death of an artist Boumedian told me the story of the young woman in a village near Ksar el-Kebir who was the most talented student he's ever had. She was a natural who loved what she was doing, and he was sure that she would develop into a great artist who could go anywhere in the world with her talent. He entered her in regional contests and she won the first prize every time, against students from much larger cities. After she won three times in a row, the contest organizers begged him to stop bringing her because it was discouraging the others. Then she reached puberty and her father, a local bureaucrat, felt that she had to marry in order to avoid problems with the young men of the village. They were harassing her on her way to school because she was so beautiful. Boumedian pleaded with him to let her continue her studies, without success. She came to him crying, saying that she wanted to stay in school, but she was to be married to her cousin, a man she didn't love. She was fourteen at the time. They moved far away, to Agadir where her husband was stationed as a soldier, and she remained at home to be his wife. She continued to draw and paint, but her husband was only interested in sex, and she resisted this. Eventually he started seeking out other women, even bringing them to the house while she was there. She divorced him and returned to her family, but by then it was too late to return to school. She had already missed two years, and the officials wouldn't let her back in. After a time her husband missed her and returned to her, and they got back together. They have a young son now. When Boumedian got a transfer and moved to Larache, he left most of his art books with his former student. He still runs into her now and then when he visits Ksar el-Kebir, and she always talks passionately about art.
	location: Larache, Morocco date: May 24, 2004 average rating: [not rated] your rating (0-10):