Imane Raissali (Miss Raisa): "There are cultural practices that should not be tolerated."
Artist, psychologist and communicator of Moroccan origin
Barcelona"It's my story, and I still lift the veil. I'm no longer shy; now I always look up to the sky. They may tease me for taking off this scarf, but I do defend myself. Let's see who wins this duel.", sang the rapper Miss Raisa (Tangier, 1997), born in Morocco, but raised in Barcelona, when she wore the Islamic veil and was discriminated against. Now, having received death threats after stopping covering her hair, she sings in reference to the Muslim community: "Your hypocrisy is endless, it applauds violence and machismo in a vile way. […]. Since no one is stopping you, let me do the honors.". Artist, psychologist and communicator, Imane Raissali –this is her real name– knows better than anyone what it means to be a woman, of immigrant origin, and living between two worlds.
Are girls of immigrant origin pressured by their families and communities to follow the traditions of their parents' countries?
— Yes, it's a no-brainer because, whether we like it or not, we all raise our children according to what we believe is right.
Does this mean that these are not isolated cases, but rather a widespread situation?
— Exactly, a widespread situation that is rarely discussed. And because it's rarely discussed, there's a perception that these are isolated cases. It also happens that the girls themselves don't perceive it as a limitation on their freedom, but rather that it's what they have to do. From a young age, you're taught that your value lies in following the path you've been told is right. This leads to self-imposed limitations.
In what sense?
— You see your friends doing things you'd like to do, but you don't because you know you can't. Very simple things: going to the pool, going to camp... It happened to me as a child. My parents wouldn't let me, but I didn't tell anyone. You have to construct a lie that you end up believing and that you defend to the death. You feel bad explaining this cultural difference because you don't even fully understand it yourself.
And do you also end up believing that it's better not to associate with boys after a certain age?
— Your family's goal is for you to get married. And for a man to want to marry you, your reputation and image are very important. For example, they now tell me I'm worthless because I no longer wear the veil.
That is, the veil is part of that good reputation.
— If you wear the veil, you're considered a good girl, respected, and worthy. From a young age, this is drummed into you: you should protect your surroundings and not mix with just anyone. And that sentiment resonates deeply with you if you're not familiar with other realities. But it's not done out of malice; it's a cultural issue that's passed down from parents to children, and it's very difficult to question it because, if you do, it seems like you're questioning an entire community, an entire religion, and an entire tradition.
Is that why there is so little talk?
— It's talked about less than it should be. If you speak out, you'll be accused of being racist or Islamophobic. And if I do, my community will call me a traitor. All of this ends up silencing you. It's not talked about to avoid conflict.
So it's better not to talk?
— A few days ago, I gave a talk at a high school, and they explained to me that there are two underage students from Mali who want to marry them off against their will this summer. What do you do? If we talk about it, it will generate racism. And if we don't talk about it, we'll be complicit in a forced marriage. Often, the girls themselves don't say anything because they fear repercussions for their families. However, from my point of view, there are cultural practices that shouldn't be tolerated.
That is, we cannot look the other way.
— I don't think so. We live in a society whose values are very clear, universal, and we must respect them. Yes to diversity, but if that diversity hides the suffering of people, it cannot be accepted.
In your mythical songs A girl either I'm not but, allegations that there is racism in Catalonia.
— Racism exists, and there are racist people, but I don't consider this country to be racist. Catalonia is a very welcoming country, which has welcomed and provided opportunities to many people, while our countries of origin have not. And I think we should be grateful to the land that has welcomed us.
But the racism you speak about in your songs shouldn't help these girls of immigrant origin raise their voices.
— If you don't wear the veil, you'll go more unnoticed, but you'll suffer pressure from your community. And if you do wear it, your community will respect you more, but here they'll look at you as an outsider. Therefore, you'll never quite fit in. As a woman, you'll always suffer, because if the Catalan doesn't look down on you, the Mohammed of your community and his entire family will, because they've seen you out with a boy classmate, and you're a girl, and you can't be together.
It seems like a dead end.
— I receive messages from many girls on social media telling me they can't speak up because otherwise their families will reject them. It's a deeply hidden reality in our society. And it makes you feel alone, very alone.
What can we do to help these girls?
— We must appreciate diversity and use it to grow and make us better, not to distance ourselves. When a person goes to another country to make a living, they must adapt to that country's reality. You can meet your fellow countrymen, build a community, but you can't turn Catalonia into Morocco. This may sound super-fascist, but I don't think it's fascist. It's about respecting diversity, but also the land you're in.
And how is this achieved?
— I believe that change is driven by education, as well as by each person's individual responsibility. What do I want for myself? What kind of person do I want to become? It would be important to create spaces where people who haven't followed the traditional path can show that it is possible to do so and live together in harmony.
What role should administrations play in all this?
— I believe that administrations often label themselves as super multicultural and tolerant, but they lack the resources to manage all of this, nor the intention to do so. And this is a serious mistake because it could end up exploding.
