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

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Country-Specific Information
when they approach the government (quoted in
Gana, 2011).”
The revolution brought a phenomenal outpouring
of creative production: protest poetry was
voiced, rap battles were hosted, graffiti exploded
on city walls, and photographers documented
the process, sharing their images via blogs and
social media. International institutions supported
this process, largely from the perspective of
encouraging arts as a form of documentation of
human rights defense and democracy-building.
After violent clashes in 2013 – 2015 put a
halt to cultural activity, the last years have seen a
recrudescence in grassroots arts. Clusters of cultural
actors are forming organically in Tripoli and
Benghazi, finding creative solutions to the vast
problems of lack of infrastructure, training, managerial
capacity and restrictions on movement.
Neither of the two provisional governments has
a Ministry of Culture, although both have general
authorities for culture. However, neither is
truly in touch with the grassroots cultural
scene and neither is funding any major
events or facilities.
The young art scene is therefore
consolidating itself through a small number
of organizations run by dedicated young
artists, of which Tanarout in Benghazi and
WaraQ in Tripoli are the most active and
visible; support from international human
rights organizations; and the tireless work
of a small group of figures from the previous
generation, namely Ali Mustafa Ramadan
(founder of The Art House in Tripoli) and
Hadia Gana (an artist, founder of the Ali
Gana Foundation and Museum). Libyans
living abroad, such as Reem Gibreel in the
USA, founder of the Arete Foundation,
and architect Najlaa el-Ageli, founder of
Noon Arts Projects, are also playing an
important role in connecting Libya with the
international arts scene. Today’s Libyan arts
scene is an incredible model of resilience
and revival, much of which has been driven
by remarkable solidarity.
—
L
I
B
Y
A
—
—
QUOTE:
« Our history was re-written
under Gaddafi – we don’t know
our own history. Not just in
Libya, but across the whole
Middle East, it’s been
trauma after trauma, since the
Ottomans. We need to tackle
this history. [Visual artist]
Takwa [Barnosa] is asking
what is the legacy of the
Ghaddafi era? The younger
generation didn’t go through
the brainwashing the older
generations did. »
Najlaa El-Ageli
Curator and architect, Founder
of Noon Arts Projects, Tripoli/
London
—
—
MOBILITY TO/FROM LIBYA
—
Mobility to / from Libya has been severely hampered
by the cultural isolationism under Gaddafi
and the war since 2011, which caused borders to
close, flights to / from Libya to cease and foreign
embassies to leave Libyan cities.
The Libyan arts scene is very little known
outside the country. Incoming mobility of cultural
actors to Libya has thus been virtually nil, voided
by lack of knowledge and security concerns.
AMA had never received an application
for a mobility project to / from Libya until
2018 (see Ouafa Belgacem quote below). It
should be noted that several cultural actors
in neighbouring countries expressed strong
interest in knowing more about the Libyan
cultural scene, voiced their solidarity with
their Libyan peers and expressed the desire
to create bridges.
Today, mobility of Libyan cultural actors is
beginning again, with exchanges happening
almost exclusively via Tunisia. Tunisia is one
of the only countries that does not require
visas from Libyan citizens and the only flight
connections to / from Tripoli and Benghazi
are with Tunis. Moreover, with most foreign
embassies having left Tripoli and Benghazi,
the closest embassies are in Tunis, forcing
Libyan travellers to make a stop there in
order to complete visa procedures.
Libyan citizens are eligible for visa-free
access to Mauritania and Algeria, although
Algeria’s border authorities have been reported
to be inconsistent. Access to Egypt
has become very difficult in recent years.
Respondents did not cite any examples of
travels to Morocco.