Moroccan-Belgian photographer and "third-culture kid" Mous Lamrabat "fuses his North African background with western references" (via). Inspired by the identity crises he had coming from many places at once and growing up with and between two worlds and, at the same time, in a third culture, in his work, he blends the lines between cultures. Lamrabat turns the crises of identity into an opportunity for beauty (via and via and via).
"i also like to connect different parts of the world, namely the “west” and the “orient” because i’m both. as a kid, i loved wearing djellabas and rocking them with my jordan sneakers. it felt “cool” at that time because that’s who i was: a mixture of identities. doesn’t it make sense that your “idea-basket” gets larger when you live in different cultures or you live in multiple places in the world?"
Mous Lamrabat
Asked what aspect of western culture he would eliminate if he could: "this is a dangerous question but i’ll try to be as honest as possible. i traveled many times and to many places around the world and the thing that bothers me most, is when i see europeans in foreign countries looking at the locals’ way of living as though it’s not normal. everybody on this planet has their own “normal” and that’s what’s most interesting about our planet. so, if i can eliminate something it would be that western people should stop acting like their way is the best way."
Mous Lamrabat
... and what aspect of "oriental" culture he would eliminate: "it's sad to say but there is a lot of racism within the oriental culture. not towards other continents but more within. i can’t say what the source of this racism is, but it's painful to see that there is no unity within this big region. we would be one of the strongest and richest part of the world."
Mous Lamrabat
Asked if westernisation was a positive or negative thing: "i thought about it a lot and i must say that i’m not a fan. who are “we” to say that our way is the best way and how the whole world should function? i’m more interested in getting to know different ways/systems of living instead of only knowing one, because i really don’t believe we were put on this planet to work hard all our life to pay off debts. i would love to visit another planet one day to see what their way is."
Mous Lamrabat
"The West gives you the feeling that you are different but that’s fine. It’s good. I have two worlds that I live in and, as a creative, it’s the best thing that you can have. This is what I try to promote in my work for the next generations. Don’t sell yourself out just to be accepted more. Crafting that individuality can be hard. Take social media. It can feel like it’s trying to shape one person, one identity. The more you practice that way of thinking, the more it becomes normal. Then you have this big group of people who think the same, look the same, are the same."
Mous Lamrabat
Amazing!
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