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By Said Hanin
Morocco World News
Tahla,Taza province, Morocco, May 10, 2012
In the context of the mobility occurring at the cultural level in Tahla city, and the dire need to solve questions concerning the identity and culture of Beni warayen’s tribes, social activists belonging to the Association of Moroccan Workshops of the Zerarda Youth, the Moroccan Association of Human Rights,Tahla and the Adrar Association of Development and Environment, Tahla in partership with the electronic newspaper ‘Ma-press’ organized on May 6, 2012 a convoy to the mountain of Bouhadli. It was here where a great part of the Moroccan resistance against French colonialism occurred during what is called the Battle of Bouhadli.
This initiative was to commemorate this unique not well-known event in the recent history of Morocco that goes untaught in public school. For all these reasons the inhabitants of Tahla region were urged, including Zerarda to take part in celebrating and to set up a tradition of honoring the anniversary of the fighting at Bouhadli.
Before going over the details of this event, I have to give some background about Beni Warayen’s tribes to help people understand and especially to those who are eager to know more about a derelict part of our cherished nation. Beni warayen’s tribes are located about one hundred kilometers to the east of Fes. They belong to Taza province. The region is characterized by cold weather during winter and it is a mountainous one. Its people were famous for being migrants who didn’t settle till the last century. Unfortunately, Moroccan history hasn’t allotted this region the real importance that it deserves despite the countless sacrifices that its people offered during colonialism to make this beloved country enjoy its independence and breath the fresh air of freedom from the arrogant French colonizer. Hence, the idea of this noble and tolerant convoy stemmed from the conviction of pulling the history of Beni Warayen’s out of the mud of forgetfulness.
Back to the Bouhadli’s battle, it took place on the summit of Bouhadli during 6, 7 and 8 May 1923. Throughout the fight, between Moroccan nationalists called Alaazyin’ dissidents by the French authorities, and French forces, France employed for the first time during its cruel intervention in Morocco airplanes to shoot the brave combatants of Beni Warayen. This combat resulted in many martyrs on the side of Moroccan resistance, estimated at 120 persons. Bouahdli’s Battle marked a great part of the armed resistance in the region that exceeds that of Boughafer] and Isli. Nevertheless, it hasn’t been recorded and even remains buried under ground as if it didn’t happen. So, this symbolic initiative emerged to rehabilitate Beni warayen’s history and contribution to the emancipation of Morocco during French colonialism.
The convoy took place on 6 May 2012. It started from Tahla, passing by Zerarda, Harmamo, then Admam and arrived at Bab boydir. There, a lecture about Bouhdli’s Battle was delivered by Dr. Idil Omar-professor of history at Moulay Smail University, Meknes. This was followed by a play performed by two volunteer from the participants. Then, the participants headed to the summit of the Jbel Bouhadli where they laid a wreath of roses as a commemoration of the batlle. The convoy ended with the words of the coordinator of the Bouhadli convoy in which he urged the participants to search for any information about the history of Beni wrayen’s tribes with the objective of recording it.
