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00:007 a.m. and the village of Ul-Khazish just waking up.
00:04Muhabad Rawi slips into his traditional attire.
00:08Today is a big day.
00:09He's celebrating his marriage in front of thousands
00:12at the Musim of Imilshim.
00:14For him, this is a chance to showcase
00:16and honor his Amazigh heritage.
00:18This is my jelaba and this is my traditional belt.
00:21This is what you need to attend the Musim,
00:23to get married and to sign the marriage contract.
00:25Some people say that women are sold there
00:27because of the group celebration,
00:29but that's not true.
00:30We just go there to make our marriage official,
00:32following our customs.
00:35Muhabad's wife remains out of sight.
00:37She wishes to stay discreet till the ceremony.
00:40At the Musim, newlyweds are introduced
00:42to thousands of spectators.
00:44The event gets a lot of media attention.
00:47Muhabad and his wife try to stay under the radar.
00:50But for some in the community,
00:51this exposure is a necessary trade-off
00:54to ensure their traditions are recognized
00:56and safeguarded for the future.
00:59Amazigh culture has not occupied as much space
01:01as it could have, partly because of religion,
01:04which promotes Arabic,
01:05as it's the language of the Koran.
01:07Despite this, there are many Amazigh events
01:10to avoid the marginalization of their culture
01:12in favor of Arab culture.
01:15To prevent their culture from disappearing,
01:17the Amazigh communities also rely on their artists.
01:21Mohamed Slimani is a traditional orchestra conductor.
01:24He believes music is the best bridge
01:26between the Amazigh and other Moroccan communities.
01:34Music is like a thread that connects Arabs and Amazigh
01:37in Morocco.
01:38Thanks to it, people meet and understand each other better.
01:41We are proud of this festival and our music,
01:44but also following the footsteps of our ancestors.
01:49Traditions kept alive and now gain
01:52international recognition.
01:54What began as an intimate gathering centuries ago
01:56has become a major event,
01:58drawing over 80,000 visitors this year alone.