Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of His Majesty the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), patronised today the Berber Women of Morocco Expo which will run for one month at Bahrain National Museum.
Touring the exhibition, HRH Princess Sabeeka underlined its importance in highlighting the high value of the Berber heritage. She emphasised the role of cultural activities in promoting tourism and providing entertainment for the people in Bahrain while informing them about global cultures.
HRH Princess Sabeeka thanked the organisers of the exhibition for their efforts in spotlighting the role of Berber women in maintaining the Berber cultural heritage and showing the richness and diversity of the Moroccan civilization.
The Culture directorate is organising the expo in cooperation with Pierre Berger (Yves Saint Laurent), Jardin Majorelle’s Musée Berbère in Marrakech and Musée du Quai Branly in Paris. Pierre Berger, the associate of famous fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, stressed his strong bonds with Morocco. He underlined his keen interest, along with Yves Saint Laurent, the Berber arts since the 1960s.
The Berber (Amazigh) identity developed thousands of years ago on a vast territory that stretches from Morocco’s Atlantic coast to the borders of the eastern Maghreb. Over the millennia it has proven as remarkably resilient to cultural mixing with other Mediterranean civilizations as to various conquests.
Throughout history, women have been the guardians of traditions and language, ensuring the preservation of the tribes’ cultural heritage. Transmission has been guaranteed by many symbols that can be found in weaving (the exclusive province of Berber women), jewelry, wickerwork, pottery, tattoos, and henna body painting.
An invitation to travel into the heart of Morocco and Berber culture, the "Berber Women of Morocco" presents the most beautiful objects carpets, capes, woven belts, necklaces of amber and coral, silver fibulae predominantly from the sumptuous collection of the Jardin Majorelle’s Musée Berbère in Marrakech and Musée du Quai Branly in Paris - Together with stunning archival photographs, it is a tribute to the women who have never ceased transmitting the Berber culture’s singular identity.