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

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Country-Specific Information
In the absence of well-maintained government
facilities, private organizations have set
up arts spaces in Cairo and Alexandria. The two
cities are home to a large number of galleries and
multidisciplinary arts spaces as well, of which
the Townhouse Gallery, Darb 1718, Medrar and
Contemporary Image Collective (CIC) are some
of the best-known on international circuits in
Cairo, and Al-Madina and MASS are some of
the best-known in Alexandria.
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MOBILITY TO/FROM EGYPT
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Despite Egypt’s positioning at the crossroads of
geopolitical and cultural areas, mobility patterns
to / from the country are not equally distributed.
Most respondents agreed that arts mobility continues
to have Europe as a centre of gravity.
However, as in other North African countries,
this situation is changing due to visa restrictions
enforced on Egyptian nationals.
Cultural actors are more likely to travel to
Middle Eastern destinations than North African
ones, due to geographic proximity and historical
ties that have connected Cairo and Alexandria
more closely with Beirut and Amman than Tunis
and Casablanca. Most cultural actors who have
had international travel experience have been to
Beirut and Amman, as Lebanon and Jordan have
easy visa regulations for Egyptians and are also
important seats of cultural activity.
In North Africa, exchange is most active with
Morocco and Tunisia. Both countries are associated
with lively cultural scenes and political
stability. Only two respondents mentioned
attendance at an event in Algeria and only one
mentioned a cultural project in Libya.
Exchange with other African regions is
fairly weak in contrast with the volume of exchange
with Europe, the Middle East and North
Africa. Most respondents stated that Sub-Saharan
Africa simply is not on the radar. For artists who
have pursued connections to the South, the most
active channels are those that connect Egypt to
South Africa, Ethiopia, as well as hubs in West
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E
G
Y
P
T
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QUOTE:
« There are big gaps between the
communities. I always talk about this;
the problem is the media. There is no
news show or program talking about
African issues in Egypt. We’re trying
to get people interested, to close this gap.
Most of these communities stay
together because they’re afraid; they
don't feel involved in Egyptian society.
I say let’s meet through music. It’s a
place where we can come together. »
Ahmed Omar,
Bassist and founder of AfriCairo,
Cairo
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Africa, most prominently Dakar and Lagos. According
to AMA’s statistics, Egypt has had the
most exchange with South Africa and Ethiopia
(10 applications each), followed by Nigeria and
Cameroon (8) and lastly by Kenya (7). These
connections can likely be explained in terms of
cultural and linguistic ties inherited from colonial
times, as well as geographic proximity and availability
of flight connections in the case of East
Africa.
A number of initiatives have nevertheless
been promoting African arts and culture in
Cairo and Alexandria, especially through music.
Makan – Egyptian Center for Culture and Arts
has been working to promote Egypt’s traditional
musical heritage, offering a platform in particular
for Sudanese and Nubian communities. On the
side of contemporary music, AfriCairo is offering
a venue for African musicians living in Cairo to
meet and perform, with a small recording studio
and a performance / jam space. The independent
Luxor African Film Festival is also an important
event on the annual arts calendar, with year-round
training initiatives and programmes to support
the production and promotion of African cinema.