Fading Dunes

In the vast Sahara Desert, where the shifting sands whisper tales of ancient cultures and resilient peoples, something profound is happening. The tribes that have traveled these empty lands for hundreds of years are facing unprecedented challenges that threaten their very existence. As the modern world takes over their traditional way of life, the existence of saharan nomadic culture is at stake.

Fading dunes is a long term human based documentary project made using film photography to showcase the effect of climate crisis and urbanization on the overlooked communities of south morocco who live in the front line facing risks of food and water shortages, displacement and conflicts.

Climate change, and economic marginalization have made it harder for nomads to sustain their way of life. Droughts and desertification, worsened by global warming, have destroyed grazing lands and water sources, making nomadic communities travel longer distances to find food for their animals.

As nation-states formed and borders were set, nomadic tribes had to leave their traditional ways of life and settle down. This led to challenges like losing the freedom of movement, changing cultural identity, the disappearance of nomadic traditions and ceremonies, and adapting to mainstream society.

My aim with this project is to explore and document my region and tell the stories of my people, who lived here in the past as free nomadic tribes before the transformation to modern citizens, and drawing attention to the changes that are increasing each year in our weather, landscape, and water supply. this project also serve as a personal learning journey and a rediscovery of my ancestral heritage and vanishing traditions.

Through this project, my goals are to showcase the beauty of the Saharan landscape and culture, raise awareness of the effects of climate crisis on the Saharan community and environment, highlight the lost traditions of the Saharan nomadic way of life that have disappeared due to urbanization, and establish connections between communities in southern Morocco and global environmental and cultural foundations.