Iconic Casablanca Mural Honoring Women Erased, Sparking Public Outcry

Located in Victory Square, the drawing titled "Handle with Care" by Italian artist Millo, created as part of the last SbaghaBagha festival, has simply been erased. Yet this is a work of art that pays tribute to the Derb Omar neighborhood, to wholesalers of various products. Through this work, the artist said he wanted to pay tribute "to women who, unfortunately, still have difficulty being recognized 100% in the country."

He explained: "From early morning to darkness, thousands of boxes are dragged through the streets ready to leave or just arrived, it’s a giant non-stop open-air market. ’Handle with care’ seems to be the best advice I’ve received from all the people who work there. And at the same time ’handle with care’ is also an invitation to be gentle with women who, unfortunately, still have difficulty being recognized 100% in the country."

On the web, many Casablancans have posted images showing that the mural has been erased. In these images, we see an agent mandated on a crane who was covering the entire mural with gray paint. This act has provoked the anger of Internet users. For them, it is a "horror", a "crime against urbanism and against art".

While the reasons for this act remain unknown, some indiscretions attribute it to the owner of the building who would intend to make his wall profitable with advertising contracts.