21 Oct, 7:30 to 9:30 pm, Rooftop Screening of “There is an Edible Gold”, dir. Moza Almatrooshi, followed by a discussion with farmer and beekeeper Mustapha Laghrissi, Pasha Rooftop at El Fenn (Entrance through the Boutique on the main road) 

Film screening in Arabic with English subtitles. The discussion will be in French with English interpretation available if needed.

“Bees have been collaborating with humans for at least 9,000 years, as a source of medicine and food, as well as religious and cultural inspiration. Bees increase food quantity and quality through pollination; there would be no cucumbers, mustard or almonds without bees. They play a vital part not only in agricultural production but also in forestry and climate regulation. Monocropping, pesticides and higher temperatures associated with climate change all pose serious problems for bee populations and, by extension, for us. Almatrooshi lyrically fuses the cares and conflicts that surround bees, their honey and their interactions with humanity. From the knowledge and experience of the beekeeper, and the flora and fauna that make the perfect ingredient for honey, to carefully constructed travel cases through which the bees experience immigration issues, discrimination and identity crisis.”

Join us on El Fenn’s Pasha rooftop for a screening of Moza Almatrooshi’s (UAE) There is an Edible Gold, (29 minutes) followed by a discussion on the context of the film with local farmer and beekeeper Mustapha Laghrissi. 

Topics covered in the film and conversation will span honey as a source of medicine and food, as well as a religious and cultural inspiration. The discussion will also include the loss of bee populations to climate change, the possibilities of urban beekeeping and the reality of honey production in Morocco and much more. 

This event is generously hosted by our partner El Fenn, free to all with drinks and food available for purchase. “There is an Edible Gold” will be hosted as a full installation in January 2023 at Le Jardin Secret, more info will be announced later this year. 

Bios:

Moza Almatrooshi (b. 1991, Dubai, UAE) in her practice looks at narratives from ancient and contemporary mythologies in the Arabian Peninsula, and the ways in which they uphold nation-building techniques. This culminates in fiction and metaphors derived from regional food production practices and food politics. In 2019 Moza gained an MFA from the Slade School of Fine Art (UK) and a diploma in culinary arts from ICCA Dubai (UAE) in 2020. Her artworks have been performed in the Victoria & Albert Museum (London), selected by the ICA and BBC for the New Creatives project, and displayed in the second Lahore Biennale. Her writings have been published in ArabLit Quarterly. She is currently a faculty fellow in the Sheikha Salama Emerging Artists Fellowship in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Mustapha Laghrissi holds a degree in civil engineering and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. He worked in housing construction project management with known local operators, then on his own account. In 2012, he launched a permaculture farm in drylands. Mustapha is currently a member of RIAM (the network of agroecological initiatives in Morocco) and is a local referent. He is also an agroecology trainer, ecosystem installation consultant, beekeeping trainer and apiary installation guide. Mustapha was in charge of the launch/activation of an amateur apiary in 1987 located in Zaer, another in 1995 in the region of Benslimane and in Al Haouz in 2014. He facilitates training sessions for cooperatives in the Al Haouz region with High Atlas Foundation. He is also a producer of honey and other beehive products.