The major celebration in Jahjouka is the Pan festival which takes place during l-aid l-kbir. For the ten days of the feast local villagers attend the musical celebrations and participate in its climax when Bou Jelloud emerges from his cave to seek out according to the myth his lover – Aisha l-hamqa- 'crazy Aisha' – identified by her goat like feet (a typical attribute of female in Morocco). Bou Jelloud 's arrival in the area before the shrine is heralded by the screams of women and children whom he flails as he passes by – a feature that recalls some of the traditions of religious brotherhoods such as Hmadsha [9] and Aissawa.

The Pan festival is not the only cultural practice and ritual inherited from ancient Greece and ancient Rome and still is in use in the popular culture of North Africa we find such bizarre rituals as dancing around fires and jumping over them as well as throwing buckets of water at passers-by during the celebration of the Islamic New Year – fatih Muharram -.

What this means in other words is that inter-cultural communication and exchange between North Africa and the ancient civilisations of Europe were so strong that subsequent civilisations and religions have been unable to erase them from the memory of the local population. On the contrary Islam aware of their appeal to the people attempted to Islamise most rituals by introducing Islamic concepts in them as is the case with the Pan festival in which the character of the Haj 'Muslim pilgrim' dressed in white dances around aimlessly while Bou Jelloud runs after his lover Aisha l-hamqa.

Italy and Libya: from colonialism to mutual respect and benefit

In the great colonial Scramble for Africa of the 19th century Italy got Libya as its share of the territorial cake the Italian colonisation of Libya lasted for almost four decades after the decline of the Ottoman Empire and its loss of this territory in favour of European influence (1911-1943). The first concern of colonial Italy was to pacify the country.

The next move was to extend the territory and last but not least modernise it. Nevertheless the population resisted the modernisation because they saw it as an attempt to christianise a territory of the Muslim world dar al-Islam.

In 1934 Italy adopted the name “Libya” (used by the Greeks for all of North Africa except Egypt) as the official name of the colony (made up of the three Provinces ofCyrenaica Tripolitania and Fezzan). The colony was subdivided into four provincial governatores (Commissariato Generale Provinciale) and a southern military territory (Territorio Militare del SudorTerritorio del Sahara Libico):[10]

Tripoli Province capitalTripoli; Benghazi Province capitalBenghazi; Derna Province capitalDerna; Misrata Province capitalMisrata; and Military Territory of the South capitalHun.[11] The resistance to the Italian occupation of Libya was led by Islamic Salafist movements first quietly in the tribes because the Italian modernisation drive disturbed the millennial tribal patriarchal system based mostly on religious allegiance. Later on it became armed resistance under the leadership of Omar Al Mokhtar (18621931) who Beginning in 1912 organized and for nearly twenty years led nativeresistancetothe Italian colonisation of Libya. He was ultimately captured by the Italians and hanged for rebellion in 1931 to set an example to the other religious leaders opposing Italian colonialism on religious grounds.

After the Independence of Libya The Sanusi dynasty which finds its origin in the Sufi school[12] of thought by the same name enthroned Idris I as king of Libya upon independence and his regime lasted until his overthrow by Colonel Qhaddafi in 1969.

King Idris 1 established a good relationship with Italy throughout his reign. Italy responded by providing support in three important areas:

Diplomatic level; Political level; and Economic cooperation. Quickly Italy became the first European partner of modern independent Libya providing technological support necessary investment for modernisation and much-needed transfer of know-how either through education or technical training. The most important aspect of this cooperation was the Italian emphasis on respect and mutual benefit without any form of meddling on internal affairs.

In 1969 the revolutionary and mercurial Qhaddafi came to power nationalised all private business and established instead a rentier state. Qaddafi strong with petro dollars engaged on a revolutionary rhetoric as well as support to all possible revolutionary movements around the world denouncing thereby Western politics and policies and developing an anti-Western stance for the sake of internal and inter-Arab consumption.

Italy in spite of the anti-imperialistic and anti-Western rantings of Qhaddafi kept a cool head and continued to cooperate with his regime at the economic level even when diplomatic relations were at their worst.

Italian diplomacy throughout the long reign of Qhaddafi (1969-2011) has shown a tremendous adroitness and dexterity in the following areas:

Cultural sensitivity; Political correctness; Respect of the culture and the creed; Humanistic drive; Mutual interest; and Good relations. After the downfall of the Qhaddafi's regime as a result of the Arab Spring the uprisings and the chaos that ensued and is still in place the Italian government did not side with any of the warring parties on the contrary it always worked officially through the United Nations and unofficially through friendly countries in the region to resolve the conflict and form a national salvation government.

The continuous conflict in Libya which resembles more a tribal feud than anything else has a high price on Italy on the economic and political levels because of the instability in the region or what might be called the soft belly of Italy. The political vacuum that Libya is experiencing today has a major effect on security in the Mediterranean area. As a result of this unrest the warring factions are consciously or unconsciously letting thousands of migrants flow through the country to go to Italy and create a catastrophic humanitarian problem to this country. For decades the southern reaches of Italy have been the target of illegal migration and this country out of friendship to Libya and the rest of North African countries has shouldered this burden alone without accusing any of these countries of complicity or lack of strict security measures at their 'porous' frontiers with sub-Saharan countries.

It was only when this got out of control with thousands of illegal migrants drowning in the Mediterranean Sea that the rest of Europe came to the rescue and provide help to Italy in managing this dreadful humanitarian crisis.

Interestingly enough this humanitarian problem did not trigger a wave of racism or xenophobia in Italy as it is the case in other countries or some sentiment of Islamophobia on the contrary the Italians one and all have shown a tremendous feeling of human brotherhood and humanism. A positive reaction that has received a lot of appreciation in the North African countries who consider Italy as a brother country: balad shaqiq

Italy today in North Africa

Italy today is very popular in the North African countries mainly among the population at large? because its politics towards the countries of the South Mediterranean is based on mutual respect inter-cultural communication understanding humanistic values and mutual economic benefit.

In the last decades many North African migrants went to Italy looking for better economic opportunities they were in most of the cases illegal but nevertheless the local population in most cases unlike in other European countries received them warmly and extended a helping hand to them while waiting to become legal. Their families were offered social services and their children education.

Now these legal migrants have become legal and are enjoying full residential rights in total transparency but most importantly their culture of origin is percolating down to the Italian way of life.

Italy a European country that is the seat of the Vatican has always adopted a progressive attitude towards the Palestinian cause gave unconditional support to the Palestinian authority in international circles and in everyday life even the Italian national soccer team 'Squadra Azzura' when last won the World Cup in 2006 offered to give the trophy to the Palestinian children for some days as a sign of solidarity and support to the Palestinian people in their plight

Italy North Africa and the future

There is no doubt that Italy occupies an important place in the heart of the people of North Africa. It is also a fact that it entertains good relations with the government of this part of the world based on the principles of realpolitik and mutual respect.

However it is believed that Italy in spite of this favorable disposition is not doing enough to promote its image in the area and its popularity further.

Today with the rise of Islamophobia in the Western world as the result of the unfortunate terrorist attacks of November 13 2015 in Paris France Italy is well situated geographically politically and culturally to play a major role in the cultural dialogue between Islam and the West that is badly-needed today more than ever before.

This much-needed dialogue that Italy can conduct artfully with Islam must be seconded by further activities to better set up an atmosphere of inter-cultural communication and understanding. Some of these activities could be as follows:

Conduct field research in North Africa on Islam and society; Teach North African studies and Islam in Italian universities; Encourage exchange of university professors; Encourage exchange programmes of primary secondary and tertiary students. Twin educational institutions; and Start voluntary service for Italian youth to work among community-based associations in North Africa. The government must also encourage more commercial exchange and investment in this part of the Mediterranean bearing in mind that such enterprises are greatly beneficial for both sides and create wealth for everyone.

Political parties and think tanks of both Italy and North African countries must meet and develop cooperation in decision-making and exchange of best practices.

Geographically speaking Italy and North Africa are separated by the Mediterranean Sea but culturally they are very close to each other. However Italy must investigate ways and avenues to develop further cooperation and exchange with this part of the world and play a leading role in its future relations with Europe. North Africa is the gate of Africa to Europe and that of Europe to Africa and Africa is in many ways the future of humanity in development and exchange.

[1] Cf. Guernier E. 1950. La Berberie l'Islam et la France. Vol. 1. Paris: Editions de l'Union Francaise. P. 98.

[2] Cf. Albertini E. 1937. L'Afrique Romaine. Alger. P. 34:

'L'amenagement hydraulique a ete la partie la plus importante de l'uvre romaine en Afrique.'

[3] Cf. Carcopino J. 1939. La vie quotidienne a Rome. Paris: Hachette.

[4] Cf. Hammouda A. 1988. La Victime et ses masques. Paris: Seuil for ample discussion of this unique phenomenon which is traced back to ancient Greece and ancient Rome.

[5] Pan in Greek religion pastoral god of fertility. Worshipped chiefly in Arcadia. He was portrayed as merry ugly man with horns beard tail and goat's feet. All his myths deal with amorous affairs: e.g. his unsuccessful pursuit of the nymph Syrinx who became a reed which Pan plays in memory of her. He was later identified with Greek Dionysus and Roman Faunus both gods of fertility.

[6] Oboe-like pipe.

[7] baraka: divine blessing.

[8] tbel: a large and resonant drum played by beating two wooden sticks on either of the skin covered sides of the instrument

[9] Cf. Crapanzano V. 1973. The Hamadsha: A Study in Moroccan Ethnopsychiatry. Berkeley: University of California Press.

[10] Rodogno D. (2006). Fascism’s European empire: Italian occupation during the Second World War. p. 61.

[11] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Libya

[12] E. E. Evans-Pritchard The Sanusi of Cyrenaica (1949 repr. 1963)