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Table of Contents

Interview with Elena Baroni

Go Out, Get Out, Come Out

People of Rabat

Ramon Pruneda Segura on Street Photography

Footprints of Man – Street Photos Without People

Street Shooters of November 2018

People of Rabat

Francesco D’Alonzo

Rabat, capital of Morocco. City less known than the other Moroccan cities, not beaten by the flow of mass tourism and much less subject to foreign influences. This photographic work aims to tell, to describe the people of Rabat and in particular, the work focuses on the people who live, work, crowd the neighborhoods of the Medina and its surrounding areas.

In the Medina the atmosphere is decidedly Mediterranean with white walls and blue shutters. It is accessed via the two doors Bab El Alou and Bab El Had to the east, along the 12th century Almohades walls built by Sultan Yacoub el Mansour. The Almohad wall is 5,263 meters long and extends along the western and southern coasts of the city of Rabat. The latter and its gates have been declared Unesco World Heritage.

To the west, the Medina is surrounded by the walls of the Kasba degli Oudaïa. This Medina was created by the Moriscos – Andalusians driven out of Spain by Philip III in the seventeenth century – and is one of the few to have been well protected thanks to the many city walls. It has a traditional and authentic atmosphere and you can visit the typical souks, the Kasba degli Oudaïa, the ancient Jewish quarter of Mellah and the Makki mosque.

The Medina is a center of commerce and crafts that houses many shops of Moroccan craftsmen and inhabitants of the popular class. It is a very symbolic and historical place in Rabat. Rabat is the result of a fruitful dialogue between the Arab-Muslim past and Western modernity. It contains the modernist values of urbanism and architecture like those of the Maghreb and the Arab world, while preserving the ancient city and its many historical and patrimonial components. This translates into the emergence of an original architectural and decorative style peculiar to contemporary Morocco.

Rabat is a city of tradition whose most important festivals and perennial costumes are of religious inspiration. The word religion, however, does not mean ostracism or extremism. Instead, it is about expressing the joy, solidarity and the happiness of being together. Traditionally curious, the Rabati people love to discover. In the souks of the old medina, you feel that the most important thing is not to sell or buy, but to talk around a cup of tea and exchange laughs and glances.

The most important custom of Rabat is actually the art of hospitality. Whatever the party, the costumes, the places, the arms and the heart are open to others with naturalness and sincerity. Although the majority of local inhabitants are Muslims and religious traditions are reflected in all areas of life, the people of Rabat are friendly, socially confident and very interested in the modern aspects of life. They are extremely welcoming and warm; even a normal merchant in a store can offer visitors a cup of aromatic tea or coffee. You should never refuse it because it can be irritating to a warm host.

Very often tourists discover that the inhabitants of the city are very curious. Today, Rabat is living a great dynamism with a vast movement of urban, economic and socio-cultural development. This dynamism is widely noted in the diffusion of modern aspects of life such as jobs, interests and activities. Rabat is a city where you can easily adapt and feel comfortable. With the existence of historical monuments, government institutions and areas of science, as well as economic and tourist destinations, the city is calm and full of unique diversity. It is also an open and welcoming city where you can meet people from different regions of Morocco.

Young people play an important role in the development of Rabat and in the protection of its historical, cultural and economic wealth. Although not the economic capital of the kingdom, Rabat is a city of opportunities for young Moroccans and international students. It is an hour’s drive from Casablanca, the economic center of Morocco, which means that people can live in Rabat, yet work in Casablanca. Furthermore, the city offers a variety of job opportunities because of its political, administrative and diplomatic level. Therefore, the city has become a destination for young graduates looking for social and financial stability.

This photographic work seeks to highlight, moments, places, atmospheres, people, who meet in the old part of the city and that represent the true identity, the true soul of this beautiful corner of the African continent.

Francesco D'Alonzo

Francesco D'Alonzo

Francesco D'Alonzo was born in Pescara on September 20, 1981. He began to practice photography in the mid-2000s, mainly landscapes inspired by love for nature and biodiversity. From 2008-2011, he collaborated with discorsifotografici.it, a website devoted to travel photography, and paesaggidrabruzzo.com, which focused on the enhancement of Abruzzo's territory. He began to deepen his photography, and during these years, he attended an advanced Reportage course in Rome at Photographic Offices, winning a special photo contest "Roma in a click" at the Roman school in the same year. The human factor, investigating urban spaces, geometries, and forms of life within them are fundamental themes of photographic evolution. This research led him to participate in several international exhibitions (exhibition at Blank Wall Gallery in Athens) publications on several international street and black & white photograher magazines (Corridor Elephant, Paris, Apf Magazine Street Photography) and enter 2017 with the "Exhibit Around" (Urban and Human Empathy) exhibitions around Europe. To date, his photographic research, which is expressed through B&W images, focuses on the study of urban spaces and its inhabitants, ranging from street to social reportage.

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Articles
November 2018

Interview with Elena Baroni

Meet Elena Baroni, a talented Italian street photographer living in Toronto. Her positivity will inspire you to enjoy every moment you spend shooting.

Go Out, Get Out, Come Out

As a sick city sinks into darkness, Nelson González Leal heads out to document streets that reveal a scarcely seen reality that is troubling but not completely without hope.

People of Rabat

A project that highlights moments, places, atmospheres and people in Rabat - the true soul of a beautiful corner of the African continent.

Ramon Pruneda Segura on Street Photography

Find out what it's like to shoot in Barcelona and get some excellent advice from a talented, self-taught street photographer.

Footprints of Man – Street Photos Without People

SPM publisher explains how making street photos without people was a tipping point in his street shooting.

Street Shooters of November 2018

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