A bike with 21 satellite dishes struggles through the desert: the best photo of Heba Badu | Photography

THis image shows, Parabomobile, a living sculpture I created. A man drives through the desert on a road near Marrakesh, part of which is still under construction. He rides a Peugeot 103 motorcycle and carries 21 satellite dishes – each pointing in a different direction. But the person riding the motorcycle gets so excited, he can’t choose which route to take – and ends up going nowhere.

It is part of a broader interdisciplinary project, Paraboles, which is an investigation into the identity of the Moroccan people, our imagination and the way we see the world. Moroccans – and those living in other post-colonial countries – can feel that their minds have been colonized as well as their lands.

I grew up in Rabat in a diplomatic family. My grandfather had a major role in the French Protectorate (1912-1956). I went to a French school where everything we were taught was European. At that time there were not many good universities in Morocco, and we always knew that we would go to study abroad. I lived in Paris for 10 years, and it made me realize many things about Morocco that I didn’t see when I lived there.

When I came back and started walking around my country, I saw satellite dishes everywhere. These crystallized something about the previous century, and I decided to use the satellite to create an entire novel, The Hertz Republic – named after the hertz, the frequency unit of radio waves. In this republic, people go into exile in search of a better future, but this hope is just a mirage.

The project includes texts, installations and a short film in which we see people going on a pilgrimage to places they saw on their screens. She has also made passports out of goatskin, as goatskin is a particularly important material in the Bedouin cultures of Morocco. The passport closes when the material is cold and opens when it is hot. I even invented a language linked to 72 megahertz waves sent from satellites in Morocco, with 72 corresponding letters: my Bible with its own code. And I thought I should also create transportation for my fictional republic.

The Peugeot 103 motorcycle is considered a distinctive icon in Morocco. In the 1990s, it became a symbol of modern Morocco and social mobility. I decided to use one from that decade, the time in which my fantasy novel is set, and converted it using satellite dishes. This photo and this project were a way to remind us of the things we forget to see; How we don’t always want to see what’s happening in the present.

I returned to Morocco a year ago. The country is moving so fast – that’s inspiring. It’s an amazing place. It is very standardized, although some people in the north may speak Spanish but not a word of French, and we speak various dialects of Berber and Darija. The cultures are very different but at the same time, we feel close to each other, we feel like a nation. Language is a big part of my questions as an artist: the way words carry concepts and make us think differently. In Darayya, you never miss a train – the train leaves you behind. When you are sick, it is a cold that catches you.

My truth is between two cultures: French and Moroccan. The questions that interest me most stem from this. How we shape ourselves with our beliefs, and what gives us a sense of direction in life. It’s one of the most mysterious things about being human.

Heba Badu’s biography

child: Rabat, Morocco
High point: The Dakar Biennale in 2024 and winning the Saatchi Arts for Change Prize in the same year was a huge moment of recognition; It made me think that this work could expand and speak to people from different cultures. And also my latest solo exhibition at Makal, Marrakesh – my largest institutional exhibition to date
Top tip: Keep your eyes open at all times