Haragg, This Time

حرّق

Haragg, This Time is a performance that confronts beauty standards, colonial legacies, and cultural identity. At the heart of the work is a 10-meter-long sculpture made from hair and kardoune—an Algerian fabric used by women to tightly wrap their hair, straightening it to fit French colonial beauty ideals.

The kardoune carries two meanings. On one hand, it was a tool to conform to European beauty standards. But it was also a form of resistance, allowing Algerian women to pass as French, subtly subverting colonial power while navigating it.

The title Haragg has a dual meaning as well. In Arabic, haragg translates to both “fire” and “migrant.” In this context, the word draws a powerful parallel to the act of burning the kardoune. The fire symbolizes destruction, but also purification and rebirth, as the kardoune is freed from the weight of its colonial history. At the same time, haragg refers to the “harrag,” a clandestine migrant crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa in search of a better life, often risking everything to escape a life of oppression. This link connects the historical context of colonialism with the contemporary struggle for freedom and identity.

Burning the kardoune becomes an act of release. What once symbolized control and conformity is now destroyed, turning its painful history into something raw and freeing.

In Japan, where this practice and its colonial context are largely unknown, the act disrupts. It forces a confrontation with how colonial histories still shape beauty and identity today.

Haragg, This Time is more than destruction—it’s about reclaiming power, questioning, and transforming the narratives that have been imposed. It’s a reminder that breaking free from the past is an act of strength, healing, and reinvention.