A film by Henry Drewal.
Edited by Aaron Granat
12 min, HD, 2018
Most Moroccan blacksmiths claim roots in Black Africa. For centuries, their Their enslaved or conscripted ancestors traveled the trans-Saharan caravan routes from West Africa to the fabled fortified city of Sijilmasa in present-day Morocco., and from there to many other places in northern Africa and beyond. Today blacksmiths forge all manners of tools and architectural works -- window grilles, doors, hinges, locks, knockers, and elaborate keys -- with consummate skill.