article about art of fantasia in Morocco

1. COMPOSITION
FANTASIA: A HERITAGE OF GLORY AND ART
The horse and man in Morocco have been very close and faithful friends since the dawn of
times for fighting invaders and maintaining order in the country of the sun. As time passed by
and new generations succeeded the old ones, the Moroccan man kept the horse with a lot of
love and care; therefore, he did not stop such eternal friendship with such noble animal via
“fantasia”. But he could maintain peace and stability on this land for many centuries until the
present.
Fantasia -game of powder or “tborida” in Moroccan Arabic- stands for the breath taking
equestrian sport and art that has being practiced in Morocco and other Maghreb countries
since the 8th Century and become known by the world in the 18th Century by foreign travellers
to the country, especially famous painters such as Eugene Delacroix who created great artistic
masterpieces of fantasia shows in some Moroccan regions.
The Origins of the Term “Fantasia”
The term fantasia -according to Maghreb languages- means glory and extravagance on one
hand. On the other hand, it means arrogance. Yet, the term fantasia was given to the
equestrian sport or horse or powder game by the French painter Eugene Delacroix who
visited Morocco during the reign of King Moulay Abdurrahman(1778-1859) when he
accompanied the French Ambassador to Morocco Charles-Edgar, Count of Mornay
(1803-1878) who was sent by the French King Louis Philip with a message to the Moroccan
Monarch. Eugene Delacroix was extremely fascinated by the equestrian show for greeting
Count De Mornay and his company on the gates of Meknès. A third version of using the term

2. fantasia to the sport comes from the confusion between two words according to Arabic. In
classical Arabic, it is constructed from the same verbal root: khayal meaning imagination and
Khayyal meaning rider.
Whatever fantasia is the correct name for that sport or not, it had become worldwide thanks to
the rituals linked to the performances of highly talented riders who immortalise the bravery
and glory of their ancestors, by bringing back to the memory the glorious wars of their
ancestors against their enemies, which had made Morocco one the most respected and feared
Kingdoms in the world for Centuries.
Description
During the game, a number of equestrian evolutions represent military clashes during which
the riders carry guns that are charged with black powder. The success of the fantasia riders
lays in their ability to shoot a salvo from their guns on trotting horses, leaving clouds of
blinding dust behind them.
Fantasia is the dramatic repetition of two movements of cavalry in war: rapid charging and
retreat. The riders start from mounting on their stomachs on the ground, holding the bridle in
one hand, then they raise their guns highly over their heads, turning them around to show their
strong mastery of their arms. Then they rise as one man, seizing their guns by the two hands,
abandoning the bridle, then they charge and shoot towards the front or back; making sure
they’re higher than the public in order to avoid any accidents.
Getting their guns down towards the ground or keeping them in the air, they carry out a short
and quick volt, and then they return to their starting point for restarting their dishevelled race.
The salvos shot by the riders are called baroud.
Throughout the history of fantasia, Moroccan tribes used to add, according to the regions,
some particular touches such as games with guns, acrobatic movements, and costumes of
sparkling colours to embellish their horses in order to impress rival tribes.
For succeeding in fantasia, the team should be constituted of the same number of riders on the
left as on the right in addition to the leader. For instance, if there are five riders on the left,
there should be five on the right to maintain harmony and equilibrium so that the shooting of
salvos can be made beautifully.
The Horses

3. Fantasia cannot be organised without strong, quick, docile, enduring, beautiful, and
highly bred horses. In Morocco, the barb race is the ancestor of the present horses.
Researchers had found the remains that are dated 40 000 years ago during the pre-
historic era. In addition, the drawings in Saharian Atlass date 9000 years BC, proving
the existence of horses in the Maghreb.
Fantasia costumes and decorations
Fantasia is characterised first by the importance of its appearance, the richness and splendour
of the rider’s dress, his equipment and the harnessing of the horse. The equipment of the horse
essentially includes the gun (moukehla) Maghreb black powder gun, an arm of small calibre
with a very long canon; it is special by its several sparkling capuchins and its ornaments of
bones, ivory, pearls or metal, in coloured engravings. The splendour of harnessing is
reflected in saddles in red Moroccan leather embroidered and hallmarked in gold.
Celebration
Fantasia is traditionally linked to celebration of which it is the best part. it is organised on the
occasion of some rituals such “moussems”(annual celebration for honouring a saint, during
which cows and sheep are sacrificed and big feasts are held) or some religious celebrations
such as “Aid el-Fitr”( celebrating the end of Ramadan or “Mawlid” (celebrating the birth of
the Prophet Mohamed) it also accompanies weddings(especially for escorting the bride to her
new home), births or pilgrimage(when pilgrims get back from Mecca) In addition, fantasia
shows are organised for greeting the King ,some notables, or official guests.

4. And despite the fact that fantasia is still organised on the above mentioned occasions,
nowadays, it has taken more touristic dimension as a folk show, which attracts local and
foreign tourists every year for the greatness of the show and the awesome ornaments of horses
and riders that become one during the game that takes one back to ancient times when
Moroccan warriors used to defend their lands bravely and proudly, sacrificing their lives for
protecting the future of new generations.
Fantasia undermines males’ superiority
Since 2000, Moroccan female riders have integrated the world of fantasia that had been
exclusively practiced by men for many centuries; except for some rare cases of women who
used to ride horses and even fight beside men when their tribes were attacked. First, they
started in mixed teams before a purely feminine team appeared in Mohammedia. Young
female riders as Meriem Kouhly, Hanane Boulhimze, and Mounia Taârabet ride their horses
proudly and feel highly enthusiastic about their favourite hobby not only as a sport but also as
a way of living. This sport or art is transmitted from generation to generation for preserving
equestrian values and traditions that men and women now are passionate about.
Many female riders created groups in many regions as Kenitra, El Jadida, Khemisset,
Meknès…
Although women are encouraged by their families and clans, many men cannot conceal their
disapproval of women’s practice of fantasia. They do not still accept the idea of a girl riding a
horse. But women insist on continuing the challenge to prove their competence and defeat
men in the practice of their privileged and noble sport.
The practice of fantasia is very popular in Morocco, especially that the Royal Stadium of
equestrian sports and tborida (fantasia) was created in 2008 in order to promote the practice of
such noble sports, especially with the establishment of a school of fantasia.
During the competition of the week of the horse, male and female teams participate according
to the regions they belong to. In addition to fantasia competition and war games, the tribes
and regions compete at the level of ornaments either of the riders’ and their clothes or the
ornaments devoted to horses, beautiful saddles and bridles….for which Moroccan craftsmen
show their talents by making very beautiful and variable kinds of ornaments to embellish the
riders and horses.
If Moroccans have abode throughout their history to their values, their cultural and war
heritage have been equally preserved by the continuity of the art of fantasia that rewrites the
glorious history of their ancestors who built great dynasties from the Idrissit one until the
Alaouit that is still faithful to the values that Morocco was built upon.