories of nomads with you, is to learn about the nomadic life in general and more, to learn about yourselves and what it would be like if you lived away from modernisation.
Mohamed – the smiling nomad
This is my relative, Mohamed. He is 70+ and refuses to settle in the village. Unlike the majority of M’hamid Sahara Nomads who have settled and given up their ancestral way of life, he is still holding out and defending what he believes – that our home is nature, not walls!
Whenever the family are trying to convince him to live in the village and let his sons take care of the camels, he tells them that the village make him feel chained and he says that his life is connected only to the desert and nowhere is his home other than the desert.
What is really weird is that he is always smiling on all occasions, despite all kinds of difficulties he faces in the desert when he stays for a long time on his own, the smile never leaves him. Even when, one time, half of his camel pack got lost, he kept his simple smile on his face.
Mohamed is a free man who is known for his pure soul and strong faith.
I always loved his amazing stories with all my heart and he never stops telling stories !
He is an inspiring personality, can you see the smile in his eyes?
Ibrahim – the prepared nomad
The desert is a whole life philosophy of preparation. A philosophy that can only be understood by those who appreciate the meaning of survival. As you know surviving in the desert can be very demanding and inevitably involves struggle.
Here is one of M’hamid Sahara’s nomads, Ibrahim, a teacher of survival by eco mechanisms.
He is always out in the wild, carrying his binoculars and holding his big stick in his left hand. Right there on his shoulders are loads of ropes that will definitely help him to control his huge pack of camels.
He is ready to challenge the cruelty of the Sahara, not because he was born ready but more he learnt not to move too far into the nowhere of the desert unless he takes all his simple equipment. He truly understands the world of desert more than anything else.
Mokhtar – the simplest nomad
