The Friedrich Naumann Foundation organized the exhibition “MoroccanWomen in Focus”, which was held in Rabat on November 30, 2024. Through the works of seven artist-photographers, this event highlighted the multiple facets of Moroccan women contemporary, exploring its identity at the intersection of tradition and modernity.
This exhibition addressed the roles that Moroccan women assume, the challenges they overcome and the hopes they embody. She invited people to reflect on their place in society, while deconstructing stereotypes and offering a new look at their emancipation. The photographs exhibited created a visual dialogue between tradition and modernity, highlighting varied stories and striking portraits. Each artist revealed moments of daily life and moments of timeless grace, while inviting us to rethink perceptions and understand the realities experienced by these women.
“MoroccanWomen in Focus” paid tribute to the diversity of female experiences in Morocco and celebrated their cultural, social and economic contribution. Through powerful and evocative photos, this exhibition offered a new approach to Moroccan female identity.
About the artists:
Clemence Goubault :
In 2020, Clémence Goubault explored photography at the University of Westminster in London alongside her studies of English and Spanish languages and then literature. His visual research is built around the self-portrait. The mirror becomes his instrument for questioning identity and the world of appearances. His series Errances miroitées continues the leitmotif of the mirror and uses color work. In 2023, at the end of her end-of-study internship at Agence VU’, she completed a dissertation which questions the place of words alongside photographs. Since then, she has moved towards long-term documentary production. For several months alongside the populations affected by the Al Haouz earthquake, she documented the resilience of the villagers through close work with them. Morocco occupies an important place in its questioning of the world. She has other work on Morocco in progress, notably on the place of women and on farmers in semi-rural areas.
Ashraf Khalis:
Achraf Khalis (born 2000, Casablanca, Morocco) is a self-taught photographer and multidisciplinary artist whose work is deeply inspired by his training in psychology and his exploration of human identity. Having started with captures on the phone, his practice has evolved into a refined approach mixing film and digital photography. Achraf’s art reflects the complex social dynamics of Morocco, where cultural norms and individual beliefs often collide. Inspired by urban life, cinema and philosophy, he captures raw and spontaneous moments, blurring the boundaries between public and private spaces to reveal the intensity of human emotions. Through his lens, Achraf inspires empathy and introspection, opening a visual dialogue around identity, inclusiveness and the human experience.
Redouane Akharaz:
Redouane Akharaz, nicknamed Redouane Breezy on social networks, 27 years old, originally from Rabat, is a photographer and videographer. He started photographing 7 years ago. He developed his skills self-taught, working within large organizations and photographing major professional events. Over time, he became passionate about photographing people’s lives on the streets, at home, etc. For him, photography is his life and it is now his job; he can’t do without it. As for his free time, he devotes it to photographing urban life and other subjects…
Karim Achalhi :
Karim Achalhi is a documentary photographer engaged in social, humanitarian and environmental issues. Born and raised in Morocco, he studied management and obtained a master’s degree in finance. He has completed several internships in various sectors related to his academic skills, such as marketing, auditing and accounting. Karim has always had a deep interest in social, cultural and artistic issues. He has worked as a freelance photojournalist for several national and international agencies, and his photographs have been published on numerous websites.
Safa Kotbi:
Safaa Kotbi, (born in Casablanca in 1995) is a laureate of the National Institute of Fine Arts of Tétouan (2021), she began her practice as an amateur in 2007 through emulation in contact with her family who practice applied art forms to crafts. She deepens her understanding of plastics by immersing herself in the theoretical and practical studies of INBA. There she discovered new contemporary forms which deepened her formal and conceptual language. His work, however, remains linked to his first questions induced by his socio-family context. She expresses her thoughts through different mediums: photography, drawing, installation engraving, and kinetic art.
Ayoub Essayeb:
Ayoub Essayeb is a street photographer based in Salé. His photographic work focuses on capturing street scenes imbued with emotion and meaning. His style is characterized by the exploration of contrasts, whether in color, black and white, or in the concepts translated by his images. He aspires to immortalize fragments of life which reflect both the universality and uniqueness of his environment. Each photograph highlights Moroccan individuality, testifying to the richness and cultural diversity that characterize the country. His work invites you to discover an authentic vision of Morocco, where each image tells a unique story. At the same time, his studies in developmental psychology help him explore new themes, providing a deeper perspective on the human dynamics that he captures through his lens.
Yasmine Alaoui Sossé:
Yasmine Alaoui Sossé is communications manager at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, where she strives to capture and share images that resonate with audiences. Whether documenting the Foundation’s activities or telling visual stories, its goal is always to touch, inspire and provoke thought.
Outside of her work, Yasmine enjoys exploring the world through her camera. During her travels, she focuses on photographing people, scenes of life and fleeting moments that tell universal stories. Last year, she captured poignant moments among migrant communities, an experience that had a profound impact on her.
Since a young age, the condition of Moroccan women has been a cause close to her heart. Through “MoroccanWomen in Focus”, Yasmine finds the opportunity to highlight the challenges, hopes and resilience of women in a context marked by a fragile balance between tradition and modernity. For her, photography becomes a means of making the invisible visible, of telling stories that deserve to be heard.
About the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom – Morocco
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom is a German organization for liberal politics. It contributes to the promotion of freedom, human dignity and peace in the world.
It draws from its attachment to the philosophy of liberalism the values of freedom and responsibility and places them at the heart of its action. The promotion of human rights and the principles of the rule of law, the formation of market economy structures as well as the strengthening of the culture of (liberal) democracy constitute the core of the international work of the FNF, through its regional offices in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America.
Present in Morocco since 1969, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom has been able to establish its presence through the continuous support it provides to Moroccan organizations, associations and partners of civil society which contribute to the development of a free and open society to enable citizens to live in democratic self-determination and under the rule of law. FFN Maroc advises, inspires, creates, builds and promotes the subjects of freedom in an innovative and creative way in order to involve today’s citizens so that they become tomorrow’s leaders.
