بلعمان (Red Poppy)

The zine showcases photographs taken by the author in rural countryside of Morocco.

Introduction by the author:

‘Childhood in the rural countryside of El Kelaa des Sraghna, Morocco, is a collection of memories ingrained in kids’ minds for the rest of their lives. Children grow older, but memories of the red poppy fields remain. And I am one of those children. When I recall these memories, I remember waking up at dawn, having my usual breakfast of coffee with milk and traditional oven bread with olive oil and fresh butter, and then heading to the stable to lead the cattle alongside my cousins to the grazing alfalfa field on the outskirts of the village. I remember when the cattle would go astray to the neighboring fields, and we would chase them away. During our grazing adventure, I remember how we would play hide and seek and wait for one of the other kids to bring us lunch. I remember family gatherings at weddings and feasts where my main concern was meeting the other kids, and we would climb trees and swim behind our mothers’ backs in the irrigation canal. At dusk, we would pluck poppies’ red flowers and head home, eat, and continue our games while women in their colorful caftans continued singing. At the time, life was not as simple as we would have liked it to be, and we, the children, were well aware of that. Despite our games, we were always aware of the problems facing our little village, mainly isolation, water scarcity, and an unknown future for the youth. We would help with daily tasks like milking cows, fetching water, and grazing the cattle. Alas, this was not enough, and the ticket to a better future was to move to the city. I was a seven-year-old child when my family left with our few belongings on a carriage.The child in me grew older with these memories present only in my mind. Unfortunately, my village did not grow much, so when I became a photographer, I wanted to go back to my origin to capture and eternalize my lost childhood. Thus, “The Red Poppy” was born.’

The zine was printed with the support from American Arts Center, Casablanca, Morocco, and is based on the results of the Photobook making workshops led by Zoopark in 2022 and 2023.

Size 17x24cm

58 pages

Indigo Digital print on Metapaper Extrasmooth white 120g

Softcover

Staple binding

Edition of 60 copies, numbered