Amussu

Joyful portrait of the people of Imider, Morocco. Since 2011, they block a water pipeline leading to a large silver mine which is both robbing their water and polluting it. Among their other methods of activism are poetry, music, theatre and sheer optimism.

A small settlement community formed around a protest site: in the southeast of Morocco, the people of Imider have been peacefully protesting the water pollution caused by Africa’s biggest silver mine since 2011. That year, they started blocking the water pipeline leading to the mine. Since then, dozens have been arrested, but the community persists.

‘They can’t stop the community of Imider,’ a woman says as she is forcefully kneading her dough. ‘Because it’s the water we drink that we’re fighting for.’ The villagers partly tell their stories in a form of relaxed participatory theatre, singing songs, reciting poetry or talking to each other while working the land or getting on with their daily lives. The film crew of director Nadir Bouhmouch organised cinema workshops for the youth of Imider, who filmed some of the scenes. It’s heart-warming details like these that make Amussu (‘Movement’) a true community-based production.