Casablanca — The French-Moroccan photography, whose death was sadly announced last January in Ouagadougou, was honored by the French Ministry of Culture this week.
Casablanca — The French-Moroccan photography, whose death was sadly announced last January in Ouagadougou, was honored by the French Ministry of Culture this week.
On December 12, Alaoui received the order of “Commander” of the Order of Arts and Letters, for her significant contribution to the arts, by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication.
Notre très grande #LeilaAlaoui va recevoir les insignes de Chevalier de l’ordre des arts et lettres à titre posthume. #proud @fondationleila
— Aida Alami (@AidaAlami) December 12, 2016
Previous awardees of the “Commander” grade include: Bob Dylan, T.S. Eliot, Bono, Marlène Jobert and Quincy Jones.
Leila Alaoui was also awarded, posthumously, the ‘Knight’ grade order Ouissam Alaouite on August 21 at the 2016 Youth Festival in Morocco.
Prior to her tragic passing, Alaoui was a prestigious photographer and video artist with exhibitions across the world since 2009.
Her bio reads: “Born in Paris in 1982, she studied photography at the City University of New York before spending time in Morocco and Lebanon. Her work explores the construction of identity and cultural diversity, often through the prism of the migration stories that intersect the contemporary Mediterranean.”
Alaoui died due to injuries suffered during a Ouagadougou terrorist attack carried out on January 15, 2015. Then 33-years-old, Alaoui was in Burkina Faso filming with Amnesty International.
C’est avec tristesse que nous avons appris le décès de Leila Alaoui. Leila travaillait sur un projet avec notre secrétariat international.
— Amnesty France (@amnestyfrance) January 19, 2016