Assahafa.com
The Fondation Maison du Maroc is hosting until June 16 the photography exhibition “Guardians of Silence,” offering a visual immersion into the heart of Imilchil through the intersecting perspectives of Moroccan photographers Noureddine El Magouri and Zakaria Mtilk.
The exhibition, inaugurated Thursday evening in the presence of numerous personalities and art enthusiasts, brings together twenty black-and-white photographs paying tribute to “the dignity, resilience and discreet beauty” of the people of Imilchil. Both photographers, originally from Essaouira, sought to document daily life during the winter season, far from the bustle of the famous moussem of the small town nestled at an altitude of 2,200 meters in the heart of the eastern High Atlas Mountains.
The exhibited works, resulting from their journey to the mountainous region in February 2025, highlight various figures of local society – women, men, children and youth – captured in their daily lives through what the artists describe as “a humanistic and intimate approach.” Black and white photography was a deliberate aesthetic choice aimed at reinforcing the emotional power of the portraits and life scenes.
“We wanted to spend time with the inhabitants, share their daily lives and understand their way of being,” Noureddine El Magouri told MAP. According to him, the exhibition’s title, “Guardians of Silence,” refers to “a silence filled with dignity, traditions and generosity.”
“When you spend time with them, there are few words, but within that silence lies an entire language and a whole history,” he added, noting that the exhibited shots were selected from nearly 200 photographs taken during the stay.
Zakaria Mtilk echoed the same sentiment, describing the project above all as “a human adventure.” He praised “the generosity and hospitality of the inhabitants” encountered during the trip, which also led to the production of a 14-minute documentary film screened during the opening ceremony.
The audiovisual experience, which revisits the behind-the-scenes moments of the journey and the encounters with local residents, emerged, according to him, “spontaneously from sequences initially filmed without cinematic intent.”
“We are photographers first and foremost, but we wondered whether these images could tell a story,” he noted, adding that “the film allows the audience to connect with the characters before discovering the exhibition.”
Part of the cultural program of the Fondation Maison du Maroc in Paris, the exhibition “Guardians of Silence” aims to contribute to the international outreach of Moroccan photographic creation. Before its Paris stop, the event was presented during the “Essaouira Photography Encounters,” held last November at the initiative of the French Institute of Essaouira.
Source: map
