'Aïta'

Meaning ‘cry’ or ‘call’ in Darija (a Moroccan dialect), the title of the exhibition, «Aïta», draws inspiration from the photographic series «Le Chant de l’ombre» (2018) by artist Mohssin Harraki, purchased by the Frac Méca in 2019. As an homage to Hadda Al Ghaîtia — a famous Moroccan singer and poetess of the late 19th century who was also known as Kharboucha — Mohssin Harraki drew upon her poems to compose verses that he inscribed on seven stones in the Lot department.

The singular and fascinating story of this powerful woman who despite her illiteracy became a figure of resistance against the regime in power as well as the rich and complex history of the oratory art of the Aïta — a form of poetic improvisation whose origins date back to the Almohad dynasty circa the 12th century — are a precious source of inspiration. As a popular, poetic and political language, the Aïta carries a collective as well as individual memory while also bearing witness to its time, and it brings together men and women across the centuries and the regions of Morocco, from the countryside to cities.

Curator Sonia Recasens has brought together about thirty artists to highlight the incredible inventiveness of oral traditions, an art of storytelling and self-telling that has been honed as a tool of emancipation and struggle in Morocco. The exhibition layout will encourage free and sensitive conversations between the works of artists from different generations and regions of Morocco. Historic figures less familiar to the French public, such as Malika Agueznay, will be presented alongside emerging artists, such as Soukaina Joual and Yasmine Hatimi, as well as more established artists, including M’Barek Bouhchichi and Amina Benbouchta.
The exhibition is part of the Frac’s ongoing series of exhibitions dedicated to Africa’s art scene. First launched in 2015, it is now part of the Africa2020 season of the Institut français. The « Aïta » exhibition is the third part of this triptych.

With the support of the Institut français du Maroc.

Aïta, the publication
A bilingual (French-Arabic) eponymous edition is released in July in co-publication with Kulte Editions.
With contributions from Rim Battal, Maud Houssais, Fatima-Zahra Lakrissa, Toni Maraini and Sonia Recasens.
Graphic design: Fanette Mellier
144 pages
Price: 25€
On sale at the Frac ticket office and in bookshops
Release date: July 2025