Public Defenders Smoking on Oujda Courthouse Steps

Rich amber sunlight spills across the stone steps of a civic building in Oujda, illuminating the backs of three public defenders standing in a loose cluster. They hold cigarettes, the glowing tips marking the dimming light. Wet paper posters cling tightly to the metal barriers lining the walkway, their edges curled and darkened by recent moisture. The dry season air leaves the dust on the pavement fine and pale. Behind the group, the heavy stone architecture of the city hall rises in deep shadow, while the warm glow catches the texture of their wool coats and the rough surface of the concrete stairs. One shadow stretches long across the wet poster at the bottom of the frame.