Afrovibes: Boujloud – The Man in Skins - Kenza Berrada

Permission

Moroccan director Kenza Berrada (MA) asked several women of her generation what the word consent meant to them. One of them told her something no one had dared to discuss in other stories. “I didn’t think my story would interest anyone,” she said. In response to her testimony, Berrada created Boujloud – The Man in Skins, giving a voice to everything that often remains hidden: the victim, the aggressor, the incest, the abuse, the witnesses, those who knew and those who didn’t want to know.

Moroccan rite

Boujloud is a character from an ancient Moroccan rite. He wears bloody sheepskins and is the incarnation of what is taboo, forbidden, and unspoken. The rite tells of a legend that has its origins in the idea of divine retribution. The play uses this legend to address social, legal, and political contradictions in Moroccan society. With Boujloud—The Man in Skin, Berrada asks: How can we make ourselves heard?

This performance was previously shown at Jassad Festival Marrakech 2022, Latitudes contemporaines Lille 2023 and Centre Culturel Les Étoiles Fès 2023.