Sourtna. Carte Blanche to Yoriyas. Moroccan Photographers of Today and Tomorrow
Morocco
Rabat
2021
10
The exhibition Sourtna. Carte Blanche to Yoriyas. Moroccan Photographers of Today and Tomorrow opens Morocco’s first National Museum of Photography, showcasing contemporary Moroccan image-makers. Inaugurated in January 2020 within Rabat’s historic Fort Rottembourg, a landmark built in 1888, this institution makes art accessible to diverse neighborhoods. The project expands cultural access, reflecting Morocco’s commitment to visual self-expression and societal reflection through its artists. Curated by acclaimed photographer Yassine Alaoui Ismaili (Yoriyas), it consciously bridges generations, presenting established and emerging talents. Visitors discover how local photographic voices capture a nation’s evolving identity and foster community connections.
Why should you watch this?
The film Sourtna shows how a new museum and a young curator-photographer can redraw a nation’s visual story, making photographic practice public and collective. Set in Fort Rottembourg and curated by Yoriyas, it stitches together established names and smartphone images, moments of youth, family, and bold questions of identity. Seeing a rooftop portrait side-by-side with a grainy phone frame feels both intimate and political; listening to artists talk about transmission between generations moves from pride to urgency. The film leaves a clear charge: when communities claim their image-making, they reshape history and open space for conversation and belonging.