From Thokoza to Casablanca: How social art movement shared photography skills in Morocco

The Citizen

19-05-2025

The workshop was led by Jabulani Dhlamini, alongside Moroccan photographers Marouane Beslem and Abdelhamid Behlamidi.
Kids at an orphanage in Morocco participating in a photography workshop. Picture: Supplied
Thokoza-based social art movement and education program Of Soul and Joy (OSJ) made its presence felt at a Moroccan orphanage in Casablanca.
'It has been an enriching experience for me as a foreigner, and has opened a window for me to learn about a different culture and perspectives through the students and teachers,' OSJ project manager and mentor Jabulani Dhlamini told The Citizen.
The Rubis Mécénat foundation, which founded OSJ, collaborated with Vitogaz Maroc, supporters of the Dar Al Atfal Sidi Bernoussi Orphanage, to put together the workshop to celebrate 25 years of partnership.
The workshop began on the 30th of April at the Sidi Bernoussi orphanage and concluded on Sunday, 18 May.
'Rubis Mécénat selected OSJ to include a creative aspect to the celebration through the photography workshop,' said Dhlamini.
The workshop was led by Dhlamini, alongside Moroccan photographers Marouane Beslem and Abdelhamid Behlamidi.
Since 2012, the OSJ has awarded around fifty scholarships, held over 20 annual exhibitions and community events, and published four books featuring the OSJ students' work.
As a commitment to its 12 years of photography training in South Africa, the OSJ has also created work opportunities for more than ten active mentors.
ALSO READ: Of Soul and Joy takes photography to communities through Rural Empowerment Project
Being in Morocco
In its dozen years of existence, OSJ has made a tangible impact in the township located southeast of Johannesburg by empowering youth, often disadvantaged, with photography skills.
OSJ has spread its reach in rural KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo through its Rural Empowerment Project.
In Morocco, the workshop allowed children aged 12 to explore photography, offering them both the technical skills and creative tools to tell their stories and establish a visual dialogue between South Africa and Morocco.
'There was a challenge regarding the language barrier with the students (Moroccans speak French and Arabic), however, with my co-mentors communicating fluently in English, we were able to address this,' Dhlamini shared.
He said they were able to find alternative ways to communicate, as photography is a universal language.
'It was inspiring to view the different lens' in which these students approached their work.'
Given that the orphanage is catered for boys only, Dhlamini said 20 boys participated in the workshop- the boys were all 12 years of age.
The lack of diversity in gender is one of the differences to the workshops that OSJ holds in South Africa.
'Firstly, we accommodate both genders, and there is usually a vast spread in terms of age, given that we take on both students and unemployed youth,' he shared.
'We also operate in schools, which gives us greater access to young people. There is also a wider variety of options in terms of space and subject matter, which the kids in our rural workshops have access to. Our workshop in Morocco was understandably limited as this was our first time in the country and the kids were only allowed to photograph within the orphanage.'
Dhlamini says there was a need to understand the kids when working with them.
'In this case, the best way to teach them was through incorporating play, which meant we had to deliberately break up the workshops for play time to ensure they were able to enjoy and retain what we taught.'
NOW READ: Of Soul and Joy takes photography to communities through Rural Empowerment Project