Leila Alaoui

Leila Alaoui (born July 10, 1982 in Paris , France , † January 18, 2016 in Ouagadougou , Burkina Faso ) was a French-Moroccan socially committed photographer and video artist. Inspired by famous photographers like Robert Frank ( The Americans , 1958) or Richard Avedon , themes such as cultural identity and diversity, stories of migration in the Mediterranean region, ethnic minorities and fringe groups were at the center of her work. Through multimedia work with a mixture of historical photos, documentary recordings or video installations, she tried to express social realities by means of a visual language that combines narrative depth of documentation with a strong aesthetic effect. As a commercial photographer, she worked for magazines and NGOs . Her work has been presented in numerous exhibitions around the world. Her most important works include “Les Marocains” , “No Pasara” (about the Moroccan migration movement), “Natreen” (about Syrian refugees in Lebanon) or “Crossings” (description of the journey of black Africans, starting from their homeland to Morocco).

On January 15, 2016, Leila Alaoui and her driver, Mahamadi Ouédraogo, were victims of a terrorist attack on the Splendid Hotel and Cappuccino Restaurant in Ouagadougou. Indeed, the extremist group al-Mourabitoun claimed responsibility. The group of the extremist Mokhtar Belmokhtar only joined (again) al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (Aqmi) in December 2015 . While Mahamadi Ouédraogo died immediately, Leila Alaoui survived initially seriously injured. She died on January 18, 2016 as a result of the numerous gunshot wounds she had suffered. Alaoui traveled to Burkina Faso on behalf of Amnesty International to take a photo series about women's rights for the “My Body my Rights” campaign .

Life

Leila Alaoui was born in Paris in 1982 as one of the three children of Abdelaziz Belahcen Alaoui, a Moroccan businessman, and Christine Alaoui (née Abrate), a French photographer. She grew up with her siblings in the luxurious La Palmeraie / Marrakech / Morocco district. After attending the primary school L'École Auguste Renoir then des Lycées francais Victor-Hugo and passing the Baccalauréat in 2000, she went to New York at the age of eighteen .

First (2000 to 2003) to Hofstra University in Hempstead on Long Island to study sociology and film, then (2004 to 2005) to the City University of New York (CUNY) to study photography.

In 2006 she went on a two-month trip through Central America for a photo report about the Maya culture . In 2008 she did her Bachelor of Arts in Photography at CUNY. While she was still at CUNY, she worked as a freelance photographer and production assistant in the film and fashion industry, for Spike Lee , Shirin Neshat , John M. Hall, Maripol , Serge Lutens , among others . The film, fashion, and advertising industries, however, were not their world. She used this time to think about how the (photo) technology of the studios could be used for anthropological , documentary photography and then go her own way.

Leila Alaoui explained her interest in migration movements, which is central to her entire work, in an interview with Al-Jazeera:

“Throughout my adolescence in Morocco, stories of migrants drowning at sea became regular on the news. In my eyes, these stories were constant reminders of deep-rooted social injustice. My French-Moroccan identity gave me the privilege of crossing borders freely while others couldn't. When I turned 18, I moved to the United States and became even more exposed to questions of belonging and identity construction. I developed strong interests in ethnic minorities, sub-cultures and marginalized groups. This strengthened my conviction to develop my own style and voice, using photography, video art and social activism. When I moved back to Morocco in 2008, I began a project on Moroccan youth and the phenomenon of migration. Later, as a continuation of my work on migration, I became interested in the sub-Saharan communities in Morocco and witnessed that sub-Saharan migrants suffered from strong discrimination and racism. ”

“Throughout my youth in Morocco, reports of migrants drowning in the sea became commonplace on the news. In my eyes, these reports were a constant reminder of a deeply rooted social injustice. Because of my French-Moroccan identity, I was privileged to cross borders unhindered, while others could not. When I turned 18 I went to the United States and was even more confronted with the issues of belonging and the [artificial] construction of identity. I developed a keen interest in ethnic minorities, subcultures, and fringe groups. This encouraged me to develop my own style and voice by using photography, video art and social engagement. When I returned to Morocco [from the USA] in 2008, I started a project about Moroccan youth and the phenomenon of migration. Later, as a continuation of my work on migration, I became interested in the communities in Morocco with immigrants from the sub-Saharan countries and experienced that the sub-Saharan immigrants suffered from severe discrimination and racism [in Morocco]. "

Web links

• Entry on Leila Alaoui in the Deutsche Fotothek
• Website of Leila Alaoui (English; with numerous examples of her work)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ British Journal of Photography January 19, 2016: Amnesty photographer Leila Alaoui killed in Burkina Faso al-Qaeda attack
2. ↑ Al-Jazeera July 19, 2015: When we spoke to Leila Alaoui on tackling taboos in art (interview)
3. ^ Photography in Germany: Crossings - Leila Alaoui
4. ↑ The Guardian January 21, 2016: The Moroccans by Leila Alaoui - in pictures
5. ↑ Al-Jazeera July 19, 2015: When we spoke to Leila Alaoui on tackling taboos in art (interview)
6. ^ Photography in Germany: Crossings - Leila Alaoui
7. ↑ Spiegel-Online January 19, 2016: After the terrorist attack in Burkina Faso: Police arrest around 20 suspects
8. ↑ Spiegel-Online January 17, 2016: Terrorist attack in Burkina Faso: At least 28 dead - three attackers identified
9. ↑ faz.net January 19, 2016: Attacks in Burkina Faso. Investigators are looking for sleeper cell
10. ↑ BBC January 16, 2016: Profile: Al-Murabitoun
11. ↑ BBC June 15, 2015: Profile: Mokhtar Belmokhtar
12. ↑ The Guardian January 22, 2016: Leila Alaoui obituary
13. ^ Amnesty International Campaign: My body my rights
14. ^ Amnesty International: Al Qaeda attack in Ouagadougou. Burkina Faso: Amnesty mourns Leila Alaoui and Mahamadi Ouédraog
15. ↑ British Journal of Photography January 19, 2016: Amnesty photographer Leila Alaoui killed in Burkina Faso al-Qaeda attack
16. ↑ The Guardian January 22, 2016: Leila Alaoui obituary
17. ↑ Le Monde Afrique January 19, 2016: Victime de l'attaque au Burkina, Leila Alaoui, figure rayonnante de la jeune photographie
18. ↑ Les Marocans du Monde: Fiche créateur: Leila Alaoui
19. ↑ Linkedin: Leila Alaoui - Photographer & video artist
20. ↑ Al-Jazeera July 19, 2015: When we spoke to Leila Alaoui on tackling taboos in art (interview)