I grew up watching this fantastic man throwing the most amazing parties in my parent’s house. His name is “Mouha Oulhoussein Achiban” , the undisputed master of the famous berber dance “Ahidus ⴰⵃⵉⴷⵓⵙ“ and an iconic fighter for the independence of Morocco.
He was nicknamed the “Maestro” by President Ronald Reagan after one of his outstanding performances in the US.
He left our world in 2016 at the age of 113 and remains a legend who popularized Amazigh music across the globe.
Can’t tell why, but I am suddenly flooded with sweet childhood memories from the days this awesome soul visited our home with his Ahidus troupe.
I picture the bright smile on his face, love in his eyes and passion in his bones translating into beautiful mindful body movements, dance and art. He led his troupe gracefully and in return they showered him with lot of love and respect. Clearly the happiest team I’ve ever seen!!!
Now, I know that the 40th president of the United States had an artistic mind as a Hollywood actor but he certainly had a talent to spot born leaders. The Maestro is a naturally gifted leader with a phenomenal personality and endless charisma. There was something about him that captured the attention of others in a blink of an eye. I found myself torturing my hippocampus to retrieve old memories hoping to understand what makes the Maestro a remarkable leader for almost 70 years. I wish I had the chance to sit with him one last time and ask him one simple question: What makes you a magnetic leader?
From what I recall, he was simple yet sophisticated, humble yet confident, smart yet naïve and a true gentleman for his wives, community & tribe…He was:
- Maestro of ‘personal mastery‘ : He was driven by his personal vision, purpose and values. The anchor providing a sense of direction to his 30 Ahidus dancers & singers.
-Maestro of ‘love leadership‘: He led with his heart and valued the power of human connections. He made a genuine effort to understand people around him to nurture a culture where his team felt safe enough to be vulnerable. He believed that being vulnerable takes lot of courage.
-Maestro of ‘cheerleading leadership‘: He gets everyone fired up before each performance around a cup of Moroccan tea or a simple meal.
-Maestro of ‘equity, equality, diversity and inclusion’: He treated everyone fairly and provided equal opportunities to everyone in his troupe and community. He naturally empowered women singers in his team.
Despite having scaled the heights of global success, he remained centred in life. He never forgot his roots and where he came from- the famous “ “Ouchkir” tribe.
To the one and only Amazigh Maestro,
Happy birthday in heaven
We miss your beautiful soul, your graceful moves and elegance.
Once a legend, always a legend!
We love you!
XoXo,
Hindy
Check out his amazing performance: https://youtu.be/dEuPNKfrttM Ps- in this video, the lead signer is kissing the Maestro’s hand at the end of her performance. Sign of love, respect and admiration. https://youtu.be/Cujqv-zyUYA http://www.medmem.eu/en/notice/SNR00167 For Arabic speakers only- very interesting documentary showing his leadership in action. I really love how he is giving credit to his wives for his success in life and asking for their blessings & forgiveness!
Maestro at home! …
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