On November 26, 2019, the Institute Francais de Marrakech will show Amussu, a film by Moroccan director Nadir Bouhmouch.
The 99-minute documentary won the Grand Prix Nouzha Drissi FIDADOC 2019. Through Izlan, an indigenous North Africa poetry, the film tells the story of how the Imider Berber (Amazigh) villagers have been peacefully protesting against Imider Silver since 2011.
The mine considered the largest in Africa was accused of depleting the village’s water reserves. Imider is located on a remote Atlas Mountain foothill and is 200 miles from Marrakech. The Berber villagers have been staging their protests for over 7 years.
According to Linda Fouad, an Amazigh activist, “the silver mine was established a couple of decades ago… and the land has deteriorated significantly destroying agriculture and livelihoods. Pollution has tremendously increased, and health and water were affected by toxic waste from the mine.”
Through agricultural scenes of daily life, Amussu examines the relationship between the Amazigh community and their land.