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.