New York-based Moroccan choreographer and cultural ambassador of Amazigh heritage Hassan Ouakrim has passed away, as announced on Tuesday by Morocco's ambassador to the United States. «Deeply saddened by the passing of Hassan Ouakrim, a true cultural pioneer and lifelong ambassador of Moroccan identity in the United States», Ambassador Youssef Amrani wrote on X. «For decades, he devoted his inspiring life to preserving and sharing the soul of Morocco through ancestral dances like Ahwach, Guedra, and Gnaoua (…) he introduced generations of Americans to the beauty of Berber and Saharan expression, not only through movement, but through spirit», Amrani recalled. Hassan Ouakrim played a pivotal role in promoting Moroccan culture in the United States. Born in 1947 in the village of Aday near Tafraout, he moved to Tangier as a child to join his father, a charcoal vendor in the kasbah of Tangier, and to pursue his studies. He later continued his education in Marrakech, where he was deeply influenced by street performance and Sufi mysticism. In 1968, Ouakrim founded Inossis, a Berber ballet theater group blending Amazigh folklore with modern performance, recounts US-based Moroccan academic and music journalist Hisham Aidi in his documentary about Ouakrim, A Thousand and One Berber Nights. In 1972, he moved to New York after being invited by Ellen Stewart, the legendary founder of La MaMa Experimental Theater. He went on to become a longtime artistic director there, introducing American audiences to traditional Moroccan dances such as Ahwach and Gnawa. He mentored countless students, organized cultural events, and lived in New York's East Village, surrounded by North African artifacts and memorabilia. His memoir, Memoir of A Berber, Part I, traces his early life, artistic journey, and deep spiritual convictions.
