80 Miles to Atlantis

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.”

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.

The Pool II. The pool inside the old Spanish fort.

The Pool III. The pool inside the old Spanish fort.

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.

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.

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.

The Theater I. The old theater, formerly called Cape Juby.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.