It’s a Beautiful Name But It Can Sometimes Be a Burden

2021

Photographs 13 x 90 66 cm

Europe is generally known as the home to many ethnicities and faiths from various origins and backgrounds. A place that marks daily arrivals of those in search of a better life. In many French cities, especially in Marseilles, tensions accompany the events of migrations into and out of the city. Histories, biographies and endless stories in Europe, especially in France, often begin with names. Names of newborn babies born in Europe, are usually synonymously connected with the family’s ancestry and homeland. Their stories are unique, they carry a history, they speak of the transition that the family and society went through, but also of their emotions.

This is illustrated well by footballer Zinedine Zidane:

“Every day I think about where I come from and I am still proud to be who I am: first, a Kabyle from La Castellane, then an Algerian from Marseille, and then a Frenchman.” Does this relate to the names we bear? I believe it does.