kqmoucha series

Through my art I am deep diving in my cultural and feminine spirituality  and examine the structures in which feminine identity finds itself restricted or distorted. As part of this process, I created the Kqmouja series (see third piece of the series on the left side). Kqmouja is a combination of two words in Darija (Moroccan dialect): khamja (rotten) qmoucha (scratched). The word khamja is sometimes used to describe women that are not meeting the standards of “a good housewife”. It also refers to the restrictive 3aib/hchouma (English: disgrace, shame) culture in which women and girls in North Africa and the diaspora (myself included) grow in. Qmoucha is referring to the method I used to create the piece but also to the emotional toll of this culture. I reject the Eurocentric perspective that this mentality is rooted in Islamic culture. I rather understand this tendency as a consequence of colonial oppression and fear of cultural alienation.