Karim El Maktafi
Fantasia—the game of powder or “tborida” in Moroccan Arabic—stands for the breathtaking sport and equestrian art that has being practiced in Morocco and other Maghreb countries since the 8th Century. It is a tribal, rural and religious tradition. In Morocco it is practiced to celebrate moussems (festival of sowing, harvesting) and to celebrate a saint. It can be performed to maintain the folklore or for tourism. It is an exhibition of mastery uniting the man and his horse. In the photo, Fantasia horsemen shoot in the air. All the group charges along a straight path at the same speed to form a line. Towards the end of the about-two-hundred-meters run they fire into the sky using their moukhalas: the complexity of the performance is the synchronicity of movements and shots by all the participants
What led you to creating Fantasia?
Fantasia begins like so many stories that I tell, from the curiosity to know and to explore. I remember when I was a child, and my mother told me about this performance and showed it to me on television, but I never had the chance to see it live. A few years ago I was lucky enough to be in Morocco when there was Fantasia in my father's hometown. I decided to tell it and photograph it without too many thoughts, unfortunately I don't know much about my subjects in this case.
It was a very intense 3 days of work in the midst of chaos and dust where everything around me happened very quickly, I was in the middle of a competition. My research was very visual, and I was very inspired by Delacroix's Fantasia paintings.
Can you describe the atmosphere at Fantasia? Where and when does it occur? How many teams compete?
The atmosphere is extremely magical and absurd, people are very happy and they can't wait to see the competition. It feels as if you return to the past. In some ways it's total chaos, but the mix of Djellaba colors, horses and the color of the powder is very fascinating. It is often said that it is like a fusion between a rodeo and the carnival.
Fantasia occurs at different times of the year, and in various places in the country. Usually done during national or religious holidays, or during the Moussems, harvest festival. There are many teams that compete, ranging between 20 to 30. Each team trains and prepares perfectly. Each team has a leader, who holds the command of everyone, and it is he who makes a signal to shoot.
What was it like to experience Fantasia, how did it compare to the childhood stories you were told of it?
It is exactly how I imagined it and how my Mother told me it would be, pure magic.
As someone who is Moroccan but grew up in Italy can you talk about how your summers spent in Morocco connected you to your identity or further helped you understand your heritage?
I have gone to Morocco every summer since I was a child, when I am there I feel 100% Moroccan, the big family situations in which I have always lived helped me to keep this part of my identity strong. Although my roots are there, unfortunately I am always seen as a tourist by people because I grew up in Europe. Every year I try to look deeper and deeper into what the true Moroccan identity is. This is also why I am pursuing a long-term project to understand the Moroccan cultural heritage.
To keep up to date on Karim's upcoming work follow along here:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/karimelmaktafi/
Website http://karimelmaktafi.com/