Exhibition at MACAAL Features 108 Terracotta Heads Memorializing Missing Chibok Girls

The exhibition 'Statues Also Breathe' is currently on view at MACAAL in Marrakech, curated by Meriem Berrada and featuring work by artist Prune Nourry. The installation comprises 108 terracotta heads created through a collaborative process involving artisans, students, and families. The project draws inspiration from the historic Ife sculpture tradition of Yoruba culture while addressing the ongoing disappearance of the Chibok girls, who were abducted by Boko Haram in Nigeria. The exhibition functions as both a memorial and a collective act of remembrance, aiming to keep attention on unresolved tragedies. A documentary film accompanies the sculptural display, highlighting the voices of participants including survivors, educators, and family members. The curatorial approach emphasizes naming all collaborators in wall texts and maintaining an updated list of the missing individuals. The installation occupies a central position within MACAAL's architecture, engaging with themes of decolonization, cultural continuity, and contemporary social issues. Berrada notes that the museum context allows the work to situate personal loss within broader dialogues about memory and resilience. Nourry describes the sculptures as creating an embodied encounter that fosters lasting empathy rather than fleeting awareness. The exhibition reflects MACAAL's institutional commitment to hosting projects that combine artistic rigor with social advocacy, aligning with current movements among African cultural institutions to foreground local traditions and address present-day concerns.