Abdellatif Laabi - The Bottom of the Jar

10A Moroccan myth: a spirit that can inhabit the bodies of women or take the shape of women. In southern Morocco, Aïcha Kandisha takes the form of a goat, while her shapely, alluring legs remain human. In the north, however, Kandisha has the body of a woman but the legs of a camel. She entices men and then tears them apart.

11Gnaoua are descendants of former slaves brought back by the Moroccans after they conquered Timbuktu. They have a rich cultural tradition where music occupies a large place.

12A hadra is a ceremony where participants go into a trance while music plays around them. A specific color is worn to attract specific spirits.

13A low-ranking civilian officer appointed to represent a certain district as an informant and council assistant to the municipal authorities.

14Laâbi’s note: The month before Ramadan when children often play with firecrackers.

15Notaries for religious marriages.

16Students.

17“I swear to God!”

18A body of Islamic scholars that interprets sharia law.

19Laâbi’s note: Joha in classical Arabic, Goha in Egyptian, Khodja in Turkish, Guisha in Albanian, Giufa in Sicilian, Odja in Greek, Djahan in Maltese, etc.