Hshouma

“In my country, Morocco, it’s hshouma (shameful) to discuss certain subjects, notably sexuality and the body, and even more so to want to experience these things. To understand what we’re going through, I suggest that together we look at the reign of hshouma in its educational, religious and political dimensions. To break these taboos, I hereby testify to my life as a young Moroccan woman...”

The women Zainab Fasiki draws are compelling and real—whether naked, wearing the veil, in lingerie, in town, or in the public baths. They celebrate the human form and its beauty, mocking the hypocritical masculinity that fears bodies and challenging one of the pillars on which patriarchal societies rest, whether in North Africa or in the West.

Part artistic project, part educational initiative, it is also playful and humorous. This graphic novel breaks down taboos associated with sex education and gender identity and exposes everyday misogyny. Hshouma is an important book, and Fasiki is a powerful new voice of international feminism.