An area in Morocco that I really enjoy visiting is the Middle Atlas. It is my native region. From my hometown of Khenifra, I started exploring this mountainous and water-rich area at an early age.
For several years now I have been organizing treks to this special area that is hardly visited by tourists. For a week-long trek we easily need about six pack mules to transport food, tents, blankets and mattresses. Well before departure I contact the expedition leader and ask him to hire five or six local people: the donkey men and their donkeys. I expressly request him to at least bring Aarbi with him, because he is truly a very special man. I have known Aarbi for several years now and am always amazed by this wiry owner with his weathered face – a large mustache and teeth with some missing teeth – and always a hat or cap on his head. He seems modest at first and is not much of a talker. But during the journey he turns out to be the great pacesetter in the evening around the campfire. Then he loses all his shyness and is the one who gets the group dancing and singing.
During one of my trips, our group visited Aarbi’s simple mud house. It is located quite remote in a valley. He lives there with his wife. They grow vegetables and grain on a piece of land. Chickens, his donkey and a little further away his sheep graze around the house. The sheep that are sold every year for the sacrificial festival are his main source of income. In addition to working as a farmer, Aarbi also works as a day laborer, including transporting felled cedar wood. And once or twice a year he and his donkey go out with me to guide a tour group.
During a conversation as we sat around the campfire with the group and the donkey men, someone asked the question, “What is most important in your life?” When it was Aarbi’s turn, he surprised everyone with his answer. “My donkey,” he said without any hesitation. “My three daughters are married and have moved in with their husbands. My son left for the city to work in a store. I asked him to come live with me, but he doesn’t want to go back home. The only ones who have remained faithful to me are my wife and my donkey.”
It was clear to me that Aarbi is very attached to his donkey. He will not easily entrust his donkey to someone else during such a trek. I noticed how much he cares for his donkey one evening during a hike in bad weather. Instead of our tents, we could spend the night in a stone ranger’s house. I was in a separate room with the supervisors. Aarbi was lying next to me. I noticed that he was very restless, every half hour he got up and went outside. When I asked Aarbi why he didn’t go to sleep, he said very timidly: “I’m worried about my donkey. That is why I always want to check whether he is doing well and whether the sail is still properly around his body.”
Khalid Boutahir
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