All roads led to Jajjah during 1-54 Marrakech for ‘NATAAL: A Decade of Finery’ and Kech United. Our anniversary show joined Hassan Hajjaj’s collaborative platform for a weekend of merriment, conversation and creative exchange.

Inside this centrifugal gallery and tea shop was Andrew Dosunmu’s solo exhibition ‘The African Game’ marking 20 years since the lens artist began documenting what he calls “the 12th team member – the fans who deserve to be as celebrated as the players on the pitch.” Aptly framed by the recently concluded AFCON tournament, his joyous photographs captured the ecstatic camaraderie that football ignites across the continent.

Alongside this show, Sam Lambert and Shaka Maidoh of Art Comes First and Amah Ayivi of Marché Noir presented ‘Black SuperMarket’. These slow fashion advocates are dedicated to sourcing items directly from secondhand markets across West Africa and then lovingly reinventing them into wearable works of art. Here, their roving fashion concept, which has previously popped up in Abidjan, Tokyo and Lagos, brimmed with one-of-a-kind and vintage items highlighting the innate elegance of African craftsmanship.

Completing the Kech United line-up, NATAAL took over Jajjah’s outdoor space with an installation of 28 photographic portraits from our 10-years-deep archive and representing some of our most beloved contributing artists. Images were printed on silk and hung on washing lines, allowing the spring breeze to bring them to life. These rich and uplifting works floated and rippled across the expansive courtyard where visitors could playfully encounter each one.

Proceedings kicked off on Friday with an afternoon couscous session plus olive oil tasting by Tacapae. Guests were then treated to a raucous Gnawa performance. Fezzes and slippers were sent flying as the musicians took over the floor with their rhythmic, spiritual sounds. Meanwhile French-Tunisian artist eL Seed blessed the venue’s front wall with a calligraphy-inspired mural and Art Comes First undertook an indigo dying workshop.

The next day, the mood mellowed as the art week audience gathered once again at Jajjah for a day of talks, reflections and film screenings. Dosunmu spoke to independent curator Janine Gaëlle about his long-held desire to “celebrate us [African people]”. Lambert, Maidoh and Ayivi sat down with Nataal editorial director Helen Jennings to dig into their take on sustainable fashion. “For me, taking what the West sends to Africa as trash and selling it around the world as treasure is a militant act,” Ayivi said. Meanwhile, creative producer Sally Ghaly was joined by Hajjaj and Mous Lamrabat, whose work is included in the NATAAL show, who revealed their plans for a much-sought-after joint exhibition in 2027.

As the sun fell, we all enjoyed highlights from Dosunmu’s cinematic offerings, from early music videos through to his latest feature film ‘Beauty’, creating a homely end to truly magical happening spent amongst friends, old and new.