From Inezgane to Mulhouse, France, Khadija Ramim's 49-year journey has been devoted to carrying her Amazigh heritage to the diaspora and making it her life's mission. She began as a dedicated mother, later became a volunteer, and eventually founded a cultural and humanitarian association that blends the promotion of Moroccan and Amazigh culture with charitable work. On Friday, August 8, Khadija Ramim's joy went beyond celebrating her wedding anniversary, it became a moment filled with memories spanning nearly half a century. Speaking to Yabiladi over the phone, she opened her heart to share a journey that began in Inezgane and led her to Mulhouse, France, where she spent 49 years devoted to humanitarian work and preserving Amazigh heritage, all while staying deeply connected to her roots. Born and raised in Inezgane, Khadija married at 16 while still in secondary school and moved to Mulhouse, in northeastern France near the Swiss and German borders. Despite her young age, she spoke fluent French thanks to her Moroccan education under French teachers, a skill that eased her integration into a community that was linguistically familiar but culturally different. «In Morocco, I was a good student, and at that time we were taught by French teachers», she recalls. From Volunteer Work to Leading an Amazigh Association In her early years in France, Khadija dedicated herself to raising her four children but soon became involved in volunteer work at a school, where she offered activities inspired by her upbringing in Inezgane : jewelry making, crochet, and Amazigh dances. These activities opened the doors to a cultural center in 1985, which invited her to teach her crafts, the Arabic language, and literacy skills to expatriate women who had never attended school. Her passion for community work drove her to seek professional training, earning a diploma as a youth program animator. «I didn't know the basics of the profession before, but later I learned them in a professional way», she explains. Over the years, Khadija, now 65, realized that many Moroccans of Amazigh origin in France lacked a deep understanding of their heritage. In 2005, a chance meeting with a Moroccan woman from Tafraoute who shared her vision led to the creation of the Franco Amazigh Association, the first in Mulhouse to focus on Amazigh culture. With Moroccan and French members who loved Morocco, Khadija insisted on introducing Moroccan culture first, followed by Amazigh culture. She used the Amazigh jewelry collection inherited from her maternal grandmother as part of the association's exhibitions. «In the association, I showcased traditional clothing, cooking, music, and jewelry, and encouraged women to contribute old utensils and rugs so the exhibition would be rich and colorful, full of memories of our homeland and Amazigh culture», she says. To ensure authenticity, Khadija sought guidance from her family. «My father, may he rest in peace, took me to villages and told me stories about the Amazigh and their heritage, while my mother, who was from Ait Baamrane, and my uncles and aunts helped me discover more». Her charitable efforts began in her father's birthplace, Ida Ou Tanane, where she saw extreme poverty, a lack of drinking water, and resistance to girls' education. Determined to change this, she personally visited families to stress the importance of schooling daughters, drawing from her own life experience. «I convinced many parents, and today I receive messages from women who studied and became teachers or professionals. Sometimes I cry with joy when I read those messages», she says. Her association's activities grew to include collaborations with other Moroccan associations to support single mothers, supply school materials to students, provide wheelchairs, dig wells, and repair roads so children could reach schools. Khadija comes from a modest background, her father was a cook at Inezgane Hospital for tuberculosis patients, one of Morocco's largest at the time, and never attended school. Her mother received a French colonial-era education. Her husband, originally from Agadir, lost his family in the 1960 earthquake and moved to Inezgane to live with his uncle, later moving to Casablanca for vocational training before emigrating to France as part of a labor recruitment wave. «I was born on the same day my husband lost his father and several relatives in the devastating earthquake that struck Agadir on February 29, 1960», she notes. Empowering Women in Exile Alongside her community activities, Khadija works as a social worker, helping Moroccan women integrate into the French labor market and encouraging graduates to pursue careers that match their qualifications. «I don't look down on cleaning work or any job that can be done without a diploma, I did this kind of work myself for years in France. But I don't encourage young women with higher education to settle for it. Their academic qualifications deserve to be used in fields that match their ambitions and abilities». She also trained in sophrology, offering free sessions to help women overcome psychological challenges. «Happiness is contagious, and sometimes I forget what I've done until someone thanks me for changing their life. My true happiness is making others happy». Her association also organizes cultural trips for children from Amazigh families to Imsouane, helping them connect with their roots. «I wanted them to link to their mother culture, and now they visit different areas in the region every year and take more pride in it». Honored in 2015 by the Mulhouse Prefecture as an exceptional woman, Khadija cherishes the recognition but remains focused on her dreams, building schools in Moroccan villages and establishing cultural centers to preserve heritage for generations to come.
