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

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Country-Specific Information
the airport on a given day. – Mohamed Busneina,
drummer, Content Developer & Head of Music
Dept. of Tanarout, Benghazi
Flight delays and complications
· All respondents noted that travelling out of
Libya is an extremely hazardous and at best
time-consuming process.
Flight delays are crazy – sometimes you wait 10 – 12
hours in the airport, waiting there for nothing. –
Mohamed Busneina
Harassment
· Harassment at the airport is extremely common,
namely for artists and especially for women
travelling alone.
At arrival at the airport, I was held for a while
for no convincing reason. In my opinion, it was
related to the fact that I am a Tunisian woman,
unveiled and travelling alone to Libya. As the
airport is still primarily controlled by militia, many
of which are pro-Daesh, a woman travelling alone
is as such a defiance. – Ouafa Belgacem, cultural
resource mobilization expert, CEO of Culture
Funding Watch, Tunis
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Lack of identification with Africa and racism
· Racism is a major issue in Libya. Discrimination
toward black Libyans and Africans is
deep-seated, marked namely by the presence
of racial stratifications and derogatory terms.
However, it has taken new forms in recent
years, especially as a result of the war, which
has caused internal displacement for black
Libyan communities, and the escalation of
migration from African countries further south.
Indeed, despite the strife and instability in the
country, Libya is an important transit point
for migrants trying to reach Europe. Human
rights organizations have reported the vast
range of abuses that migrants face, from arbitrary
detentions, to beatings, to killings. In
2016, the IOM reported that migrant Africans
were being sold as slaves in Libya; in 2017,
CNN published a video of a slave auction
that sparked an international outcry. In the
media and in everyday conversation, Libya
is described as a dangerous place for black
Africans.
Lack of infrastructures and professional
training
· As described above, there is a glaring lack
of infrastructures and facilities for the arts in
Libya’s main centres, due to repression during
the Gaddafi era and subsequent destruction
during the years of conflict. Nevertheless, the
centres described above are eager to connect
with foreign artists and are building facilities
that could host mobility projects in the future.
· The new generation of Libyan artists and cultural
operators is largely self-taught, making it
difficult for them to compete with international
artists in funding calls. They are however highly
motivated and are seeking out opportunities
for training whenever available.
I’m self-taught. All of us have to learn the hard
way. Lots of things, we learn via the Internet. We
can’t find materials in the country for many types
of art. At Tanarout we’re all volunteers. – Dina
Gallal, photographer, Tanarout, Benghazi