DAY 216

Sunday 12 February 2012

We had a FEAST that morning (after the musicians played till three or four). We got to meet Fatima, Bachir’s wife and his adorable three-year-old son, Salah-Din. We had our breakfast of croissants, yoghurt, jam, goat cheese, fresh homemade bread, olives and of course, tea. 

We spent the morning doing various things including washing Dian’s poncho, painting a portrait of Salah-Din, and taking a walk with Mustafa to the famous tomb of Saint Sidi Ahmed Shik, where healing at the fig tree has taken place for almost 1,000 years. The belief is that when someone is mentally ill he/she is chained to the tree and watched by their family, then after a couple of days they are cured - (this can take up to a week and is often accompanied by the Jajouka musicians on Fridays). We actually saw a family who had traveled there for the cure, pack up and go after their son was better.

The Tree and the Chain:

Dian's portrait of Salah-Din

Bachir reading Neptune's Tavern

We had lunch of tortilla (frittata) and steamed eggplant with olive oil. The other two musicians left with olive oil from Jajouka and we went to the music/memorabilia room where we listened to music recordings and signed the guest book (an honor). Bachir presented Charles with a CD of the Master Musicians of Jajouka, featuring Bachir Attar, and even inscribed it. Dian gave a Daisy Duck Pez Dispenser to Salah-Din and a Neptune’s Tavern (her original book) to Bachir. She cried with joy silently as he read it aloud.

Feeling the barracka (divine energy) watch over us and laughing so hard our stomachs hurt, we were thankful when the feast of couscous and goat arrived. Nicole had to gather her jaw from the floor as the giant dish was brought in. Accompanied by carrots, cabbage, calabasas, turnips, but no bread (bread is never served with couscous), we ate till we were positively rotund.

After dinner we brought out our guitar, and playing original songs, Dian and Nicole jammed with the master musicians. What a thrill! Bachir commented that Dian looked like the sister of Neil Young while singing and said we should record an album on their label. With the Rif Mountains in close proximity Dian wondered if her own riffs were just a tad better than usual. Mustafa, Bachir, Dian and Nicole stopped playing at about 2:30 AM and with great contentment we all fell into our respective beds.

We signed the guest book of Jajouka (quite an honor) (Nicole's artwork)