In recent news, we see that despite their ancient origins, tattoos worn by women in Morocco are still widely considered taboo. An exhibition at the French Institute in Casablanca explores this question.
Entitled “Wise Women”, the exhibition features 12 screen-printed profiles of tattooed Moroccan women, created by Aïda, a Moroccan tattoo artist living in France.
The exhibition celebrates the tradition of tattooing while highlighting the challenges women face in a society where tattoos are still largely considered taboo.
“The general idea of the exhibition is to pay tribute to all these women, these women who are either the mothers, the grandmothers of many Moroccans and who influenced the childhood of these Moroccans and who have specific characteristics by their customs and traditions”, explains Gaëtan Pellan, director of the French Institute of Casablanca.
Ancient traditions
For centuries in Morocco, tattoos were common among the Berber people, both for men and women.
Some represented war or chivalry. There were depictions of nature and also drawings showing that women were ready for marriage.
But around the 1970s, attitudes in Morocco towards tattooing began to change. Today, despite a resurgence of this art, it is still frowned upon by many, especially if it involves a tattooed woman.
The French Institute exhibition serves as a platform to break down societal norms and foster a sense of pride in embracing this ancient form of self-expression.
“It remains taboo, why? I don’t know, it’s true that it’s a tradition here which is circular, so in certain regions we still see women with tattoos, but in any case when we see the result of this exhibition, we can also admire the quality of these marks (tattoos),” says Pellan.
Slow modernization
In a tattoo studio in Rabat, Nabil Ammoura uses a digital platform to create complex designs.
Ammoura started working as a tattoo artist two years ago in France, before moving to Rabat six months ago to open his own studio.
The artist notes that society changes slowly.
“If we go back 10 years, we see that tattooing was almost reserved for men in Morocco, because the women’s parents did not let them get tattooed, especially since the places where they could get tattooed were bad places with a bad reputation,” he says.
“There were no big studios like today, with a good reputation where parents can accompany their daughters to see what they will do, now everything is developed and we have as many male clients as female clients.”
One of her clients, Zineb Achraka, a Moroccan who has also lived in France and Italy, got her first tattoo three years ago, on her hand reading “Never Give Up.” .
Achraka says her parents have no problem with her tattoos, but she remembers situations where she was scolded for having them.
“Once, not long ago, I met someone who, upon seeing the tattoo on my hand, said to me: ‘What is that? Is- this Amazigh writing? Why are you doing this? In the past, our families had tattoos, but now you shouldn’t do it, it’s forbidden and you are cursed,'” Achraka said. “So, I let him speak, because everyone has their own body and everyone is free to do what they want to their body.”
Self-emancipation
For Achrak, tattoos are an expression of freedom and a means of self-emancipation.
“I have gone through difficult situations in my life, but despite everything I feel that I have been strong and that I have fought a lot, that is why I got this tattoo called ‘Laguerta’, the tattoos that I I have on my back or stomach say ‘Never Give Up’, ‘Unstoppable’… I chose them so that when someone sees them, they know that this woman has great strength, it expresses power and the rebellion of my personality,” she says.
Ammoura’s role as a tattoo artist is also to act as a guide to his clients, reminding them of the importance of their design choice and that tattoos are a permanent addition to the body.
“More than 40% of clients bring their design idea, but when we meet and discuss, sometimes I change the client’s idea, especially when some clients choose a design like hate speech or a symbol that offends a particular sect or group of people, in which case I try to avoid it, so that they don’t regret it later.”
There are no exact figures on the number of tattoo studios in Morocco, but according to Ammoura there are at least 10 studios in Rabat. They are more common in larger cities like Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech and Tangier.