Hanane has a fierce look in her eyes. A determination that is stronger than anything that comes her way. “I wanted to be independent”, she said. She said it in Italian. Volevo essere independente. Originally from Morocco, she moved to Italy about 14 years ago.

“Why Italy?”, I asked. She said she learned Italian at school.

“I was a child in a big family with many siblings. I am the youngest. I wanted to build my own life and become independent.” And so she did.

Her smallest shows her looking northeast across the sea. The full moon and Venus illuminate her way. Volevo, volavo, vela, her wanting, flying, sailing. (The boat is a metaphor, she travelled by plane.) Independent like a sailing boat, using natural forces to go her own way.