We Dance (2003)

A woman arranges blue, white, and red cloths around her waist, mimicking a belly dancer. This evokes a familiar stereotype of Eastern femininity, but the colors are those of France. As she begins to move rhythmically, the French national anthem, the Marseillaise, suddenly plays loudly. The anthem's patriotic tone overrides the anticipated sensuality of the dance. Through this, Algerian woman Zoulikha Bouabdellah offers a sharp, concise commentary on colonialism and its lasting impact on France, revealing how both historical exoticism and modern racism persist. This is a single-channel video installation in color with sound.