Kqmoucha II

Yasmine Amal journeys through her cultural and feminine spirituality, weaving these themes into her work. This introspection gave rise to the Kqmouja series, a powerful exploration of identity and resilience. The name Kqmouja merges two Darija words: khamja (rotten) and qmoucha (scratched).

Khamja is often a judgmental label placed on women who challenge the rigid expectations of being a "good housewife." It reflects the suffocating 3aib/hchouma culture—disgrace and shame—that has shaped the lives of countless women and girls across North Africa and its diaspora, including Amal herself. Qmoucha, on the other hand, not only describes the technique behind the artwork but also symbolizes the emotional scars left by these societal pressures.

Through this series, Amal confronts these cultural constraints with courage and nuance. She firmly rejects the Eurocentric narrative that ties such restrictions to Arab or Islamic heritage, dismissing the reductive notion that Arab societies are stagnant or resistant to change. Instead, she reveals these patterns as the lingering shadows of colonial domination and the collective fear of losing cultural identity.