‘The Moroccan Sheikha Soukaina’

Through a variety of aesthetic forms — narration, performative reading, found objects, soundtracks, and images — this performance (30 min) weaves different social and personal events into one tapestry. From the island of Sidi Abderahman in Casablanca to the neighboured of Miami in Alexandria and even a digital space. The artist Soukaina Joual tries to question the notions of witchcraft, superstition, traditional practices, media representations of women, the stereotypical gaze, and their ties to feminism. How is the figure of the witch perceived by society? What kind of knowledge is transmitted, preserved, and possibly transformed within communities that still practice witchcraft to date? And most importantly, what role and position may the cultural, religious, and magical rites play in establishing and sustaining cultural hegemony?

With the participation of the actress Réhab Méhal and the oriental dancer Coralie Adivassi.

The performance will be followed by a discussion (90 min) with Soukaina Joual, Oussama Tabti, Nadia Cherif and Nedjma Hadj Benchelabi, moderated by Safia Kessas. Brussels, a hyper diverse city, is at the crossroads of migratory flows. This debate will zoom in on how these migration phenomena influence new cultural narratives by allowing an exchange between artists already present, and newcomers. How does it impact and nourish artistic creation? These exchanges are evocative of images: some speak of entanglement, others of (positive) contamination or cross-pollination. What changes does it bring about? And what are the limits to this phenomenon?