An artist, interior designer and strong social and women issues advocate, I was born and raised in Morocco, studied in Brussels at the Saint Luc Institute and in New York at The Fashion Technologies Institute. I came to New York City in the late 80's and have been living in NYC , Washington DC and Long Island for the past 8 years.I started my home interior design company Harem Design in 1999 to 2003, along with Harem Design.com and Harem Design Monthly e-newsletter. The great response I received from my email list subscribers was a wonderful wake up call as to what type of questions have yet to be answered to the American public. .

 

There is a vast void when it comes to where and how to find information on art, culture, social issues, fund-raising for Moroccan associations etc... From a strong need to share my cultural heritage and to be better understood I also created and led the Moroccan Happy Hour, a social, cultural and educational gathering in New York City from  1998 to 2000.

 

As a Moroccan woman immigrant and an artist, life in the USA has been everything but boring. I have been lucky to be challenged to go beyond my limits, to meet amazing people, and to feel  welcomed here and back home by both my American and international friends and Moroccan community.

 

Being in the art and design field, I feel grateful for all the richness of my Moroccan cultural heritage and blessed to have such an incredible field of action and potential impact here in the USA. I strongly believe that there is so much we can do and bring here as well as in Morocco while serving, even though on a small scale, as human bridges between our two different but complementary worlds.

I feel privileged to be an American Moroccan woman, and look forward to contributing more to the current movement between tolerance and understanding between us all. Art and creativity have opened incredible doors for an ongoing dialogue and are for me strong cultural and educational tools.

My wish is to meet more Moroccans living in the USA involved  in the fields of art and culture to share our experiences and bring our efforts together. Wafin.com is a great start for that!