Al Boujwazi Al Fakir is Mahdi Khmili's stage name, and the character he built to tell stories through poetry, writing, and photography.
More than a stage name, Al Boujwazi Al Fakir is another version of Mahdi, a character that lives through the lines of his poetry and writings. He gives a voice to thoughts, emotions, frustrations, dreams, and experiences that are not always easy to express otherwise.
Al Boujwazi Al Fakir has a true gift, or perhaps a curse. It depends on which side you're looking at it from. His gift is words. An illogical combination of words comes together, rhyming, creating stories and meaning from the moments we laugh and the moments we bleed.
Poetry and photography have always gone hand in hand in Mahdi's creative process. Words in a poem can draw images in the mind and heart of a reader or listener. An image can speak and express many meanings and messages without a single word.
Sometimes a photograph comes first, capturing a moment, a feeling, a person, or a place that later becomes a poem. Other times, a line of poetry creates an image in his mind, leading him to photograph what the words made him see.
But what happens when they come together? When they collaborate to create something deeper and more meaningful. A way to tell stories, deliver messages, and express feelings and ideas.
That's the perfect combination.
Through Al Boujwazi Al Fakir, Mahdi brings these two worlds together. Words become images, images become words, and somewhere in between, a story begins to take shape.
The character may have been created by Mahdi, but over time, the lines between the writer, the photographer, and the character have become less clear.