Es-Said Et-Talmoudi

Said (b. 1989, Morocco) is a farmer, construction worker, gardener, all-rounder and member of an old nomad tribe. He was born and raised in the Sahara desert, living with only the most essential: nature, animals and family. Coming from an Amazigh-Tuareg family, Said feels most at home deep inside the desert. This is where his roots are. For many years, he and his family lived the nomadic life, living in tents and crossing big distances through the world’s largest desert ecosystem.

Being a highly driven and deeply caring member of his local community, he has been developing and actively implementing this project for the last few years. When faced in December 2018 with a piece of land containing only a 200 year old building in ruins - built by his ancestors - and a couple of old date palm trees, Said saw the unique potential of the place, located in the old village Beni Hayoun in the Draa valley. 

Said is a highly respected man in this region and has built up many contacts while spending his life here. When the project is making progress, he aims to be a hopeful example for others and will support the locals in any possible way to create a sustainable life in the desert.

Linde de Greeff

Linde (b. 1992, United Kingdom) is a visual artist from the Netherlands/Denmark. Growing up in an artistic and anthroposophical environment, art, nature and spirituality have always been central to her life. Linde joined Said in early 2019 during the start-up of his project and has been living between northern Europe and south east Morocco for several years now.

After finishing the art academy in ‘s Hertogenbosch, she started giving art workshops to children and families in a refugee centre in Arnhem and worked in several Waldorf kindergartens in Copenhagen. Linde has experience in providing care for elderly people and has worked as a caregiver at an institution for disabled people. Her dream is to combine the visual arts with working with people, as close to nature as possible. A few years after Linde met Said, Linde helped setup the ‘Bani Hayoune Garden’ project and now lives here almost all year round.

Photo by Lisa Vinsant Connor