It’s 1964, and a BBC crew is sweltering in the heat outside the city of Marrakech, waiting for the Fantasia.
The Fantasia is a day-long series of cavalry charges, re-enacted by Berber tribesmen, watched by an excited Moroccan crowd. They ride full tilt at the onlookers, pulling up short as late and close to the crowd as possible. They fire flintlock rifles, and their war cries ring out across the city walls.
Presenter Julian Pettifer takes his place, having been assured that “there are never any accidents.”
Clip taken from Tonight, originally broadcast on BBC One on Tuesday, 7 April, 1964.
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Having never been to Marakesh, I expected it to be a lot busier and then realised the lack of traffic (not a bad thing) and I know he said tourists but I'm sure there weren't many folk could afford a trip to Morocco back in the 60s.
It seems to me that we visit somewhere to view the sites and admire the culture but it's all changed because of all these dam tourists getting in the way 😅
Are we adding to the economy of a country or taking away their identity?
Julian must've been in a hot sweat in that jacket… especially with a dozen horsemen charging at him!
Love these old clips about Africa. Post more like these.
Maybe that's what the Grand National, the Melbourne Cup, and Kentucky Derby need to spice things up (🤔Marrakech..spice..anyway)
Jockeys with rifles, throwing all caution, and bullets, to the wind.
"They tell me there's no accidents."