267
In the Open Science Lab, the main events were embedded in the format of a
“Joint student project,” which allows students from different cultural backgrounds
to work in small groups of 4–6 participants on a specific topic. Since there was no
master’s program with a focus on natural resources management at the Moroccan
partner universities, the students were selected from bachelor’s programs in natural
and social sciences. The joint activities were carried out during the main events and
included among others field visits, interviews, and community workshops. In the
Art Lab, the problem arose that there were no comparable study programs in
Morocco in the field of dance and music at bachelor and master level. For this
reason, the music and dance students worked directly with Ahwash artists from
Agdz.
The research objectives were defined together with all partners at an early stage
of the project. On the side of the Open Science Lab, students were asked to develop
a conceptual basis and examine individual questions in more detail. The results
were presented as reports and short scientific papers. They form the basis for the
observed transformation processes presented in Chap. 7. In addition, the students
developed a short educational film and contributed to a project exhibition as part of
the final workshops in Rabat and Cologne. On side of the Art Lab, the main events
formed the basis for the artistic cooperation, communication, and exchange. The
artistic activities were accompanied by a filmmaker and photographer, who
developed materials, which were partly used for project documentation in class, and
which were also essential elements of the scientific–artistic events in Rabat and
Cologne. Above all, the Moroccan partners placed particular emphasis on the fact
that the final event in Rabat was to reach a wider public and, in this way, also spread
the cultural heritage of the Amazigh. The core concepts of transformation,
transdisciplinarity, and the Third Space were equally addressed in both events.
Finally, a self-evaluation of the scientists, artists, and students involved in the
project took place with regard to the implementation of the transdisciplinary
approach and the intercultural experiences and learning processes.
Main Outcomes of the Project
Transformation
Agdz and its surrounding villages can be seen as a historically grown socioecological system, well adapted to the harsh environmental conditions. The permanent availability of water in the Draa valley was a decisive factor for the
sedentarization of the former nomads and semi-nomads and the development of a
complex oasis culture. At the same time water was—and still is—a natural capital
that is subject to major natural seasonal and long-term fluctuations in terms of its
availability. In view of this predicament and the associated uncertainties and risks,
the settlers were forced to develop strategies to secure a permanent and equitable
division of water.
15 The Atlas Workshops of Agdz, Morocco: A Model Region for a Scientific–Artistic…
In the Open Science Lab, the main events were embedded in the format of a
“Joint student project,” which allows students from different cultural backgrounds
to work in small groups of 4–6 participants on a specific topic. Since there was no
master’s program with a focus on natural resources management at the Moroccan
partner universities, the students were selected from bachelor’s programs in natural
and social sciences. The joint activities were carried out during the main events and
included among others field visits, interviews, and community workshops. In the
Art Lab, the problem arose that there were no comparable study programs in
Morocco in the field of dance and music at bachelor and master level. For this
reason, the music and dance students worked directly with Ahwash artists from
Agdz.
The research objectives were defined together with all partners at an early stage
of the project. On the side of the Open Science Lab, students were asked to develop
a conceptual basis and examine individual questions in more detail. The results
were presented as reports and short scientific papers. They form the basis for the
observed transformation processes presented in Chap. 7. In addition, the students
developed a short educational film and contributed to a project exhibition as part of
the final workshops in Rabat and Cologne. On side of the Art Lab, the main events
formed the basis for the artistic cooperation, communication, and exchange. The
artistic activities were accompanied by a filmmaker and photographer, who
developed materials, which were partly used for project documentation in class, and
which were also essential elements of the scientific–artistic events in Rabat and
Cologne. Above all, the Moroccan partners placed particular emphasis on the fact
that the final event in Rabat was to reach a wider public and, in this way, also spread
the cultural heritage of the Amazigh. The core concepts of transformation,
transdisciplinarity, and the Third Space were equally addressed in both events.
Finally, a self-evaluation of the scientists, artists, and students involved in the
project took place with regard to the implementation of the transdisciplinary
approach and the intercultural experiences and learning processes.
Main Outcomes of the Project
Transformation
Agdz and its surrounding villages can be seen as a historically grown socioecological system, well adapted to the harsh environmental conditions. The permanent availability of water in the Draa valley was a decisive factor for the
sedentarization of the former nomads and semi-nomads and the development of a
complex oasis culture. At the same time water was—and still is—a natural capital
that is subject to major natural seasonal and long-term fluctuations in terms of its
availability. In view of this predicament and the associated uncertainties and risks,
the settlers were forced to develop strategies to secure a permanent and equitable
division of water.
15 The Atlas Workshops of Agdz, Morocco: A Model Region for a Scientific–Artistic…