Dolls created by Moroccan and Saharan children Document made for the seminars at the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales Programa de Educación Inicial y Primera Infancia Buenos Aires October 2010

celebrating children’s creativity in their self made toys from a multicultural perspective Jean-Pierre Rossie

eighteen-months- old girl with one of her first dolls made with a piece of cactus Anti-Atlas 2006

centuries old doll play with snail shells representing the dolls Anti-Atlas, 2002

creating dolls is most often done by girls who use them for games of marriage, household games and games staging female activities game of marriage, Anti-Atlas, 2005

mistress of ceremonies with a tube of pomade as frame Anti-Atlas, 2007 unless indicated otherwise the dolls were created by girls

bridegroom and bride clothed in the traditional way Anti-Atlas 2006 the groom carries a dagger and a bag with herbs as magical protection the bride has her face covered against the evil eye

bride and bridegroom, Anti-Atlas, 2006 the bride's face was blackened because it is a black girl

Sahrawi dolls and nomad encampment, Western Sahara, 2008

tent with dolls in the playground, Western Sahara, 2008

Sahrawi bride and bridegroom, Western Sahara, 2008 doll’s frame made of a bone fixed in a bundle of rags

Sahrawi mother, father and child, Western Sahara, 2008

Sahrawi babies made with rags Western Sahara 2008 the blue bag filled with herbs represents protection magic

pregnant mother and her daughter, Anti-Atlas, 2006 cross shaped reed frame

pregnant woman and her husband Anti-Atlas 2006

mother with baby and father sitting in a chair, Anti-Atlas, 2007

old man Anti-Atlas 2001

mother with baby and father, Anti-Atlas, 2007 exceptionally the legs are cut out at the base of the reed

mother with baby and small daughter, Anti-Atlas, 2007 sweet wrappers have been used as dresses

mother and baby with an embroidered face Anti-Atlas 2007

cradle for a baby Anti-Atlas 2006

rag baby in its cradle, Anti-Atlas, 2006 bag of herbs and shells as protective magic

husband and wife in bed Anti-Atlas 2006

childless woman Anti-Atlas 2006

poor woman Anti-Atlas 2006

rich family with race car Anti-Atlas, 2004

servant-woman of the rich family Anti-Atlas 2006

woman going to the market Anti-Atlas 2006

doll wearing a kerchief made from a plastic bag Anti-Atlas 2005

dolls with their head cut out of a piece of polystyrene Anti-Atlas, 2002 Anti-Atlas, 2008

Belghenja doll made by women to be walked in procession during the ritual for obtaining rain the boy holds Belghenja dolls made by girls Anti-Atlas 2007

the Belghenja dolls are made with a wooden spoon Anti-Atlas 2007

girl carrying her Belghenja doll when playing the ritual for obtaining rain Anti-Atlas 2007

Belghenja doll made with a lamp surrounded by silver paper, Anti-Atlas, 2007

Baba Ashur and his wife (left) Doukkala 2008 frame with a bone of the aïd el kebir sheep Ashura is a Moroccan feast lasting for ten days at which it is customary to give sweets and presents to children. It falls on the tenth day of the first month of the Muslim calendar. A PowerPoint presentation Ashura: a children’s feast in Morocco is available on (see Documentation Center: Multimedia: Rossie 2008)

mother and daughter dressed for a feast, Anti-Atlas, 2006 the fibulas closing the large white veil are cut out of an aluminum sheet

grandmother in her festive dress Anti-Atlas 2006

Sahrawi dancer Western Sahara 2007 arm movements represented by a curved branch

spectator of the Sahrawi dance Western Sahara, 2007

old and young woman dressed for the ahwash dance Anti-Atlas, 2006

young man participating in the ahiddus dance Anti-Atlas, 2005

mistress and weavers with daughters at the loom, Anti-Atlas, 2007

female dressmaker, Anti-Atlas, 2006

cloths of the female dressmaker, Anti-Atlas, 2006

girl at the hospital, mother and female doctor (right) Anti-Atlas, 2007

policemen, Anti-Atlas, 2007 clothing of paper packaging frame of plastified wire

tourist at the beach, Anti-Atlas, 2007 second hand plastic doll dressed by girl umbrella and reclining chair of plastified iron wire and wool threads

emigrants’ daughter visiting the homeland Anti-Atlas 2006 plastic doll with a dress made by the girl car made by a boy

home for handicapped and poor people, Anti-Atlas, 2007

the home’s mistress and girl with artificial legs, Anti-Atlas, 2007

dolls representing handicaped children, Anti-Atlas, 2007

doll representing a performer in the ahwash dance High Atlas 1992 boys make dolls only seldom

schoolgirls dressed in wrapping paper made by boys in the first year of primary school but denigrated by girls as too rudimentary Anti-Atlas, 2007

mother and baby made by a boy Anti-Atlas 2006

a boy of eight years created this male doll with a package of medicine Anti-Atlas 2008

traditional doll doll made by young woman made by girl to be sold to tourists Moroccan Sahara, 1996 Moroccan Sahara, 2001

Anti-Atlas 1996 Anti-Atlas, 2006 plastic dolls dressed by girls

fantasy doll Anti-Atlas, 2007

© Jean-Pierre Rossie all photos taken by the author except the photos of slides 3, 6, 33, 35 and 49 taken by Khalija Jariaa (the woman on slide 31)