Leila Alaoui was a French-Moroccan photographer.
Her work has been displayed across the globe, and explored themes of migration, cultural identity, and displacement.
Jean-Luc Monterosso, the director of the Européenne de la Photographie in Paris, described her as one of the most promising photographers of her generation.
“There was an internal light that illuminated both her and her work,” he said.
In 2016, Leila was on assignment for Amnesty International in Burkina Faso, a country in West Africa. She was working on a collection of photographs focused on women’s rights.
During her assignment, gunmen opened fire at a hotel and cafe in her area. Ms. Alaoui was shot in the leg and thorax.
She died from her injuries.
She was 33.
“I remember meeting her,” says Rayan: Founder and CEO of Oncyber.
“It's the type of moment where you meet people who have a general truth that they really live by 100%,” he recalls about Leila.
For many creators in the blockchain space, art is the compass guiding them in this new frontier.
Rayan admits, “I've never really spoken about this to anyone, but now that you ask me, I think this passion to create and to live your truth, no matter the cost and no matter the dangers and risks--I found that incredibly inspiring.”