“Football spoke to me in Darija”: Interview with Member Jinane Ennasri

Interview and Words by Fay Harvey
Photography by Matthew David Stith, Susana Ferriera and Jinane Ennasri

July 26, 2025

CASABLANCA, Morocco — Flow, a cognitive state conceptualised in the late-1970s by Hungarian Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and told to WIRED Mag in 1996, is a phenomenon that occurs when a person forgets both ego and time, allowing their actions and movements to jive with one another without the need to think. Comparing it to the art of playing Jazz, Csikszentmihalyi explains that being in a flow state feels like being, “completely involved in an activity for its own sake.”

While there are plenty of examples of someone being in their element and achieving this state of mind — runners high, good conversation, freestyle dancing — the most prominent and true example from my recent memory comes from observing Photographer and Football Case Study Member Jinane Ennasri during our time in Morocco. From weaving in and out of traffic in the busy streets of Casablanca, to photographing Moroccan families in football stadiums for the CAF Africa Women’s Cup of Nations in such a specifically deliberate, purposefully delicate manner during tender moments that nobody catches besides her, to casually breaking out into deep conversation with total strangers in the medina, taxis or sidewalks: Jinane in Morocco is the definition of being in your element, where ego slips beneath the brain and the love for the craft transcends all barriers.

When leaving for Morocco, we nearly missed our flight. As our team walked to the JFK gate after lollygagging around duty free, we realized the gate had opened and the passengers boarded; everybody was already on that plane except us and one other mother with her son. We anxiously spoke with the woman on what happened, how they boarded the plane early without a verbal announcement; but as Jinane began speaking Darija with our new, fellow late-to-flight friend, a whole new avenue of the conversation bloomed before our very eyes. Despite us all almost missing our one way mode of transportation to the continent across the Atlantic Ocean, Jinane and the woman were able to laugh, relate and then include us in. Tensions were lifted, and like magic, we forgot what we were worried about.

Little did we know the way this interaction would mirror the three-week trip we were about to have. With Jinane at our side, Morocco felt limitless and familiar. The hospitality of the country, the football loving nature and the priority of family values radiated through our friend and unto us where we experienced the North African country in ways that would have been impossible without her. The food was better, the transportation was smoother, the sights were prettier and the conversations with Moroccans were deeper.

Born in Taza, Morocco, and raised in New Jersey, Jinane was our guiding light throughout our assignment during WAFCON. On our second to last day in Morocco, I sat with Jinane on the cream-colored couch in our rented flat — that now feels like ours — about her love for photography, adoration for football and how coming home impacts her art.

As the morning sun creeped in through the window beside us, I got to understand the ways Jinane embodies her role as daughter of Morocco.

The Early Connection to Photography and Football

FH: Let’s go back to the start. How did you get into photography?

JE: I was first introduced to photography when I was about 15 or 16 years old, and it was because someone at my school at the time had just bought a Nikon DSLR, and I asked to borrow it, and he let me have it throughout the school day for two days.

FH: What a guy.

JE: Yeah, honestly. And then after that, I asked, “hey, how much does this camera cost?” And he was like, “Oh, it's $600, my parents got it from me.” And I was like, yeah don't have $600, let me try and find something similar.

So my mom and I went to BJs (a New Jersey wholesale market), and she bought me a Sony point and shoot camera. I think it was like 80 bucks, and that was the best day of my life. I just kept shooting with that: I shot my cousins, flowers, leaves that fell from the trees — anything that I saw to and from school, I photographed.

I still enjoyed photography and it was still part of my life, but I did other activities after school and all that stuff. Right before covid, I was gonna have my first opportunity to shoot PSG, and that was canceled because of the shutdown, so I was like, “You know what? I need to go professional in the photography football world.” So then I just used that [covid] time to connect with others and do as much as I could. With all the work that I already had, I thought to myself, what could I do, who could I reach out to? How can I display these photos, whether it was interactive online galleries or whatever the case was. So post covid, I hit the ground running. I was like, I want this to be my full time job, I want to continue in sport and documentary, and all of that led to today.

FH: What was it about sport that made you want to be involved in that world but through a creative lens?

JE: I think football has always been super prominent in my family, but I’ve only watched it, I never played. My dad and my brother played, but I never picked up a ball and said, “I’m going to play this.” But still, I wanted to be a part of football in some way, somehow. And I think photography was my road to football, it was a connecting thing. And then I also noticed there were not enough girls. So I was like, I can do this. And I enjoy watching football, I really do. I love going to matches. And so I was like, why not go to a match and see if I can do this. But, I prefer shooting in the streets. I love shooting mundane Morocco. I love shooting things that people don't necessarily get to see or will ever see.

Morocco as a Backdrop and Subject

FH: While walking around Morocco on the first day, Matt (FCS founder and photographer) said, “I can visually see Jinane’s work in my head while I experience the streets of Morocco,” and I relate to that so much. I see places or people here and immediately can see a photo you’ve aleady taken in my head.

JE: That was the goal: how do I get to people who have never traveled to Morocco or who don't have Morocco on their list of places to go?

FH: When you heard about the potentiality of shooting WAFCON, and you knew it was set to be in Morocco, how did you feel about accepting that opportunity?

JE: You want my real answer? Taking the job was a piece of cake. Because, one, you're combining three wonderful things: football, athletic women and Morocco. And for me, that's just beautiful. That's the recipe.

FH: No brainer.

JE: 100%. I was like, yeah Matt, I'll go with you. You don't even have to send me more information, let's just go. I'm so familiar with my country and I love my country so much that it was easy for me to just travel around and shoot. And what I really liked was that I didn't have that pressure of shooting the match. I love being behind the scenes — there's more to football than just 90 minutes.

FH: What has been your biggest lesson about the environment that is the stands of WAFCON versus pitchside?

JE: If there's a tournament in Morocco that we're shooting, or let's say our work takes us to places like Mexico or Brazil, I now know that there's got to be strategy: I don't want to go into these stadiums and say, “okay, I need to look for and acquire the best shot.” I think the most important thing is that we get familiar with the people and understand who they are and meet people on a human level. Photography is second, connection is first. Once we establish that connection, which has been easy, because Moroccans love to be photographed, then you go in.

FH: You’ve been in football crowds around the world, what is it about these WAFCON crowds in Morocco that bring something special?

JE: Everyone looks like my mom, everyone looks like my dad, everyone looks like my sister, everyone looks like my brother, it’s just like a crowd of family members, so it's like photographing my family. It’s nice because this is the first time that I take a picture of someone, and then they'll see me after the match, and they'll say, “thank you for that picture,” and then they'll give me a kiss or a big hug, or they'll say, “I want your Instagram,” — I feel like I've made 5 million friends.

The Arab world is known for their hospitality and their welcoming ways, even if you’re a newcomer, so I knew we wouldn’t face any problems.

FH: You were born in Morocco and moved to the U.S. with your family at two years old. I know you come back annually, but coming here to document football and culture with Football Case Study, it is a unique kind of homecoming for you. You’re leading us, a group of foreigners, through new food, customs, languages — which thank you, because we would have missed out on so much without your expertise — do you think when you’re adding to a creative project in Morocco as opposed to Qatar, where you live, or the East Coast, where you grew up, you move and work differently?

JE: I love being a learner. In the U.S. and in Qatar, it's nice to kind of just sit back and absorb and learn. Whereas Morocco, I had almost no choice. I had to step up to the plate, because I was like, I need to make sure that these next three weeks are near perfect for us, whether it's photography or your experience here in Morocco, and I almost felt like an ambassador.

FH: I mean, we're going to stranger’s houses, and they're treating you like their daughter, and then we're outside and someone's yelling your last name off the back of your jersey or from your last interaction you had with them the week prior. You really are like our ambassador and I love it.

JE: It’s all because I’ve had that love and appreciation for my country since the beginning of time, and that's because of my parents. Even though we moved to the States, they always made sure that Morocco was, you know, front and center; home is always the end goal. We’ll spend X amount of years abroad so that when we decide to go back to Morocco, it will be a fantastic rest of our lives.

My parents never deprived me of Morocco. The year we moved we came back two years later, and then ever since we've been coming back every summer. And then when I finally was able to get a job and save up my own money, I would come back on my own, or with my siblings and so it's really nice. There's always been that connection, regardless of the distance.

FH: Are you noticing any themes in your work during this trip, from subjects to colors to moments?

JE: I’ve said it before, but Morocco is an entire movie set. As soon as we walk out the door, it's, “look at that shot.” We say, “look at that shot” maybe 15 times on our way to one destination.

FH: Yes, like, “that’s a photo.”

JE: That's literally the slogan for this trip: “That's a photo.”

The country of Morocco makes it so easy to capture a beautiful image because the people are beautiful, the scenes are beautiful, the weather is phenomenal. And what I really loved about this time was that I really tested my digital talent. I prefer film, but shooting with a new camera, especially shooting with a Leica, was a game changer.

FH: Why is it that film serves your work well?

JE: I love having control over my shots. 12 shots is so much more meaningful to me than, let's say, 1200 shots. Because in those 12 shots, I might only like four or five pictures, but for me, those four or five pictures I know are going to be incredible.

FH: How have you been navigating the digital camera and going through that post-shoot process while on this assignment?

JE: I pretend I have 12 shots with the Leica; but it's so hard because it's just an incredible camera and Morocco is so photogenic. I want to take a photo of every inch of this entire country, from Tanger to the entire country, but we don't have enough time or memory space.

Inside the Stands

FH: How about the people, who are you most drawn to when photographing at the matches?

JE: The women. They’re beautiful. I was surprised to see so many older women that are older than my mom and around my grandma's age. They are so welcoming and smiley, just waving their flag and color coordinating with the red and green flag. It’s really nice … I'll crack a smile, I'll wave and then I'll indicate that I want to take a picture, and then they pose for me, and it's just beautiful. It's remarkable. And then I'll show them the camera, and they love it.

But hats off to the Moroccan national team, too. They’ve made this so incredible for us, and are almost paving the way for us to be able to come back and create more and more and more and so if it wasn't for this tournament being so excellent during those 90 minutes, we wouldn't have that landscape to shoot.

FH: Yeah, it's all connected. I feel like in so many conversations we've been having with young people in particular, they see the advances that the women's national team are making and they're using that as inspiration, even if they're not football players.

JE: 100% I agree. And it's not just the Moroccan national team, because you need teams to create a tournament. Nigeria is excellent, and we know that because they're in the final. Ghana did their very best, and countries like Algeria and Tunisia, they were incredible. And even speaking to some of the players and their families… They were so nice. You have all these people from all walks of life, and they're just, you know, regular people whose daughter happens to play for a national team, and they're in the crowd with us. I think that's what life is really about. It’s really nice that everyone is equal, you know, it's a tournament, it's a big tournament, but there is equality.

A Glimpse into Taza

FH: What do you wish people knew about Morocco? I know that’s probably such a hard question.

JE: What do I wish people knew about Morocco…

I’d say I want people to know that Morocco is a very, very magical place. It is a very loving country, a beautiful country … it is one of a kind, there is no place like it in the world. If you decide to come here, or you're thinking of visiting, you should and you will have a blast regardless of where you go. You'll feel the love and you'll feel welcomed regardless of who you are and where you come from.

FH: Maybe you could describe Morocco in the five senses to paint a picture of Morocco, specifically where you’re from in Taza?

JE: It tastes like bread and olive oil. It smells like the forest and the dirt, it’s very mountainous with lots of trees, unlike the big cities. Palms don’t go past four stories, so when you go to your roof you see the Atlas Mountains. Noise is a mix of taxis and donkeys. And then, last but not least, touch … It feels like a warm hug from your mom.

FH: The motherland.

JE: Literally, that's what it feels like.

FH: I’ve noticed you always call cities, and Morocco itself, “she.” When you talk about Tangier, you say “she’s beautiful.”

JE: The Bride of the North!

FH: Why is there this association of femininity and beautiful cities in Morocco?

JE: Morocco is super feminine, Morocco is definitely that girl *snaps*, and you have to snap when you say it. She's phenomenal. I think it's because of who I am as a girl, I see things in a very feminine way. And to me, Morocco loves me like I love my mother, like I love my grandmother.

Looking back and Casting Forward

FH: When you were a little girl, could you have envisioned this life for yourself, where you’d come back to Morocco and explore it with friends and strangers through creativity?

JE: I had no idea this could be possible … there wasn’t a platform that allowed us to travel together and meet people. Even us members, we’re from all over the world, so for our schedules to finally align, for us to be here in Morocco, I say to Matt all the time that this is going to set the tone for what's to come.

I also think it's nice that we came to Morocco on work terms versus vacation terms, because you really got to see Morocco in a way that you wouldn't be able to see while vacationing. Because vacationing… we are lazy during vacation. We just want to go to the beach and chill out and coffee shops and this and that — but now there's this motivation, we have purpose, we have 15 things that need to get done on the same day. So I'm glad that we got to come together as a group, especially to Morocco. I know it’s only going to get better from here.

FH: If you could go back and give yourself a message, maybe at the start of your photography career, what would you tell yourself?

JE: Make sure that everything you’re going to do, you always do it with love. Whether it's photography, or anything in your line of work, make sure to do it with love, because that's the only thing that's going to separate your work between the 50 million people who are also photographing.

“Do it with intention, be intentional with everything that you do”

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JE: We will definitely be back in Morocco, and we will be back stronger and bigger. Thank you for the love and encouragement this last month, it's been great, and we can't wait to do it again. —

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