A Moroccan artist living in Australia

Fatima Killeen                                                                                                                               The Irony of Al Andalus  2003                                                                                                   Mixed media on wood                                                                                                                              70cm x 90cm

 Arabic script reads:  “The only conqueror is God”

 Spain owes [its’] importance of history largely to the Arab-Muslims. The Moors conquered a large area of the country from 710-1492. They gave it the name of                  Al Andalus, along with many great cultural achievements.  To this day, the great architectural testaments of the Moors, such as the Alhambra and the Great Mosque of Cordoba, form the pillars of modern Spanish tourism.  The Moors are now the excluded ones, the outcasts and the illegal immigrants from North Africa, especially Morocco. 

Many perish attempting to reach the Spanish shores.  Small boats often capsize during the journey across the Straits of Gibraltar. Those who reach Spain are committed to a life of work as cheap labour.  Illegal Moroccan workers sustain the Spanish economy, which would disintegrate without their labour.  They live in slums, without access to proper housing or education for their children.   

Residency for most illegal workers is a dream.