By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use. Elska Magazine , the publication dedicated to discovering gay communities around the world, has put the spotlight on Casablanca for its latest issue.
Inside readers are invited to get to know an assortment of ordinary men who love men in this iconic Moroccan city. From the s a reputation for Morocco as a sort of hedonistic gay paradise emerged, inspired by the works of William Burroughs, Joe Orton, Truman Capote, Gore Vidal and other queer and queer-adjacent writers.
For a publication that typically puts the portraiture of diverse gay men at the forefront, Elska Casablanca takes a different tact, letting narrative take the lead. This was a decision made out of necessity more than choice, owing to the difficulties and dangers for Moroccans who are exposed as gay. I spoke to many locals and activists across several African cities, and it seemed that Morocco would be the best and safest choice, both for myself and for the participants.
However, once in the country, although I found that many men were willing to meet me to talk, very few were willing to be photographed. Generally in Elska photography takes the lead, but for Casablanca I opted to present the issue in a more story-led form, rather than to give up and ignore Morocco, and Africa, altogether. Elska Casablanca is divided into eleven chapters, each dedicated to a different local man who the Elska team met in the city.
Each was interviewed in an unstructured way, like conversations between the subject and researcher, taking place during strolls through the city, visits to the Atlantic coast beaches, or during many leisurely cups of tea. Some of these chapters also include portraits of those men who felt safe to have their images published.
