People wandering the Boulevard Anspach yesterday might have taken note of an impressive lion sculpted from snow.
Its creator is Slimane Ouhabi, who came to Brussels from Morocco where he used to regularly craft snow and ice sculptures, according to Bruzz.
“In Morocco, I lived in a village they call the Switzerland of Morocco,” Ouhabi told Bruzz. “I always got up at 4 AM to start making sculptures in the snow. The local newspapers and television followed me. But since I've been in Belgium, I carry a lot of baggage. When I ended up on the street, I thought, I have to keep doing something to appeal to people.”
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Ouhabi came to Brussels around two years ago on a family reunification visa, but became homeless after a series of setbacks.
He has been living in a shelter run by SAMU Social for about a year hoping to find work as an artist or a gardener.
“Everyone who passed by was impressed and asked to take pictures,” said Julia Njoroge, who noticed the sculpture during her lunch break and notified the Dutch-language news outlet. “We were amazed and amazed to see the man responsible for this creation.”
Ouhabi can often be found drawing in the Royal Gallery or on the Grande Place. At the shelter, he does portraits of the other residents.
But now he is on the hunt for places where he can build more snow sculptures.
“I definitely want to make sculptures in the coming days, if I find enough snow,” he said. “If people can give me tips, I promise that I can make beautiful images. I can make anything you want.”
If you want to help guide Ouhabi to places with a lot of snow in Brussels, you can send him an email at ouhabislimane13@gmail.com.
Helen Lyons
The Brussels Times
