The Activist Zainab Fasiki Shares her perspective with an Interview with Tosh Fesh!
What drew you to comics especially that you studied Engineering?
I started drawing and sharing on social media during my exams to forget about the stress and to help myslef feel better. And then, I found myself more in cartoons abd shifted.
What pushed you to start activism?
I started activism 4 years ago when i was still studying mechanical engineering. As a teenager I was harassed a lot on the streets and later on when I was applying for internships I witnessed many sexist discrimination. I had to make a change.
Comics is a way of expression. How do you use it as an activist?
I find that an image is more powerful than a text. It explains the message instantly to whomever it is exposed to. This is why I use it as a tool for activism, in order to enlighten people about social issues.
As a Moroccan comic artist, what are the biggest difficulties or complications that you encounter?
The main problem is convincing society that being an artist is a job that we can live from, and that art is not only for fun but is also a serious career. Another complication is nudity since it’s a taboo topic in our society.
You also published ‘Hshouma’ this year. Can you tell us more about it?
‘Hshouma’ is a comic about breaking moroccan taboos through illustrations (hshouma means taboo in moroccan dialect). I also created the website “www.hshouma.com”to reach more people. I will be also launching other books, videos and events starting September 2018.
For ‘Feyrouz versus the world’, what were your inspirations and your influences?
I was mostly inspired by my childhood and adolescence. I grew up with many brothers who had the freedom to do what they wanted with no restrictions. I also grew up listening to my friends’ stories of how they were opressed by their families. Traveling for me is exploring and it should be a right for everyone. We should encourage girls to travel alone as they’re strong enough to do it.
Any upcoming projects you would like to share with ?
In the upcoming months, I started preparing and working on other books and events for Hshouma. I will also be arranging events for a collective I started: /WOMEN POWER/ where we encourage moroccan girls to become artists and to express themselves.
Source