Amouddou, a documentary series ahead of its time that introduced Moroccans to their country

Morocco’s Al Aoula television channel has broadcast the documentary series “Amouddou” for ten years. Its name means “travel” in Amazigh. The programme emerged as demand for documentary films was growing, reflected in the arrival of specialist channels such as Al Jazeera Documentary and National Geographic Abu Dhabi.

Directed by Hassan Boufous, the series has reached the 130th stop on its journey. Boufous explains that it grew out of the passionate commitment of caving enthusiasts who began filming their visits to Morocco’s caves. “From its very first episodes, Amouddou set out to highlight Morocco’s tourism and historical assets and make viewers aware of the importance of their rich cultural, religious, historical and environmental heritage. To do so, we used every available means: modern techniques, distinctive writing and music, all driven by a team that deeply believes in the programme’s mission.”

After years on air, the director’s voice—also used for the narration—became familiar to Amouddou’s audience. Asked how scripts are prepared, how much is written before filming, and how planning can coexist with the unexpected nature of shooting outdoors, Boufous replied: “We choose the filming location and develop an overall concept for the episode without fixing every detail, because discovery is the goal. We look for places and subjects appearing on screen for the first time. Even with a written script, nature imposes its own scenario on us. We try to follow it. Leaving a camera running is not enough: it takes imagination, luck, strong writing and the right music. During filming, quick thinking and attention to the smallest detail are essential. Editing then takes a long time because it determines the course of the story.”

Dozens of episodes reveal several defining features of Amouddou’s editorial approach and of the director’s working method.

Although Amouddou is a series, every episode stands on its own. Episodes were initially 26 minutes long and later expanded to 52 minutes. The photography evolved over time and the shots became more varied. The director no longer relied only on a fixed tripod-mounted camera at eye level; wide panoramic frames increasingly opened up vast landscapes. Later, he adopted a high-speed “Phantom” camera, capturing animal movement in poetic slow motion: the flutter of a butterfly’s wings or the spray of a water droplet striking stone—details the naked eye cannot normally perceive. The episodes also carry poetic titles such as “The Desert and Oblivion,” “In Search of the Dragon Tree,” and “Snakes of the South.”

Amouddou is a documentary series with both creative and educational ambition—an urgent necessity in the face of the flood of entertainment programmes. Documentary channels are carving out a place in the media landscape slowly but steadily. A documentary may lack the glamour of a singing competition, but it carries the authority of the record: content, information and evidence. Many episodes can be watched on YouTube.

To enrich its educational content, the director blends location sound, voice-over narration and interviews. Contributors are selected for their expertise—geologists and historians, for example—and historical references are used to introduce the regions being filmed. When books on a subject are scarce, the programme turns especially to the testimony of older residents.

Most episodes focus on nature, animals and rock. They avoid overused themes that dominate everyday media coverage, transforming raw reality into knowledge. The series introduced Moroccans to a country whose two furthest regions are three thousand kilometres apart—and in which many people travel only when necessary.

There is currently debate over whether the programme may be discontinued.

No—and no again.

Al Chamal newspaper