80 Miles to Atlantis

80 Miles to Atlantis is the second part of Imane Djamil’s work on the historic coastline of Tarfaya, a Saharan city that lies across the sea from the Canary Islands. In fact, the closeness of the Spanish archipelago, where the mythical city of Atlantis is thought to be located, inspired the name of this series. In 360 BC, the dialogues of Greek philosopher Plato, Timaeus and Critias, described the mythical state of Atlantis as

an almost Utopian civilisation, found on a lush and resource-rich archipelago. Plato claimed that these islands existed 9,000 years before his time and that their history had been passed on orally by his grandfather. While Atlantis was submerged by the ocean after falling out of favour with the Gods in Plato’s story, Tarfaya’s coastline is being engulfed by sand, not for offending a higher entity, but because of natural phenomena combined with the State’s apathy towards preserving its cultural heritage. The abandonment of this city and its heritage is further highlighted by the desertification of the Sahara, which is prompting populations to flee to urban areas because they can no longer produce yields or envision activities in such hostile environment. Imane Djamil offers a fresh perspective and stands out for her use of a ‘docu-drama’ style to better express the reality she sees through her lens.

© Imane Djamil - Image from the 80 Miles to Atlantis photography project
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Tarfaya buried open door I. The title 80 Miles to Atlantis refers to Tarfaya not by its name, but rather its close proximity to Spain’s Canary Islands, the approximate location of where the mythical Atlantis is rumored to be. The title also likens Tarfaya to the fictional island nation – a fitting relation given that, like Atlantis, it is shrouded in mystery and often described as “apocalyptic” or “the abandoned world.”

© Imane Djamil - Image from the 80 Miles to Atlantis photography project
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The Pool I. The pool inside the old Spanish fort. Written in 360 BCE, the Greek philosopher Plato’s dialogues Timaeus and Critias described the mythical nation of Atlantis as a near-utopian civilization inhabiting a lush, resource-rich archipelago. Plato claimed that the islands existed 9,000 years before his time, with its story passed down orally from his grandfather. As a consequence of falling out of favor with the deities, Atlantis was hit with earthquakes and floods, ultimately being submerged under water. If Atlantis was to be consumed by the ocean for displeasing the gods, Tarfaya’s historical coast, as Djamil illustrates in her series, is on its way to being devoured by sand, not for offending a higher being, but as a result of natural phenomena coupled with the state’s disinterest in preserving its cultural heritage.

© Imane Djamil - The Pool II. The pool inside the old Spanish fort.
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The Pool II. The pool inside the old Spanish fort.

© Imane Djamil - The Pool III. The pool inside the old Spanish fort.
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The Pool III. The pool inside the old Spanish fort.

© Imane Djamil - Image from the 80 Miles to Atlantis photography project
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27 I. In the 27 triptych, six young men gather in another colonial-era building to celebrate a fictional birthday, complete with a cake and balloons. In the second photograph of the sequence, while five men cheer, one takes a snapshot of the festivities. The scene takes place in dār al-mi’a, or “house of one hundred,” which, as the name suggests, formerly housed one hundred soldiers under Spanish occupation.

© Imane Djamil - Image from the 80 Miles to Atlantis photography project
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27 II. Dār al-mi’a, or “house of one hundred,” which, as the name suggests, formerly housed one hundred local soldiers under Spanish occupation.

© Imane Djamil - Image from the 80 Miles to Atlantis photography project
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27 III. Dār al-mi’a, or “house of one hundred,” which, as the name suggests, formerly housed one hundred local soldiers under Spanish occupation.

© Imane Djamil - The Theater I. The old theater, formerly called Cape Juby.
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The Theater I. The old theater, formerly called Cape Juby.

© Imane Djamil - Image from the 80 Miles to Atlantis photography project
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The Theater II. The old theater, formerly called Cape Juby. Although I identify as decolonial in thinking and practice, I often ask myself an important question that post-partitioned states have been grappling with since the mid-twentieth century’s independence movements: Are remnants of the colonial past, which today serve as Tarfaya’s identity marker, worth preserving? I think although colonial-era architecture is the result of imperial violence, likening it to a wound, over time it becomes a scar tamed by the landscape, leading to a shift in both function and meaning. Scars that, I believe, are worthy of preservation as the colonial past remains an inescapable part of Morocco’s cultural heritage.

© Imane Djamil - Image from the 80 Miles to Atlantis photography project
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The Theater III. The old theater, formerly called Cape Juby. In conversation with Sadat Shaibatat Merrebi Rebbu Ma al-‘Aynayn, a local resident and grandson of revolutionary leader Cheikh Mohamed Mustafa Ma al-‘Aynayn, I was told that one day everything on Tarfaya’s coast would disappear and that artworks, much like Plato’s writings on Atlantis, will remain as some of the last pieces of evidence for its existence.

© Imane Djamil - By the yard I. A building inside the old Spanish fort, now occupied by the Royal Armed Forces.
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By the yard I. A building inside the old Spanish fort, now occupied by the Royal Armed Forces.

© Imane Djamil - Image from the 80 Miles to Atlantis photography project
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In By the Yard II. Young children are seen playing in the old Spanish fort, now occupied by the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (although not active) and avoided by local residents.

© Imane Djamil - Image from the 80 Miles to Atlantis photography project
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By the yard III. Young children are seen playing around dār al-mi’a, or “house of one hundred,” which, as the name suggests, formerly housed one hundred soldiers under Spanish occupation.

© Imane Djamil - Image from the 80 Miles to Atlantis photography project
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Armas Essalama. The plan the city had in mind for economic growth was tourism. A ferry line, Armas Assalama, was opened in 2008. Back in the day, Armas Assalama, connecting Puerto Rosario to Tarfaya was supposedly what would make the city another door to Africa and bring thousands of tourists a year from the Canary Islands, also generating a bunch of work opportunities in Tarfaya besides the small port business. The ferry crashed after 4 months and 42 trips only. In a lifetime of 4 months, it had become a new attraction for the locals that did expect a lot from it.

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