About

It is the story of a Western woman, raised in the cradle of the Enlightenment, who decides to make her home in an Eastern land. It’s the story of an oriental man, from the land of the pharaohs, who falls madly in love with this exotic woman and decides to marry her. It is such a banal love story, where two cultures meet and their prejudices come face to face. It is my love story in the Egyptian society in which I have been lived for several years.

"Western women are nymphomaniacs. She will come to your house on the first evening. "

“Western women have plenty of money. She will buy you a car.”

“Western women have a passport that means gold. She will get you a Schengen visa.”
“Western women are bad wives. She won’t take care of you and my house.”

“Western women are bad mothers. She will abandon you and steal the children.” Etc...

These warnings, constantly offered without ever having been requested, have become daily life for my Egyptian husband in Egypt since the beginning of our relationship. They serve as poignant testimony to the pervasive fears and prejudices that loom large in Eastern society concerning Western women.

The Jinn from the West vividly illustrates these entrenched prejudices through a series of ten expensive embroidered artworks. These whimsical pieces ingeniously explore the potential perils awaiting any Eastern man enamored with a Western woman, as echoed in the colloquial wisdom of the masses.

Drawing inspiration from the aesthetics of pre- Islamic literature such as the Shah Namah or the Kitāb al-Bulhān, these vibrant embroideries employ the traditional Egyptian Khayamiya technique. This method intricately involves hand-applying pieces of colored fabric onto large canvas panels. Historically utilized to adorn the interiors of tents during weddings and other festive occasions, these panels now serve as a canvas to depict the intricate dynamics of a tumultuous love affair between a mischievous Western enchantress and a naive Eastern protagonist ensnared in her charms.

When discussing the role of women in the Arab world, the focus gravitates towards Arab women within their native societies. The Jinn from the West endeavors to shed light on another facet of womanhood: the foreigner, known as the «agnabeya,» whose perception is frequently shaped by enduring stereotypes and media portrayals. Perceived through the prism of cultural differences, this image can arouse fascination, distrust and misunderstanding. She may be romanticized as a symbol of freedom, financial autonomy, and progressive thinking. But, she may also be perceived as a threat to traditional values and social harmony, with concerns that her individualism could destabilize long standing family and societal structures. Straddling the divide between aspirations for modernity and apprehensions about the erosion of traditions, these Western Jinnies encapsulates the cultural and social tensions that persist in this region.