The artists expressed their gratitude to workers on the frontlines of the fight against the pandemic through several artworks scattered around the city.
Rabat – Authorities in the Saiss neighborhood in southern Fez have collaborated with local artists to create a series of mural paintings paying tribute to the people on the frontlines of Morocco’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We want to thank and show solidarity with those on the frontlines, including security officers, local authorities, royal gendarmerie, the army, auxiliary forces, civil protection, doctors, nurses, and cleaning workers, who are putting their lives at risk to help the country overcome this crisis,” said Khadija Fassih, vice-president in charge of green spaces in Saiss.
Several artists participated in painting the artworks on several locations across the district.
Amine El Mathen, a graduate of Fez’s Beaux-Arts Institute, created three murals urging the city’s residents to stay home. Two of the artworks depict doctors surrounded by the novel coronavirus, in recognition of the dangers they face at work. The third shows a caricatured coronavirus molecule walking around the streets.
الفنان أمين المطحن، ابن حي النرجس و خريج معهد الفنون الجميلة، صاحب جدارية حربة العملاقة بشارع الوفاء، يبدع في جداريات تحسيسية ضد الكورونا بشراكة مع مجلس مقاطعة سايس.
#الفنان المواطن#Posted by مقاطعة سايس on Sunday, 3 May 2020
Another mural, drawn on the wall of the Fez University Hospital, shows a lady wearing a Moroccan flag as a face mask. According to its author, Imad Amour, the artwork pays tribute to the medical staff at the hospital and celebrates the recovered patients who leave the facility.
The Moroccan flag also represents how the country is shielding and protecting its citizens and residents from the COVID-19 pandemic.
مجلس مقاطعة سايس يواصل حملته التحسيسية ضد الكورونا برسم جداريات عبر تراب المقاطعة.
هذه الجدارية رسمت على جدار المستشفى…Posted by مقاطعة سايس on Sunday, 3 May 2020
The Fez-Meknes region has registered a total of 619 cases of the novel coronavirus as of 10 a.m. May 4.
Other artists who took part in the initiative include painters Bilal El Alami and Amine Lekhal.
“The goal of the murals is also to raise awareness about the importance of respecting the quarantine regulations,” said Fassih.
After thanking Moroccan citizens for respecting the lockdown and showing “a great sense of responsibility and patriotism,” the public servant urged them to remain home. “Please stay home! Only go out if it is really necessary and, when you do, please wear face masks.”
Under the lockdown, leaving home without a face mask or for anything but essential work, grocery shopping, and medical emergencies is illegal.