Cultural Interlude in Morocco

Cultural Centre (Sharing musical heritage and its associated fields of clothing, jewelry, literature, poetry, etc.) Recording Studio Translating & Archiving Musical Heritage Taragalte & Zamane Music Festivals Outdoor Auditorium for Live Shows Music Classes for Children & Youth (Instruments, Song, Dance, Composing, Solfege, Record- ing, Mixing, etc.) Architecture as Sand Barrier Woven Palm Tree Leaves as Sand Barrier Oued Drâa + Rainwater Collection & Water Recycing Oasis Permaculture Limiting Water Evapo- ration with Burried Reservoir & Covered Seguias Tamarisk + Acacia Trees & Walled Sand Barriers Protection of Environment and Natural Resources Immersion in Local Culture Local Materials & Construction Traditional Hot Sand Treatments Local Food and Dining Job Opportunities & Ethical Hiring ANTI-DESERTIFICATION OASIAN ECO-TOURISM MUSIC EDUCATION DOMESTIC MUSIC FESTIVAL (TBA) TARALGATE MUSIC FESTIVAL DOMESTIC MUSIC FESTIVAL (TBA) TARALGATE MUSIC FESTIVAL DOMESTIC MUSIC FESTIVAL (TBA) TARALGATE MUSIC FESTIVAL OFFICIAL SITE OPENING BY GOVERNOR WELL USE ENDS. WATER RESERVOIR USE REPLENISHES THE WATER TABLE. WATER RESERVOIR LEVELS. MEAN AVERAGE TEMP. 0% COMPOSTING (0 M 3 ) 100% COMPOSTING (16 400 L ANNUAL CAPACITY - BATHROOMS) 100% COMPOSTING (2000 lb WEEKLY MAX. CAPACITY - RESTAURANT) TOILETS BUILT COMPOST COLLECTION BEGINS TOILETS BUILT URINE RECYCLING AND GREYWATER COLLECTION FROM HANDWASHING BEGINS. RECYCLING URINE REDUCES RESERVOIR WATER USED FOR IRRIGATION RESTAURANT BUILT KITCHEN SCRAPS ARE COMPOSTED INTO SOIL PERMACULTURE NO LONGER REQUIRES WATERING J F M A MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 2021 J F M A MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 2022 J F M A MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 2023 J F M A MAY JUN JUL 2024 PHASE ONE: WATER RESERVOIR, WATER PUMP, COMPOSTING TOILET AND INTAKE PIPE BUILT PHASE TWO: ANTI-DESERTIFICATION CT’D, AUDITORIUM, RECORDING ROOM PHASE THREE A: ECOLODGE, SOLAR PUMP, KITCHENS + BIOGAS , CLASSROOMS PHASE THREE A: ECOLODGE, KITCHENS + BIOGAS , CLASSROOMS DOMESTIC SANDBATHING TOURISM (LOW SEASON) DOMESTIC SANDBATHING TOURISM (LOW SEASON) DOMESTIC SANDBATHING TOURISM (LOW SEASON) WEEKLY MUSIC PROGRAMMING WITH LOCAL YOUTH AND ADULTS WEEKLY MUSIC PROGRAMMING WITH LOCAL YOUTH AND ADULTS WEEKLY MUSIC PROGRAMMING WITH LOCAL YOUTH AND ADULTS WEEKLY MUSIC PROGRAMMING WITH LOCAL YOUTH AND ADULTS WEEKLY MUSIC PROGRAMMING WITH LOCAL YOUTH AND ADULTS WEEKLY MUSIC PROGRAMMING WITH LOCAL YOUTH AND ADULTS INTERNATIONAL RESIDENCIES INTERNATIONAL RESIDENCIES HIGH SEASON ECOLODGE/ INTERNATIONAL TOURISM HIGH SEASON ECOLODGE/ INTERNATIONAL TOURISM HIGH SEASON ECOLODGE/ INTERNATIONAL TOURISM LOW TOURISM DUE TO COVID-19 FURNITURE PRODUCTION FOOD PRODUCED FOR THE SITE BOOSTS THE LOCAL ECONOMY FOOD PRODUCED FOR THE SITE BOOSTS THE LOCAL ECONOMY FOOD PRODUCED FOR THE SITE BOOSTS THE LOCAL ECONOMY CONSTRUCTION SEASON - LOCAL LABOUR USED BOOSTS THE ECONOMY AND PROMOTES SKILLSHARING CONSTRUCTION SEASON - LOCAL LABOUR USED BOOSTS THE ECONOMY AND PROMOTES SKILLSHARING CONSTRUCTION SEASON - LOCAL LABOUR USED BOOSTS THE ECONOMY AND PROMOTES SKILLSHARING FOOD GRANT DISTRIBUTION DURING COVID TREE PLANTING WORKSHOPS TREE PLANTING WORKSHOPS TREE PLANTING WORKSHOPS TREE PLANTING WORKSHOPS TREE PLANTING WORKSHOPS TREE PLANTING WORKSHOPS INCOME FROM FIXING AND SELLING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS BOOSTS THE LOCAL ECONOMY RIVER REPLENISHED AND WATER RATIONED TO SITE PRECIP. RAMADAN RAMADAN RAMADAN $ RAMADAN RIVER REPLENISHED AND WATER RATIONED TO SITE RIVER REPLENISHED AND WATER RATIONED TO SITE RIVER REPLENISHED AND WATER RATIONED TO SITE THE CULTURAL CENTRE WILL BE SELF-SUFFIEICENT DUE TO REVENUE GENERATED FROM RENTALS DURING OFF-PEAK HOURS. THIS WILL INCLUDE RENTING TO PROGRAMS WHICH FACILITATE ADULT LEARNING CLASSES AND LOCAL COMMUNITY GROUPS. RIVER REPLENISHED AND WATER RATIONED TO SITE RIVER REPLENISHED AND WATER RATIONED TO SITE RIVER REPLENISHED AND WATER RATIONED TO SITE TAMARIX TREE GROWTH PERIOD - WATER REQUIRED SINCE 2016, TREE PLANTING WORKSHOPS AND ANTI-DESERTIFICATION PILOTS HAVE BEEN OCCURRING AT THE JOUDOUR SAHARA SITE. ALONGSIDE CULTURAL PROGRAMMING, THIS WORK IS REVITALIZING THE LOCAL ECONOMY AND ALLOWING LOCALS TO REMAIN IN THE AREA. AICHA IS A MUSIC TEACHER AT JOUDOUR SAHARA. AS THE PROGRAM GROWS, IT IS PROVIDING MORE JOBS FOR LOCALS. Lahbib, the caretaker at Joudour Sahara Cultural Centre, now stewards its gardens, taking pride in his permaculture beds and sharing his knowledge with others. Legend GENERAL USE 1. ENTRANCE PLAYGROUND 2. GATEKEEPER 3. ADMINISTRATION 4. WATER RESERVOIR 5. WATER PUMP 6. SOLAR INVERTER 7. COMPOSTING TOILETS 8. WATER FILTER 9. HAND PUMP 10. SHADE GARDEN 11. SHADED COURTYARD 12. MAIN PLAZA 13. ECOLODGE KEEPER’S HOUSE VISITOR CENTRE 14. RECEPTION FOR ECO-TOURS + SHOP 15. PEDAGOGICAL PERMACULTURE GARDEN 16. EXPERIMENTAL ANTI- DESERTIFICATION ZONE CULTURAL CENTRE 13. RECEPTION 17. EXHIBITION ROOM MUSIC FACILITIES 13. RECEPTION 18. MUSIC PLAYGROUND 19. CLASSROOMS 20. SUNKEN AUDITORIUM 21. UNDERGROUND RECORDING STUDIO ECOLODGE 17. COMPOSTING TOILETS 22. INDOOR RESTAURANT +CAFE 23. OUTDOOR DINING 24. INDOOR KITCHEN 25. ACCESS TO CELLAR 26. SUNKEN SEATING AREA 27. GUESTROOM 28. SHOWERS 29. HOT SAND THERAPEUTIC TREATMENT 30. PRIVATE PERMACULTURE GARDEN 31. ELEVATED STARGAZING PLATFORMS PROGRESS التقدم CULTURAL INTERLUDE IN MOROCCO The Joudour Music School is a pilot project that stresses the importance of developing cultural and environmental responsibility hand-in-hand. Southern Morocco’s Oasis Drâa Valley is experiencing a loss of its traditional building, agricultural and musical heritage due to desertification and resulting urban migration. The Joudour Sahara Cultural Center (JSCC) is a music school and ecotourism center in the town of M’hamid El Ghizlane promoting the safeguarding of oasian heritage at large. JSCC is a combined effort between local NGO Joudour Sahara, music experts from the Playing for Change Foundation, the Sahara Roots Foundation (landscape), Aziza Chaouni Projects (architecture), CERKAS (vernacular construction engineers from the Moroccan Ministry of Culture), the Ministry of Tourism in Morocco (marketing partner), TransSolar Engineering (sustainability engineering), and Brady Peters (acoustic engineer). JSCC responds to rampant desertification by integrating vernacular architecture with landscape, to form new types of pilot anti-desertification systems, monitored overtime. In turn, the music school works to preserve local cultural heritage and combat depopulation in the region. The Joudour Sahara Cultural Centre (JSCC) includes a music school for children and youth, a recording studio, cultural exhibition halls, gardens (which include anti-desertification pilot studies), and an ecolodge. The foremost goals and values of the centre are to transmit and preserve the Drâa Valley’s unique traditional musical heritage, to offer training in music-related disciplines to youth in the region, and to raise their awareness of the environment -- both in M’hamid El Ghizlane and the surrounding region. By merging social and environmental sustainability as well as new and vernacular building technologies, JSCC aims to create a testing ground for development in the region that will improve environmental conditions and as a result reduce rural to urban migration. The project combines vernacular knowledge with innovative design approaches. The construction system is traditional, using rammed earth walls, palm reeds and local tree trunks for roofs. Through a focus on replicable forms and construction techniques, solar chimneys and Canadian well systems are integrated to improve thermal comfort and energy self-sufficiency. The landscape design proposes anti-desertification and erosion strategies such as palm leaf grids, the Growasis Waterboxx to safely grow tamarisk and acacia trees for 1 to 3 years with little water, and adult trees are protected from strong winds by L-shaped walls or building forms to halt the encroachment of sand dunes towards the site. The orientation of all buildings and protective walls on site considers prevailing wind patterns in an effort to protect the site from encroaching sand dunes.The combined effect of all three systems (vernacular construction, new sustainable technology, and anti-desertification strategies) has never been tested before. If successful, we hope JSCC will become a model for development in the region-- contributing to anti-desertification and the replenishment of the water table at a system-wide scale. Local & Ethical Construction Consisting mainly of rammed earth buildings created from soil onsite, the Music School goes to great lengths to keep all materials and labour local to the site (within 100km).The construction site during and after completion will leave no waste with the potential to pollute the water table and harm the environment. Wherever possible, local labour and expertise will be utilized in order to boost the local economy and stimulate job creation, prioritizing equal hiring practices which consider ethnic minorities in the region. As outlined in the “People’’ panel, a detailed survey by Aziza Chaouni Projects (ACP) was completed in order to identify which skilled trades, goods, and services available locally could be utilized in the development process- and subsequently when the site is fully operational. For example, prior to beginning construction on the reservoir the local carpenter in M’hamid was consulted (5 km away) and a survey of skilled trades revealed that boucherouite, furniture, lighting fixtures, etc. could be produced locally. The adjacent village of Zaouia (2.5 km away) which is also experiencing depopulation can provide additional trades such as stone work, metal work, and assistance with the extensive tree-planting on site. The ACP team has already established a culture of skill and knowledge transfers with locals. For example, ACP has investigated vernacular construction techniques while sharing with the local population about novel anti-desertification tactics. Further, the design itself was conceived through a participatory process. Using a built model of the site, locals aided the architectural team in identifying programmatic gaps in the region while learning about the importance of anti-desertification. Instrumental in driving gender development at Joudour Sahara are two female program leaders Aicha Zahaf and Safae Radouani. Aicha coordinates music and dance activities, and Safae acts as the program’s administrator. Since their hiring, they have worked to increase girls’ participation at the school, primarily by engaging young females in the community to participate in traditional dance and singing activities. Progress The music school program was created by the team in 2016 and has been operating informally out of a cafe in M’hamid successfully since. However more space is required to increase their programmatic capabilities and ensure economic self-sufficiency. The development of the JSCC complex is currently in phase one, with the reservoir construction under way, and tree planting and the antidesertifcation palm leave matrix in part completed and continuing to take place (providing workshops and labour to the local population). The reservoir will store water from the tri-annual overflow of the Draa river in order to feed water systems onsite. This water will be carefully monitored and recycled after its initial use through separate grey- and black-water recycling systems. Monitoring Environmental Change Ecological and anti-desertification systems will be monitored through indicators such as the measurement of sand dunes encroachment , water collection and consumption rates (including urine recycling), compost and biogas volumes, solar energy collection and consumption, and the planting and proliferation of flora onsite. In total, just over 500 trees and shrubs have already been planted on the site since 2016. Between 2016- 2018, 148 trees were planted and monitored, and a count revealed a 77% success rate of tree growth (114 trees) compared to the typical 60-70% mortality rate of unmonitored trees in the region. Large trees are planted in batches of 100 at a time, using the water-saving Groasis Waterboxx technology, a cheap tool that locals have learned about in our tree-planting workshops. Native species have been selected that require water for the first three years of growth only (using the Growasis Waterbox to reduce evaporation) before becoming self-sufficient. Currently, palm leaf grids with acacia seedlings are being installed and tested on the southern portion of the site using local labour. Monitoring Sociocultural and Economic Change The primary objectives of the cultural centre are ensuring that the local community regains pride in its material/ immaterial heritage, become self-sufficient thanks to permaculture and anti-desertification practices, in turn reducing rural to urban migration. Main indicators include local population levels, job creation, student enrollment, student attendance, and the expansion of the Cultural Centre’s programs (based on demand). Most importantly, changes to the programming occur to suit the community. Flexible and multi-programmable spaces (the auditorium, classrooms, outdoors shaded plazas) are designed to accommodate these changes over time. For example, in 2019, youth from the village of Zaouïa approached the Joudour Sahara Cultural Centre to ask if they could implement traditional programming unique to their tribe. Since then, these youth have been engaged weekly in the transmission of the traditional Rokba style of music and dance and are regular attendees across a spectrum of programming Observational and anecdotal evidence is also gathered, as well as input from Joudour Sahara youth to adjust programming. A playground co-designed with local childrenframes Joudour Sahara Cultural Centre’s main entrance. OBJECTIVES OVERVIEW Location: M’hamid El Ghizlane (29°47’55.6”N 5°43’47.6”W) Projected completion date: 2021 (phase one) - 2024 (phase three/ final) Budget: $ 800, 000 USD (construction cost only) Gross floor area: 2176.27 m 2 Architect: Aziza Chaouni Projects (Fes/ Toronto) Consultants: Joudour Sahara (NGO), Playing for Change Foundation (NGO), Sahara Roots Foundation (NGO), C.E.R.K.A.S., TransSolar, S.M.I.T Morocco, Ministry of Tourism Morocco, Brady Peters