Weaving Bzou’s fabric (Kharqa Bziouia)

The Bzou Valley is an important historical centre located in the foothills of the Central High Atlas (Azilal Province). it is characterized by the richness of its intangible cultural heritage. This wealth is manifested mainly in the weaving of the famous wool fabric known as “Kharqa Bziouia”. This fabric is entirely handmade. It is of remarkable quality thanks to its transparency and its great finesse, which is why it is solicited all over Morocco, by couturiers wishing to make luxury Djellaba-s.

Socially, weaving fabrics allows women craftsmen to support their families. Culturally, weavers perpetuate ancestral know-how, while men, who drive the auction of fabrics every Friday, perpetuate an intangible cultural element that can be classified, on the one hand among economic practices and, on the other hand, among the performing arts.

The realization of a coupon is the result of a long chain of operations whose various stages take place in different places:

– in the vicinity of a water source, raw wool is washed to rid it of all impurities,

– At home, the wool is untangled, carded and transformed into a thread that is brought back to the water source to be washed a second time,

– In family workshops, the yarn is woven to obtain soups of specific dimensions.

All these steps are carried out only by women. The man intervenes only during the washing of the wool, an operation that requires an effort especially when it is necessary to beat the raw fleece with a stick. Finally, when the woman completes the production of the product and sends her coupon to the weekly souk, the man reappears on stage to animate the auction.

Source: idpc.ma