TANGIER DIARY
David Van Der Leeuf
Full story on Arxipelag Volume 3, available in our shop.
( Skies above France ) A year has passed since my last entry. Many things have changed. I feel different, though I cannot say exactly how. The airplane I am currently in is heading for Paris, but Paris is not my final destination. If the tight connecting flight holds, I will be in the African continent by 13:30. Tangiers, Morocco to be exact. I wait and cross my fingers.
( Skies Above Spain ) I made it. Now I’m officially on my way. I order a tomato juice with ice to celebrate, something I only ever seem to drink on planes. In seats 5A and 5B next to me, an elderly Moroccan couple sit close together. We do not share a language, but we share gestures that feel kind. As the plane starts its descent, I look past them and see the Strait of Gibraltar, stretching out below us. The man beside me is named Mohammed. He presses his fingers together and murmurs a prayer, as he did during takeoff. Nothing goes wrong. When we land safely, he turns to me and says, “Welcome to Tangiers.” His voice is calm and relieved.
Find David's full story in Arxipelag Vol.3
( Tangier ) Border control is slow.
The air outside is warm. A taxi takes me into the city, fast and without much care. After I leave my bags at the hotel, I can’t help but walk into the old Medina. I am slightly uneasy. I do not know where to point my camera, so I do not point it at all.
I sit at Café Tingis and order a café au lait, following Michael Palin’s footsteps.
Another man named Mohammed suddenly joins my table. We speak about the city, about distant wars, about his time in Amsterdam in the seventies. It’s an easy, pleasant conversation, and it helps me relax. Connections seem to form quickly here.
I walk through the streets and feel something I have not felt in a while.
A quiet affection. For the city. For its people. For the fact that I am here. And for the first time in a long time, It makes me want to create.
David Van Der Leeuf
David van der Leeuw (b. 1989) is a Dutch autodidact photographer based between Amsterdam and Paris. He works across personal and commissioned projects, often drawing on street-inspired moments and a cinematic eye to explore urban life and subtle gestures. His photography has appeared in editorial and fashion contexts for brands and publications including Jacquemus, Tod’s, Vogue and Vanity Fair, and he is the co-creator (with Sarah van Rij) of the photobook Metropolitan Melancholia (Kominek Books, 2023).
