Seif KOUSMATE
African Photojournalism Database
Morocco
Freelance Moroccan photojournalist based In Morocco.
Available for assignment.
Seif KOUSMATE, is a self-taught photojournalist focusing on social issues born in 1988 in Essaouira, Morocco. At age 17, he moved to France, studied engineering, and began working in this sector after completing his master degree. A few years later, he decided to quit his corporate job and travel around South-East Asia, Japan and Canada. He opened a photography traveling blog, sharing his stories and reporting his journey. This is how Seif entered the field and took the decision to build a career as a professional photographer. He followed the « Seeing through Photographs » program offered by the MoMA of New York. In late 2016, Seif went back to his home country and worked with a local production company on a story, reporting winter life in a remote village of the Atlas mountain. In 2017, Seif lived several weeks in the Gourougou mountains in order to report on the sub-Saharan migrants waiting to cross the border with Europe. In March 2018 he started working on traditional slavery in Mauritania where he was arrested and expelled by the authorities because of working on a taboo and censored issue.
For him, photojournalism is his contribution to change the world around him and develop mindsets.
In 2017, he was selected to be part of NOOR-Nikon workshop during the Rencontres Prix Bayeux-Calvados prize meeting and festival for war correspondents.
In 2018, he was nominated for the Joop Swart Masterclass by World Press Photo.
His work is represented by the Hans Lucas studio.
- Audio capture
- Corporate
- Crisis
- Editorial
- Portrait
- Reporting
HARATINS : BORN TO SERVE
Seif KOUSMATE
Tarhil neighborhood is a new district outside the capital made by the government to relocated Haratins from Nouakchott Slums. 17/03/2018, Nouakchott
This is a story about traditional slavery and discrimnation towards Mauritania's Haratin caste. Although slavery was officially abolished in 1981 by the Mauritanian state, established as an offense in 2007 and made a crime against humanity in 2012, traditional slavery and racial discrimination are still commonplace in the country.