Date palms
Matilde Gattoni
of the world oases they are at the forefront of an existential battle against climate change: limited rainfall and rising temperatures have had a devastating effect on these unique ecosystems and the culture they support. Morocco has lost two-thirds of its oases – lush and fertile desert areas – in a single century.
The local people ask the desert for water
Matilde Gattoni
Take the town of M’Hamid El Ghizlane, the last stop before the vast, dry expanse of the Sahara. Here, local people ask the desert for water (pictured above). Dressed in white robes, they regularly gather at the edge of the desert to recite ancestral songs, asking for an end to the drought and the return of life to the land.
In the meantime droughts they have always been a part of life here, they were intermittent, they gave people the opportunity to supply food and water during the dry season. But the oasis that sustains the community has shrunk in recent decades, burning palm trees and threatening centuries of culture and tradition.
A villager feeds his camel with grass picked from the dry bed of the Draa river.
Matilde Gattoni
The town’s economy has traditionally been fueled by date palms (main photo) and camel herding (top photo), but as these livelihoods are in danger, many have moved to nearby cities. Those who stay often earn through tourism. Ex-farmers turned self-taught guides offer visitors desert expeditions and tea ceremonies (pictured below). look of life that endures despite challenges.
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