Not unlike the neighborhood of the 50's described by Pasolini,(Italian writer and film director)this small town and its people are individually moving, with great uncertainty, from traditional agricultural occupations to more "modern" ones. And the new occupations are not a family affair, rather, are jobs for the few, in multinational franchises or seasonal jobs in tourism. Where once all the members of the family would work on the same land or business, now who is left behind at home, often, has no employment at all. Among them there was even a child who, I was told, was there on his own and related to none of the older boys. Unlike the Pasolini's youth, here the most distressed, the most isolated engage in the private ritual of self-arm.
The title refers to "The Ragazzi" a book by the Italian writer and film director Pier Paolo Pasolini. Like the young men of the book, the Moroccan men that I met while walking around their small town, live responding as they can to a changed society.Not unlike the neighborhood of the 50's described by Pasolini, this small town and its people are individually moving, with great uncertainty, from traditional agricultural occupations to more "modern" ones. And the new occupations are not a family affair, rather, are jobs for the few, in multinational franchises or seasonal jobs in tourism. Where once all the members of the family would work on the same land or business, now who is left behind at home, often, has no employment at all. The young Moroccans of my series are mostly unemployed and walk the dusty streets of the neighborhood with often nothing to do. Among them there was even a child who, I was told, was there on his own and related to none of the older boys. The architecture reminded me again of the changed neighborhoods described by Pasolini and it reminded me of his lyrical warnings of the impact such change would have on young people. Unlike the Pasolini's youth, here the most distressed, the most isolated, engage in the private ritual of self-arm. I had heard some local families talk about young men cutting themselves, but it was still with shock and sadness that I happened to see the marks myself. Their anguish is not obvious, but when you get closer the cuts are there for you to see. Those cuts must be made of the deepest sorrow, made in private to find relief from one type of pain with another. Perhaps they forget about those visible signs, because to me they take the form of a badge, a badge for us to see.