Dikra and Sofian are both children of North African immigrants to France. Sofian grew up in a culturally mixed family. His father is Algerian and came to France in his late twenties to pursue his doctoral studies in Paris. There, he met Sofian`s mother, a French woman of Spanish descent (Her family had fled the Spanish civil war and found refuge in France). Dikra`s parents are originally from the city of Fez in Morocco. They arrived in France for work in the seventies. Dikra and Sofian grew up in France in the Muslim faith and retained close links with their parents` countries of origin.
The couple explored the intricacies of their identities in their early twenties. Both studied political science in France, focusing on the Arab world, and studied Arabic in Syria. They used to debate politics in the Middle East and, ironically enough, quarrel over the status of the Western Sahara, a bone of contention between Algeria and Morocco. At that time, Dikra decided to apply for Moroccan citizenship, because she felt she was also Moroccan. Sofian made the decision to live in Algiers to understand the reality of Algeria and not delude himself by supposing the situation was better in Algeria. He said: "Many children of immigrants in France say they are Algerians, but they only stay two weeks there. Beyond that, they lose their mind!"
Dikra and Sofian got married this year. They first got married in a civil ceremony in Paris and had a Muslim ceremony in Bourg en Bresse, a small town situated near Lyon, France`s second biggest city, which is largely populated by North African immigrants. They also held a wedding ceremony in Marrakech, where they celebrated the strength and richness of their combined identities in the presence of Moroccan, Algerian, and French guests.
They decided to celebrate their union in Marrakech because of the beauty of the Moroccan wedding tradition but also for practical reasons. Morocco is more accessible to tourists. Sofian said: "You can travel easily to Morocco, while you need to apply for a visa to enter Algeria. Also the airline tickets are much cheaper to fly to Morocco. It was just easier for our guests." French guests could travel easily to Morocco, but very few members of his family who live in Algeria were able to attend the wedding in Morocco. Sofian said: "The border between Algeria and Morocco remains closed. There is a form of tolerance for those living in the regional border towns, but my family lives in a village next to Wahran. We could not afford to pay the airline tickets for them all unfortunately."
I had the chance to travel to Marrakech for their ceremony, which was a typically traditional Moroccan wedding, enriched by their imagination and infused with French influences. Interstingly, they openly and freely created an "Oriental atmosphere" to reconnect to local cultural traditions. The story of a symbolic and festive return to a romanticized Orient in pictures:
Photo 1: According to Morrocan tradition, the bride can wear as many as seven different dresses, which originate from different regions of Morocco. Dikra said: "I wanted to wear only four dresses to have more time to enjoy the moment with the guests, but the Negaffa (female attendant who traditionally supervises the weddings in Morocco) brought us back to the tradition!" Throughout the ceremony, she wore eight outfits, including five Moroccan dresses, two French dresses and an Indian Sari (which has become popular in Moroccan weddings). In this picture, she wears a traditional French wedding dress.
Photo 2: They made an entrance to the ceremony on the back of dromedaries. The ceremony took place in a modern riad, a palace built around a garden, the epitome of traditional Moroccan style of architecture. The riad was situated in the outskirts of Marrakech and owned by a Frenchman from Marseilles. Dikra and Sofian wanted to add an orientalist touch to the ceremony. They said: "Some arrive in horse-drawn carriage, others in convertible cars... We dreamt of a `one thousand and one nights` wedding."
Photo 3: Sofian and Dikra exchanged a kiss on the lips.
Photo 4: The bride and groom descended from dromadaries and exchanged dates and milk flavored with orange blossoms, symbols of love and fertility.
Photo 5: In Morocco, the Negaffates (female attendants) supervise the wedding ceremony. They are usually older married women, who assist with all aspects of the ceremony. They help to dress and adorn the bride.
Photo 6: The Negaffates sing Koranic verses aloud and songs in praise of the Prophet Muhammad invoking blessings for the bride and groom, followed by loud ululations of joy. The Negaffates were always matching their outfits with Dikra`s and making sure of the timing of leaving and arrival of the bride and the groom.
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Photo 7: Gnawas were invited to play at the ceremony. They are part of an ethnic group originally from West Africa that belongs to a Sufi order in Morocco. Their music is characterized by its repetitive rhythms, which induces dancing and trance-like states. Dikra explained that "they are paid, but the tradition is to slip money in their pocket."
Photo 8: Dikra and Sofian start dancing in rhythm with the music surrounded by guests who clap their hands to the beat.
Photo 9: Guests at the wedding, wearing Morocan takchitas, traditional hand-made robes made of two layers of precious, richly embroidered fabrics and a hzam, a large belt surrounding the waist. The woman in the center wears a traditional embroidered Algerian Kabyle dress. Far in the horizon appears the silhouette of the Atlas mountains, framed by the setting sun. Dikra invited her Moroccan family, which is of modest origin, to the celebration. Dikra explained that she was happy to be able to open the ceremony to people from her family’s village. She said "The poor people in Morocco don`t have access to these beautiful places, although it is their country. Watching the sunset on the Atlas mountains from the rooftop of this beautiful riad, it is these kinds of little things that I wanted to offer them – things that the jet set do not even take the time to enjoy."
Photo 10: In this picture Dikra wears a finely embroidered and intricately beaded white caftan, a long robe made of silk and covered with a jacket. The groom usually wears a jabador, a combination of shirt and pants, however Sofian wears a black suit instead. Every step in the wedding process is ritualized. Dikra explains, "Each dress is worn in a specific order. The white dress is traditionally the first to be worn. The bride enters the wedding room, and is carried around to be seen by all."
Photo 11: Dikra enters the wedding room carried by four men on an amaria, a sort of palanquin, and accompanied by music from a live traditional Moroccan band.
Photos 12, 13, & 14: The bride and groom then sat on a gelsa, a seat which is usually placed in the center of the wedding room. Here a Hennaya, a traditional Morroccan artist, draws symbolic motifs on Dikra`s hand by using the pigments of the Henna plant. The Beberiska ceremony usually takes place the night before the wedding: "The night before, all evening long, people attend the Henna party to admire the artistic work of the Hennaya. But here, she only made a Henna tatoo on my hand." On the small table in front, there are symnolic elements, such as eggs and sugar. Dikra explained the meaning of them: "Eggs are placed in the Henna. You keep the eggs after the ceremony, these are symbols of fertility. There is also a block of sugar. You put sugar from it in a cup of tea that you share with your husband after the ceremony. It means that you will always speak soft and sweet words to each other."
Photos 15 & 16: The wedding ceremony was punctuated by superb artistic performances. Marrakchi fire-eaters made a beautiful show. Dikra explained, "it is very Marrakchi folklore. You find it in Jemaa El-Fna (Marrakech`s main square, where storytellers, musicians, and magicians perform)." It is now a popular tourist attraction, but it remains very much frequented by locals. Dikra explains: "The party started at six p.m. Usually, weddings in Morocco do not start before nine. The guests arrive around ten or even eleven and the bride enters the wedding room at midnight. But we wanted to start with the sunset on the Atlas mountains and were afraid of downtime, that`s why we thought of inviting artists to perform."
Photo 17: A view of Jemaa El-Fna at night. The square is busy with food stalls set up each evening
Photo 18: Dikra wears a dress from the city of Fez inlaid with gold and precious stones. She said: "This is the highlight of the show. It shows the skills of the Negafa, because it is a hard dress to put on."
Photo 19: Sofian wears a djelaba, a long robe with full sleeves, and a tarbooch, a red cap originally made in the city of Fez.
Photo 20: Dikra and Sofian are carried in the wedding room, accompanied by the sound of drums, violins and lutes.
Photo 21: Raqs Charqi, an Oriental dance known as belly-dancing in the West, is still largely considered inappropriate by some in Morocco. Dikra said: "We wanted a belly dancing show to create a `one thousand and one nights` atmosphere. It is not part of the Moroccan tradition. You find more Oriental dancers in Egypt. But now many Moroccan women learn in dance schools in Cairo. In Morocco, they dance in nightclubs. In Algeria, you find them more in cabarets."
Photo 22: Dikra wears a Chleuh dress and matching Berber jewellery from a region in southwest Morocco. She wears tattoos on her chin and forehead, symbolic markers of identity that can still be seen in rural Berber areas.
Photo 23: Dikra and Sofian wear Indian outfits, which have become popular in Moroccan weddings. They bought them in Bombay, but they could have rented them in Morocco. Dikra explains: "The sari was ours because we had the chance to go to Bombay and buy it there, but otherwise the Negafa had a whole range of Indian dresses and matching jewelry."
Photo 24: Sofian and Dikra exchange rings, reanacting a ritual that occurred in France during the religious ceremony.
Photo 25: One of the many kisses on Dikra`s forehead.
Photos 26 & 27: To end the ceremony, each guest was invited to make a wish and send a paper lantern into the sky.The DJ then replaced the traditional music band.
