Acknowledgements
The research of this book has been made possible thanks to funding from projects of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation: “Transnational dynamics and actors in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA): a genealogy of elites and social movements between the local and the global” (HAR2016-77876-P), directed by Laura Feliu and Ferran Izquierdo; and “Cultural borders in a global world” (FROCGLOB) (HAR2017-86776-P), directed by Montserrat Clua and Montserrat Ventura. I am very grateful to Kate Kingsford for her careful and attentive revision of this English version of the text, previously published in Spanish.
With the passage of time, this work has become for me a “second doctoral thesis” without being so, because of its complexity and the personal path it has taken. The people who have accompanied me on this long road are many, and I would like to remember them here and thank them for their invaluable company. Hasna Daoud must undoubtedly take a privileged place in these acknowledgements, for her generous and infinite kindness towards me on all my visits to Tetouan, offering me fruitful personal contacts that always led accurately to my objectives; and for her collaboration in the search for documents in the archive of her father, Muhammad Daoud, or specific materials from his prolific work. I am glad that during my period of research the archive itself was moved to a more comfortable place, where I was also able to meet other interesting researchers.
Khalid Rami also deserves special mention. Thanks to him, I had access to Arabic sources that I would not have been able to analyse without his collaboration, and so we spent many hours together translating complex documents that complemented the ethnographic work done so far in a special way.
To Jaafar Bel Hach Soulami, for his always lucid observations. To Mhammed Benaboud and Rachid Mustfa, for their ideas and borrowings from the family memoirs. To ʿAbdelaziz Assaoud, for his kind willingness to illustrate the socio-political panorama of Tetouan and his valuable insights at different stages of this work. To Muhammad Reda Boudchar, for his interesting talks and help in the search for documents. And to Bubker Bennuna, for showing me his valuable family archive.
To my dear friends whom I have always pestered for contacts, documents and advice, such as Yassin el Habti. To Driss Benyahia, to whom I also owe his critical eye and his profound knowledge of the Tetouanese social structure. To Ahmed Benajiba, who accompanied me on numerous visits to families and houses, for his magnificent ideas on social groups and local categories.
A special mention also goes to my dear ʿAbdelwahid, a jeweller who is a jewel, an extraordinary person with whom I have spent so many good times sitting in his shop listening to his stories of Tetouan, with his fine Rifian look and his particular way of living in this crazy world.
Khalid Yedri, with whom we had such pleasant walks, meeting people, making contacts, discovering places and eating fried fish. ʿAbdeslam Yesfi, for showing me hidden corners of Tetouan and passing on stories of the neighbourhood.
At the Instituto Cervantes in Tetouan, to Almudena Quintana, for her guidance in the library and always accurate advice or telephone numbers of interesting people who have guided me through the history of the city. To the now retired ʿAbdelkrim Bentato, who, before his retirement, dedicated his time and his fine ideas to me as a Rifian in Tetouan, another Tetouan, with its jinn and its stories, and who gave me some initial ideas about slavery in this city, advising me to read a preliminary and inspiring text by Tahar Ben Jelloun, Moha le fou, Moha le sâge. This advice in 2011 marked the definitive beginning of this research.
One of the conclusions of this work, which I can include in these acknowledgements, is that in addition to libraries, the cafés, concert halls and art exhibitions proved to be magnificent meeting places where Tetouanese sociability flows. And where I met so many people.
I am indebted to all the Gnawa family who opened their doors to me and whom I cannot thank enough for sharing their art and their simple life. ʿArafa Chaara “Stito,” Zouhair Afailal, ʿAbdelqader Khamlichi, ʿAbdelwahid Nasiri, Mariam Afailal and Muhammad Rais, among many others. And their muqaddimas. Also those I will not name who taught me about the Gnawa world, through playing or dancing trance. And Muhammad Meknasi, for his guidance and friendship during our travels in Jebala.
I shall continue to name a few more people, as I don’t want to forget anyone. Charifa Dahrouch, for her other perspective on Tetouan. Khadija Tnana, who has inspired me so much with Tata Mbarka and her stories. And the musical encounters where we reconstructed the memory of Tetouan with ʿOmar ben Lahmar, ʿOmar Loh and Muhammad Benyaich. Karim El Kamli, for his help in providing photos of Tetouan and magnificent walks, day and night, in the medina. Muhammad Reda Lebbadi for his accurate observations on the subject of tatas.
My thanks also to Hicham Harrak Medina for showing me the treasures of the Bricha house and its past. To Carol Honorio, for her enormous generosity in sharing her materials and discoveries about the photographer Antonio Cavilla. To Jalal Oddi, for sharing his family memories and opening a piece of the great mosaic that is Tetouan, through the Oddi House Museum. To ʿAbdeslam Chaachoo, for his testimony and kindly lending his photographs. To Ahmed Mgara, and to Ahmed and Youssef Raisuni. To Ruth Barreto, for making El Reducto a meeting point, a place where I saw and learned so much, sleeping and eating in its living and past history.
Witnesses turned friends, what more could one ask for. Among them was a great Tetouanese gentleman, ʿAbdeslam Cherti, may he rest in peace, who shared his photos and memories, his experiences and his lapidary phrases on the issue of slavery, as well as helping me visit historic houses, such as the orchard of the late ʿAbdeslam Seffar. Another kind informant, Ahmed Ahdid, who also offered his precise memory. And so many others who remain anonymous to preserve their privacy. To the Haskouri family, Bachir and especially Saleh, for their hospitality, curiosity and open collaboration with this project.
For accompanying me on this journey to places in the countryside and for her always pertinent recommendations, Araceli González. And to the various colleagues who have contributed their comments on the text or in academic meetings: Jordi Aguadé, Muhammad Meouak, Ahmed Salem Ould Muhammad Baba. To Rachid el Hour, for his collaboration in the translation of some texts. And most especially, to Manuela Marín, for her great generosity in reading and commenting in detail on the first version of this text, and her always enriching and wise emails.
I would like to remember my dear family, who always bear my absences with patience as I sow the seeds of these works.
This book is dedicated to all of them. But above all to those tatas who emerged from the past during this investigation of conversations, reflections, silences and broken mirrors.