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The djinn are supernatural creatures, described in the Quran. It is written that Allah made them out of smokeless fire. The djinn can be believers or non-believers; they can be good or bad; they can possess a human body. In Morocco, djinn have a presence throughout stories passed down from generation to generation., and their existence goes even beyond the metaphysical plane. They can also be a convenient explanation for mental health issues, or an excuse for problems that are difficult to defend in the eyes of a judgmental society, including the reasons a young woman never married.
For me, the story of djinn began in my childhood, behind a wardrobe in our apartment in Germany. Our parents, both born and raised in Morocco, were trying to educate us as Muslims. They tried to instill in us their knowledge of Islam - of what is right or wrong, good or bad. That also meant we were to believe, not only in Allah, but also in other creatures that our god had made, including the djinn. When my siblings and I would misbehave, my parents would tell us the djinn were coming to get us. There was never a moment in which the existence of the djinn was denied. Every summer vacation, when our family traveled back to Morocco, those stories took on more significance as djinn were, and still are, part of people’s reality.
On one hand, the belief in djinn allows people to have faith that something spiritual, not Allah, that can help fulfill their desires. Women can invoke the djinn to gain bit of power so often denied to them in Moroccan society. Sometimes the belief in djinn is an act of desperation. When there’s nothing left to help a beloved person, the djinn are conjured. In some cases, djinn are used by people to manipulate others and to create dependencies. This project, the djinnidiaries, is my personal investigation of djinn.
الجنّ كائنٌ خارق للطبيعة. وبحسب وصف القرآن، خلقه الله من نارٍ صافية دون دخان. يمكن أن يكون الجن مؤمناً أو كافراً؛ خيّراً أو شريراً، كما يمكنه أن يتلبّس بني آدم. في المغرب حافظ الجن على حضورٍ ثابت في القصص المتوارث عبر الأجيال، وربما يسبق وجوده وجود الماورائيات. إذ يمكن للجن أن يكون تفسيراً سهلاً للاعتلال الذهني أو مبرراً لما يُستعصى الدفاع عنه في مجتمعٍ محافظ، كإحجام امرأةٍ شابة عن الزواج مثلاً.
بالنسبة لي، تبدأ قصة الجنّ من الطفولة، خلف خزانة الملابس في منزلنا بألمانيا. كان أبواي اللذان وُلدا وترعرعا بالمغرب يحاولان تنشئتنا تنشئةً إسلامية. حاولا أن يغرسا فينا ما يعرفانه عن الإسلام — ماهية الصح والخطأ، الصالح والطالح وغير ذلك. لم يكن متوجباً علينا أن نؤمن بالله وحسب، بل وبكل المخلوقات الأخرى التي خلقها، بما فيها الجنّ. عندما كان أخوتي يسيئون التصرف كان أبواي يحذراننا من أن الجن سيأتون إلينا. ليس من ثمّة لحظة واحدة كان فيها وجود الجنّ مسألةً تقبل الإنكار. في كل عطلةٍ صيفية، عندما تسافر العائلة إلى المغرب، كانت قصص الجن أكثر حضوراً، حيث كان الجن ولا يزال جزءاً من حياة الناس هناك.
من ناحية، يتيح الإعتقاد في الجن للناس تخيّل أن ثمة شيء روحاني، غير الله، يمكن أن يحقق لهم ما يتمنون. فقد يمنح استحضار الجن بعضاً من القوة للنساء المستضعفات عادةً في المجتمع المغربي. وفي بعض الأحيان قد يكون الاعتقاد في الجن ضرباً من اليأس لمساعدة حبيب أو قريب ضاقت به كل السبل. وفي بعض الحالات قد يُستدعى الجن للسيطرة على الآخرين والتحكم فيهم. يوميّات الجنّ هو استقصاء شخصي حول الجنّ.
Btihal Remli is a Moroccan photographer born in 1987 in Germany. She has studied in Germany, Portugal, and Austria and graduated with a masters degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. The motivation for her work is a deep examination of her culture and origins in Morocco and their contrast with her German identity. Through photography, she explores social issues and the questions that arise in her process. Her photography is a tool and method for her to understand and communicate her worldview. Her work has been exhibited in Austria, Italy, Hungary, Germany, UAE, Switzerland, and Morocco. Btihal Remli is represented by VOICE Gallery in Marrakech.
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Btihal Remli is a Moroccan photographer born in 1987 in Germany. She has studied in Germany, Portugal, and Austria and graduated with a masters degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. The motivation for her work is a deep examination of her culture and origins in Morocco and their contrast with her German identity. Through photography, she explores social issues and the questions that arise in her process. Her photography is a tool and method for her to understand and communicate her worldview. Her work has been exhibited in Austria, Italy, Hungary, Germany, UAE, Switzerland, and Morocco. Btihal Remli is represented by VOICE Gallery in Marrakech.
Website
Instagram
