10 While in the streets of the neighborhoods and villages of Mallorca we relived the Passion of Jesus Christ and from the chimneys the scents of the "panades" (a type of pastry) and "rubiols" (a type of sweet pastry) emerged, thousands of visitors and tourists were descending at full speed, with vans and black SUVs, from the Tizi n'Tichka pass towards the desert, there, in the immense snowy mountain ranges of the African Atlas. What were those visitors looking for?Through the vehicles' speakers, catchy, modern, and rhythmic music played, a little hypnotic. It was by the Amazigh group Tarwa N Ayur, with the voice of singer Sarah Mou. That mysterious afrofusion rhythm would accompany them to the dunes of Erg Chebbi – known for their golden sand and for being among the highest in Morocco –, just outside Merzouga and Khamlia.The young guides and drivers, many of them Amazigh, while driving, hummed the lyrics that Sarah Mou was setting to music; a song titled Amoudou especially motivated them.Let's walk together on this journey,children of the earth and of the moon,we carry the strength of fathers,and not even the desert wind will stop us.Before 1936, route 9, which goes from Marrakech to Ouarzazate, did not exist. The French colonial troops – with the 4th Regiment of the Foreign Legion – took the lead in this work, which lasted a good handful of years. Obviously, the Amazigh population of the immense and white mountains threw themselves into it.Without the road, there were only narrow paths and rock passages, suitable only for mules and donkeys, because camels were too cold during the frequent snowfalls. For centuries, the slow caravans of the children of the moon had to risk themselves in silence through the snow to bring their goods to Marrakesh and Casablanca.That road had colonial purposes of dominion, but the current one brings two worlds closer, especially two cultures – the Arab and the Amazigh – separated by nature, tradition, and identity. It should be remembered that the Amazigh people are much older than the arrival of the Arabs in these territories. They managed – the Amazigh – an almost unique feat: after the arrival and embrace of Islam, they managed to have their own Koranic school; we know them as the followers of Malek or Malikis, in which their identity, tradition, and customs have had their own space that has endured to this day.Talking about civilizations would be too daring, but we can talk about culture. The route to the black desert, the city of Zagora and the Todra gorges opened the doors to the knowledge of Amazigh culture for us. So intimate, attractive, different, and mysterious for us Westerners.In our case, the Amazigh people of the Rif had arrived in Mallorca around the year 1981 approximately, and their number continued to increase over the years. We must point out, however, that the Amazigh people do not form a strictly homogeneous group. Geography and history have played their part and have fostered nuances among them. To understand this, and since we were talking about music at the beginning, we can use it as an example of these specific traits.The music of the southern Amazigh people –Agadir, desert, Atlas– has slow, almost hypnotic rhythms; repetition is frequent with a mantra effect, and the atmosphere it generates is open, contemplative, almost spiritual. The voices are soft but deep – that of Sarah Mou–, singing to the inner soul. The themes usually speak of the journey, the path through the desert of life, of the land, the people, time, and the moon. The group Tarwa N Ayur –the children of the moon– would be a good representative of this archetype. On the other hand, in the Rif region –our Amazigh people of Mallorca– they tend to have faster, more marked rhythms, less repetitive, more direct and lively. They are usually more festive, even combative, types of music. The voices are usually strong, assertive. They speak of daily life, emigration, social difficulties, and a more explicit identity.At this point I like to recall that the name of the mosque in sa Pobla is Ibno Amazic –sons of the Amazigh people–; obviously, when officials from the Moroccan consulate in Palma arrive for a visit, they raise their eyebrows and wrinkle their noses. Differences enrich a people; homogenizations kill it. While the south sings and looks inward, the Amazigh of the north sing outward, away from themselves. Both employ metaphorical and evocative languages. Both refer to images of the moon, the wind, the path, difficulties, mountains, and the desert.When I was preparing this article, I was surprised by the little information available online about the musical ensemble and the soloist who accompanied us throughout the text. Curiously, they have developed part of their project in international circuits, always taking care and seeking songs deeply rooted in Amazigh culture, language, and spirituality. Now I understand that this fact explains many things. Many Amazigh artists prioritize the community, the people, and music above their own individual selves.I think, and I am convinced, that the sounds of the desert are imperceptible to our Western ears. We tend to listen and feel outwards and not inwards. Curiously, Saint Augustine of Hippo, most likely a 4th-century Berber, worked and preached from a thought in which the need for travel always leads inwards: “Do not go outside; go inside yourself. In the inner man dwells truth.”A mystical thought and need, understood by the Amazigh people since antiquity.The Balearic people of Catalan culture feel identified with the Amazigh people; we understand each other. Two peoples, without a nation-state, with a clear linguistic and identity decline. In constant struggle for survival. Attacked by other peoples, with other ways of understanding the world, who need to expand and control their neighbors in order not to die. What were those visitors looking for? They were looking for the children of the moon.

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