Nabila Baraka, the film star who turned her family legacy into an International Festival
- Nabila Baraka, the woman who turned the family legacy into a heritage of universal interest
- The tradition of an inspirational father
- Mata, the Festival that broadened the horizons of a previously unknown people
Nabila Baraka, in her capacity as president of the Alamia Laarousia Association, was awarded the Emilio Castelar Prize in its fifteenth edition organised on 26 April 2024 in Seville.
The aim of the Emilio Castelar Awards, since its inception in 2005, is to highlight and recognise those individuals, institutions, entities and organisations at national and international level that have been characterised by their commitment to human rights, freedoms, democracy and the progress of peoples.
Promoted by the Asociación para el Progreso y la Igualdad de los Pueblos - Asociación Progresistas-, the awards have a jury of different personalities from the cultural, economic and social spheres of Spain who, year after year, reward different categories in which the nominees have demonstrated their commitment to society.
This commitment has been demonstrated by Nabila Baraka together with her brother Nabil and family; through their attachment to the tradition of their people and their vision of development and openness that they offer to the population through the activities of the Alamia Laarousia Association.
The actress who worked with Catherine Deneuve is passionate about the equestrian tradition that is handed down from generation to generation. Equestrianism represents that childhood memory that grew over time to become a love for all the rites that accompany the tradition, for the atmosphere of the event, for the joy of the participants, for the smell of the ground and for the good of the local population.
This cultural heritage was gradually developing until it was officially institutionalised. Today, Nabila Baraka, president of the Alamia Laarousia Association, organises together with his brother Nabil and his family the twelfth edition of the Mata International Equestrian Festival in the region of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, precisely in the city of Larache.
Nabila Baraka, the woman who turned the family legacy into a heritage of universal interest
Nabila is the eldest daughter of four siblings. Her father is Sidi Abdelhadi Baraka Naquib de Chorfas Alamiyines and son of the late Sidi Hadj Mohamed Baraka.
She is an international actress who worked in famous films such as "Other Times" (2004), in which she shared scenes with Catherine Deneuve and Gérard Depardieu.
She is also known for her role in the film "24h Marrakech" (2010) and "Mille mois" (2003).
By creating the Alamia Laarousia Association, Nabila Baraka was elected president, while her brother Nabil was elected vice-president of the association and president of the Festival, which aims to preserve the precious family legacy and pass it on to future generations.
The new edition confirms the commitment of the Baraka brothers to make the Mata equestrian festival visible worldwide; shedding light on the authentic intangible heritage coming from the north of Morocco.
For Nabila, it is a childhood memory that she experiences every year and a tradition that goes back a long way. "When I was very young, I used to live Mata because my grandfather, Sidi Hadj Mohamed, used to do it. My father, Abdelhadi Baraka, rode with his brother Hassan, also from a very young age," Nabila Baraka told Atalayar.
The tradition of an inspirational father
Before his death a year ago, Abdelhadi Baraka bequeathed to his children an ancestral tradition that was kept alive for centuries, and which has endured to become an intangible heritage of humanity and an annual representation of the folklore and values of the region.
It is the Mata International Festival, organised by the Baraka brothers, in their homeland Beni Arous near the shrine of the Sufi poet Moulay Abdeslam. Mata is the heritage event which means riding a horse without a saddle and will be held from 17 to 19 May 2024.
The tradition represents one of the oldest rites celebrated since the dawn of history in Arab and Asian countries whose culture privileges the horse as a fundamental part of their historical heritage and a symbol of triumph and victory.
Abdelhadi Baraka, the inspirational father, was a lawyer who studied law at the Central University of Madrid after obtaining his Bachillerato at the Ramiro de Maeztu Institute. He is a character who is considered a great reference in Spanish-Moroccan relations.
Mata, the Festival that broadened the horizons of a previously unknown people
Under the slogan "Mata, ancestral intangible heritage and a space for the exchange of cultures of humanity", the festival recognises the culture and values as well as the history of the region; it also promotes the development of Beni Arous, which was previously unknown.
Nabila Baraka explained how her father and her uncle Hassan have deployed many efforts to improve the situation of the population who still remember them as being important for the development of this region.
The people, pleased with the change that the Festival has brought about since its launch to the present day, love to participate every year in Mata and to be part of the passion-filled game that attracts riders from other regions.
The inhabitants consider the Festival their own and live it with great pride, aware that the event opened a great window to the world for Beni Arous, allowing them to present their heritage and culture to the world and to invite people to live a unique riding experience.
"Princess Lalla Amina, sister of King Hassan II and aunt of King Mohammed VI came to see the event and was very impressed that something like this was being held in the north and decided to support it", Nabila Baraka told us, underlining "the help of the great Omar Khatid, promoter of Mata, who was then vice-president of the Royal Equestrian of Morocco and vice-president of the Mata Festival".