275
Conclusions and the Way Forward
Global change has caused rapid and profound changes in the rural areas of southern
Morocco. Understanding these changes requires a transdisciplinary approach and
new forms of learning, in which the acquisition of experiences in a “real-world
environment” and the intercultural exchange are of particular importance. The Atlas
Workshops project has met these challenges and directly contributed to the internationalization of the participating universities. It even went beyond this by implementing the concept of transdisciplinarity with the involvement of communities and
local stakeholders, a concept that hardly exists in traditional university programs. At
the Moroccan partner universities, research and teaching take place primarily in
classical disciplines, while the potential for interdisciplinary activities and modern
formats such as inquiry-based learning is not yet fully tapped. This way the project
has triggered important impulses for a better understanding of complex socioecological contexts, including the relationships between resources, culture, and art.
In the field of music and dance there are no study programs in Morocco yet. The
Ahwash performer Boubker Marrouk was the first to receive an official certificate as
an Ahwash teacher from the Polydisciplinary Faculty in Ouarzazate. This could be
a first step towards anchoring Ahwash as a cultural asset and art form at university
level.
The approach was very positively received by the students, although there were
also points of friction, uncertainties, and obstacles to overcome. However, these
were part of the learning process and therefore beneficial. In the labs in Agdz,
German and international students and scientists were given a direct insight into
Amazigh culture and oasis management, while in Cologne, the Moroccan participants
were given insights into the German higher education system, teaching concepts
and contemporary dance and music. In this way a mutual appreciation, learning, and
understanding developed. The intercultural communication was significantly
promoted by music and movement, whereby the outwardly open and inviting
Ahwash ritual contributed in particular to overcoming cultural and language barriers.
Challenges to consider in the future are: More time is needed for field work and
artistic rehearsals. The short-joined working phases created pressure and left too
little room for reflection. Moreover, science–art interfaces need to be further
strengthened. In most cases, the students of resource management and those of
dance and music worked separately in their labs. In the joint presence phases, the art
students reflected on the socio-ecological and cultural environments in which their
art is performed; however, there were few interfaces with students from natural
resources management in practical work. On the other hand, most students from
natural and social sciences found access to contemporary dance and music difficult,
while the Ahwash was perceived as open and integrative. Furthermore, the social
sciences were too weakly represented in the project, so that not all potentials could
be exploited. Another important point is the cooperation between the German and
Moroccan partners. Cooperation is still characterized by a dominance of Western
approaches. This “traditional” imbalance cannot be overcome in a short-term
15 The Atlas Workshops of Agdz, Morocco: A Model Region for a Scientific–Artistic…
Conclusions and the Way Forward
Global change has caused rapid and profound changes in the rural areas of southern
Morocco. Understanding these changes requires a transdisciplinary approach and
new forms of learning, in which the acquisition of experiences in a “real-world
environment” and the intercultural exchange are of particular importance. The Atlas
Workshops project has met these challenges and directly contributed to the internationalization of the participating universities. It even went beyond this by implementing the concept of transdisciplinarity with the involvement of communities and
local stakeholders, a concept that hardly exists in traditional university programs. At
the Moroccan partner universities, research and teaching take place primarily in
classical disciplines, while the potential for interdisciplinary activities and modern
formats such as inquiry-based learning is not yet fully tapped. This way the project
has triggered important impulses for a better understanding of complex socioecological contexts, including the relationships between resources, culture, and art.
In the field of music and dance there are no study programs in Morocco yet. The
Ahwash performer Boubker Marrouk was the first to receive an official certificate as
an Ahwash teacher from the Polydisciplinary Faculty in Ouarzazate. This could be
a first step towards anchoring Ahwash as a cultural asset and art form at university
level.
The approach was very positively received by the students, although there were
also points of friction, uncertainties, and obstacles to overcome. However, these
were part of the learning process and therefore beneficial. In the labs in Agdz,
German and international students and scientists were given a direct insight into
Amazigh culture and oasis management, while in Cologne, the Moroccan participants
were given insights into the German higher education system, teaching concepts
and contemporary dance and music. In this way a mutual appreciation, learning, and
understanding developed. The intercultural communication was significantly
promoted by music and movement, whereby the outwardly open and inviting
Ahwash ritual contributed in particular to overcoming cultural and language barriers.
Challenges to consider in the future are: More time is needed for field work and
artistic rehearsals. The short-joined working phases created pressure and left too
little room for reflection. Moreover, science–art interfaces need to be further
strengthened. In most cases, the students of resource management and those of
dance and music worked separately in their labs. In the joint presence phases, the art
students reflected on the socio-ecological and cultural environments in which their
art is performed; however, there were few interfaces with students from natural
resources management in practical work. On the other hand, most students from
natural and social sciences found access to contemporary dance and music difficult,
while the Ahwash was perceived as open and integrative. Furthermore, the social
sciences were too weakly represented in the project, so that not all potentials could
be exploited. Another important point is the cooperation between the German and
Moroccan partners. Cooperation is still characterized by a dominance of Western
approaches. This “traditional” imbalance cannot be overcome in a short-term
15 The Atlas Workshops of Agdz, Morocco: A Model Region for a Scientific–Artistic…