Art Moves Africa – Retracing Roots and Tracing New Routes: Mobility and Touring in North Africa

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Visas
· Algerian authorities have been known to apply
visa restrictions arbitrarily, even to countries
with which freedom of movement purportedly
applies.
· Access to Egypt has been particularly difficult
for Algerian cultural actors.
Lack of training
Educational institutions exist for artistic training,
but there are no opportunities for cultural
managers to receive training in Algeria.
The notion of cultural industries remains
embryonic here. – Zafira Ouartsi, founder and
director, Artissimo, Algiers*
Culture of nepotism and individualism
· Several respondents noted that the climate
of poor / absent funding, lack of training and
isolationism has created a culture of nepotism
and individualism.
· On the one hand, a select number of groups
and individuals who have managed to break
into international markets have monopolized
all opportunities.
There are groups that have toured everywhere,
that have used every fund, that have been to
every music market. And then there are some
that never move. There’s a category that has
priority; it’s the ones who match the authorities’
agendas. – Samy Abdelguerfi, booker, cultural
policy researcher, Groupe de travail sur la politique
culturelle en Algérie, Algiers / Paris*
· On the other hand, those who have not yet had
access to opportunities have had to compete,
creating a climate of individualism.
In Algiers, it can get very individualistic. Everyone
is trying to break the other person’s career. There
are so few of us, and yet we’ve been shooting
each other in the feet instead of helping one
another. – Samy Abdelguerfi*
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Country-Specific Information
Racism
· Racism has been exacerbated in recent years
due to the migration crisis.
· Algeria has taken a tough stand, adopting a
security-based approach, criminalizing migration
in 2008 and signing agreements with Niger
to deport migrants at the border.
· Algeria continues to be an important destination
for scholarship holders from Sub-Saharan
African countries, but they face discrimination.
It’s the lack of knowledge of Sub-Saharan Africa
that creates racism toward students. It depends
on the cities ; in some, students have an easier
time integrating. – Houari Bouchenak, photographer,
Collectif 220, Algiers / Tlemcen*
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QUOTE:
« It’s the lack of knowledge of Sub-Saharan
Africa that creates racism toward students.
It depends on the cities; in some, students
have an easier time integrating. »
Houari Bouchenak
Photographer, Collectif 220,
Tlemcen*
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QUOTE:
« Recently we made an
anti-racism video. There was an incident in
2017 ; everyone was manipulated.
A Sub-Saharan man attacked a woman.
Everyone came out to say that migrants
should stay in their home countries.
I got a group of young people together.
I’m the first to mobilize people – I was saying
“you’re against Africans, but
WE are Africans!”. »
Sadek Bouzinou
Singer /songwriter, Democratoz,
Oran / Dakar*
Watch the video for
“Atini Yedak” here
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