The British Journal of Photography’s annual Ones to Watch issue is focused on celebrating the best emerging photography talent from across the globe. In the 2020 issue (#7898), 18 talented photographers have been selected from over 250 nominations by industry experts.

M’hammed Kilito caught our eye via an article written by Cat Lachowskyj titled Re-configuring the many perspectives of Morocco’s youth. In the article, Lachyowskyj quotes Kilito as stating that:

“I don’t want to suggest that everything is perfect in our countries, but it is our role to balance the narratives and show that we can photograph the humanist, courageous sides of our people as opposed to the sensationalist, orientalist views that we are accustomed to seeing.”

According to his website, Kilito is an independent Moroccan photographer based in Rabat, Morocco. He is represented internationally by Native Agency and is a co-founder and a photographer of KOZ collective. He holds a Master of Arts in Political Science from Ottawa University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Montreal. As a documentary photographer, he addresses issues relating to cultural identity and the human condition in Morocco.

Lachowskyj is careful to provide Kilito’s anti-imperialist concerns in the article “There are so many photographers in the Global South working to transcend preconceived notions of what our countries look like in order to reconstruct that narrative. It is very important for me to enact a counter-discourse to what is usually shared in the media.”

The very limited number of Kilito images available for study in BJP #7898 and on Kilito’s website display an overt preoccupation with the clothing and fashion of identity. Within the politics of 2020, it is extremely interesting and valuable to have the opportunity to consider the images not only within the narrative that Kilito appears to prefer but also within the context of a global history of humanism and humanist photography.

Regardless of where one’s thoughts may go in considering the political aspects of Kilito’s motivations – it is encouraging to see an emerging talent interested to photograph the humanist, courageous sides of our people.

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The views, opinions and analyses expressed in the articles on Humanist Freedoms are those of the contributor(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the publishers.

Featured Photo Courtesy of: https://www.bjp-online.com/2020/08/issue-7898-ones-to-watch/