Hanane Kawalina turns Amazigh Ahwach into a bridge back to Morocco

This update focuses on Hanane Kawalina Amazigh Ahwach. Through her career as a dancer, Hanane Kawalina is turning Amazigh Ahwach into a living bridge between France and the Souss, for herself and for other children of Moroccan immigration who want to reconnect with the country.

Hanane Kawalina Amazigh Ahwach: growing up between Paris and Souss

Raised in the Paris region in a Moroccan Amazigh family, Hanane discovered dance very early as a private language. She says dance has been her way of expression since childhood, long before it became her profession.

At home, Tachelhit and traditions from Souss set the rhythm of daily life. The family recreated an Amazigh bubble, far from Morocco yet constantly tied to it. Every summer this immersion continued in her grandmother’s village in Morocco.

There, Hanane left the comfort of France for a village without running water or electricity. Yet she felt a deep sense of peace. She remembers a simple life, meals prepared slowly, respect for nature and a strong sense of community.

Discovering Ahwach and building a dance career

During these summers, Hanane encountered Amazigh Ahwach, the collective dance that accompanies weddings and celebrations. As a child, she joined the adults’ circle, copied their moves and absorbed the rhythms. Learning happened through immersion, not formal classes.

Back in France, dance stayed with her and gradually became a professional path. Hanane built a career in Indian dance, exploring other aesthetics and rituals. But the connection to Morocco remained in the background.

Over time, this constant movement between France and Morocco fed a broader reflection on the body, memory and heritage. For her, dancing also means “inhabiting your body, making it alive, staying in motion” in continuity with family history.

Workshops around Ahwach for the diaspora

Today, under her stage name Hanane Kawalina, she chooses to come back to Amazigh Ahwach and to her cultural roots. She runs workshops around this dance, sharing rituals, songs and its collective spirit.

These events speak to many Moroccans living in Europe who want to rebuild a tangible link with the country. Amazigh Ahwach becomes a direct point of contact with Souss, beyond language or childhood holiday memories.

• Rediscovering gestures and rhythms passed down by elders
• Experiencing a group moment that recalls village festivities
• Questioning identity not through theory but through the body

Without claiming to “solve” identity issues, Hanane’s work opens a safe space where each person can find their own position between here and there.

Immersive trips to Morocco to reconnect with the country

Beyond workshops in Europe, Hanane also leads immersive stays in Morocco, echoing her childhood experience in her grandmother’s village. The idea is to regain what she once found there: a strong link to a territory, a slower pace and a living community.

For Moroccans abroad, these trips can complement family visits. They offer another way to experience Morocco, less focused on consumption and more rooted in rural life and Amazigh traditions.

Without replacing classic package holidays or family stays, Hanane Kawalina’s initiative adds an option for those who want to:

• better understand their Amazigh roots;
• share a concrete experience of Morocco with their children;
• go beyond the main cities when they visit the country.

At a time when many young Moroccans born in Europe seek more meaning in their trips back home, this kind of project illustrates a deeper trend: using culture and the body as durable bridges between both shores.

For more context, readers can follow Canal212 news for Moroccans abroad.

For official updates, readers can check the relevant official source.