Rabat – Over the last week, there has been a phenomenal show of unity by Moroccans at home and abroad to support the earthquake victims. The earthquake that hit Morocco last week has been devastating, killing nearly 3000 and leaving 5674 injured and thousands displaced.
Moroccans continue to get creative in their efforts to raise money and awareness for the victims of the earthquake. Youssef Bennani, a Casablanca-based art collector specializing in renewable energy, has turned his focus to raising much-needed funds for the earthquake victims.
In the process, Bennani is combining his passion for art and his ambition to help raise money for the victims. He has organized a special art auction that took place on Saturday, where all of the proceeds went to the victims of the earthquake, through an NGO by the name of JOOD.
In a recent interview with Morocco World News, Youssef Bennani said that the fundraiser “is a spontaneous initiative because I wanted to participate in the national effort to provide my help to those who suffered from the earthquake.”
Bennani is an avid art collector and has connections with various artists. His contacts have all donated an art piece for this social action, which he auctioned off at Saturday’s fundraiser.
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“Since what was most lacking at the local NGO level was funds, I decided to organize an art auction to raise funds for JOOD, an NGO that is doing a very good and efficient job on the ground.”
Bennani told MWN: “I am passionate about art and I know many artists who are always willing to donate one of their artworks for a good cause.”
JOOD, the chosen NGO for the auction, has been working with people experiencing homelessness across Morocco since 2015. Like many other NGOs across the country, all of their efforts over the past week have been directed towards the victims of the earthquake and the reconstruction of the most affected areas.
Bennani told MWN that he chose JOOD for the auction because the NGO is doing “an amazing job in the social rehabilitation of homeless people in many cities in Morocco. It is now fully mobilized to help people who have suffered from the earthquake. 100% of the turnover of the auction will go to JOOD.”
The response from artists willing to donate an art piece free of charge has been overwhelmingly positive. As Bennani recounted in our interview, “all the artists accepted right away to donate one of their artworks to help JOOD in their actions.”
One of those who donated an art work to Bennani’s fundraiser was Chama Chraibi, a Moroccan contemporary visual artist.
Chraibi decided to participate in this initiative, “to help raise funds in any way I can for JOOD NGO, who are doing incredible work in emergency aid and support for the victims of this devastating earthquake.”
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Bennani said that the response has been immense. “Many artists are from Morocco but there are also artists from Ivory Coast and France that wanted to help because of their love of Morocco and its people,” he explained.
The Casablanca-based Youssef Douieb, who specializes in Abstract Expression and is also among the artists who participated in the auction, also explained to MWN why he wanted to participate in the fundraising effort.
“In the past, art had the purpose of painting an emphatic picture of the lives of those with power, leaders such as kings, popes, etc; and that can still be the case,” he said. “Nowadays, things have changed somehow, because both art artists want to convey messages of peace, generosity, and ecological responsibility. Art is like money: if it doesn’t push its owners to spread happiness around them, it’s a great pity!”
For Douieb, “spreading happiness” while Morocco navigates an unprecedented tragedy means donating works of art and raising money for the victims of the earthquake.
