Study "Made in Med : the challenges of artistic exchange in the Mediterranean"

T H E C H A L L E N G E S
O F A R T I S T I C
EX CHANGE
IN THE ME D .I T E R R A N E A NഊDirector of the publication
Judith Neisse
Editor in chief
Adriano Farano
Editors
Laëtitia Manach
Olivia Pisano ’
Leïla Badis
Mary Ann De Vlieg
Graphic design
Pier re Vincent
Central pages
Circle of confusion,
©Joana Hadjithomas
et Khalil Joreige
This publication is an initiative from
the Roberto
Cimetta
Fund
and the
Fondation
René
Seydoux
with the support of
the Relais
Culture
Europe
and the
European
Cultural
Foundation
FOND A TI ON RENE SEYDOUX
POUR LE MONDE MEDI TERRANEENഊCultural Mobility,
a Political Issue
2
Who Are We?
3
You Said,‘Mobility ’?
4
Artistic Mobility:
‘Made in Med ’
Encapsulated
6
Understanding mobility
Ong Keng Sen:
“IBelIeve In ThIS JOurney”
8
The ParadOx Of MOBIlITy
9
CulTural MOBIlITy
In The MedITerranean:
The PlayerS and TheIr
STraTegIeS 10
PaSCal BruneT:
“neTwOrKS are The
guaranTee Of arTISTS ’
freedOM ”
12
gIOvanna Tanzarella:
“eurOPe eMBOdIeS a vISIOn
Of The fuTure ”
14
BeTween The haMMer
Of CenSOrShIP and The
anvIl Of COnServaTISM
15
Th he eurO-MedITerranean
ParTnerShIP aS vIewed
By… 18
MOBIlITy TO dO whaT?
21
The flOw Of arTISTIC
MOBIlITy
24
Thinking mobility
leT ’S BraInSTOrM …
26
OBJeCTIve:
aCCOMPanIMenT
27
MaKe IT eaSIer
fOr arTISTS TO Travel
28
MOBIlITy Of arTISTIC
wOrK and nOrTh-SOuTh
dePendenCe
29
IMMIgranT COMMunITIeS …
and If we MOdernISed
Our gaze? 30
Th he Sun rISeS In duBaI
31
Made In Med.
The challenges of artistic exchange in the MediterraneanഊIn our Euro-Mediterranean societies, mobility of
people is inscribed in memory; it has fashioned our
history. Without mobility, neither the Renaissance
nor the European project would have taken place.
For Mediterranean cultural actors and artists, mobil-
ity has always been an aspiration, a desire, indeed
a real practice. These women and men - creators,
producers of the imaginary, travelling artists of the
Mediterranean - produce antibodies against indiffer-
ence and isolation, the illnesses of the new century.
The circulation of people is thus precious, and like
the sea and the forest, it is threatened.
But the mobility of cultural actors is not a separate
problem. It is intrinsically linked to the larger Medi-
terranean issues. If migration flows pose a question
in terms of human rights, so does cultural mobil-
ity. If the fight against international terrorism has
caused walls to be built around Europe, new barriers
are raised along the paths of artists all around the
Mediterranean.
There is a major political issue at the heart of
cultural mobility: the disparity in the conditions of
circulation increases the inequality between north
and south shores.
On the cultural side, the absence of fluidity in the
travel of the Mediterraneans reinforces reciprocal
ignorance, producing an “Eldorado” effect postulat-
ing Europe as a paradise of free creation, and at the
same time, a feeling of cultural domination in the
south by a hostile or indifferent Europe. For all of
these reasons, the mobility of people should be at
the centre of all policies directed towards the Medi-
terranean just as it should be prioritised in alliances
between artists and civil society activists.
However, the mobility of cultural actors also has its
own undeniable particularity. It is often a necessity
in the process of artistic creation and in the indi-
vidual or collective paths of contemporary artists.
Moreover, it is crucial for the structuring of a profes-
sional ecosystem appropriate to the performing arts
sector relying on the exchange of experience, shared
training and intercultural apprenticeship.
Finally, mobility also represents an issue with regard
to the societies in which artists evolve. The more the
nations freeze or constrain circulation of people in
the Mediterranean space, the less the processes of
cultural development and democratic opening will
progress.
Many people think that visas and other obstacles
to circulation are inevitable in the Mediterranean.
They are wrong. On the contrary, in this matter it
is necessary to be both audacious and pragmatic.
Audaciousness starts with disproving “facts ”, those
which predict that the opening of Europe ’s doors is
a threat, presenting a danger for the economy and
European identity in the arrival of foreigners on her
soil; those which propose a drastic visa policy as the
only means to fight against illegal immigration.
To renew the thinking, to rejuvenate approaches,
to rethink policy: these are the first stages of the
construction of the future. Pragmatism consists in
relying on the realities of the people on the ground -
artists and culture professionnals – in order to invent
new, realistic strategies and new tools to facilitate
circulation in the Mediterranean space.
The present publication is a contribution to this
collective construction.
2
Giovanna Tanzarella,
General Delegate
of the René Seydoux Foundation
Cultural mobility, a political issue
The disparity in the conditio ons of circula atio on in ncreases
the in nequality between north and south shores
prEfacEഊ3
The Roberto Cimetta Fund (rcf )is an international
association supporting artistic exchange and profes-
sional mobility in the Mediterranean region, in the
fields of contemporary performing and visual arts.
Its mission is to facilitate the circulation of individual
artists and professionals in order to help them find
opportunities, partners and the means to achieve
personal or group artistic projects. To do this, the
Roberto Cimetta Fund has established a travel grant
programme for individuals, which contributes to the
travel and visa costs necessary for participation in a
professional cultural network meeting, workshop,
artists ’ residency, festival, seminar, etc.
Following its creation by IETM in 1989 when it
supported professionals from Central and Eastern
Europe, the Roberto Cimetta Fund was relaunched,
dedicated to the Mediterranean and officially
established as an independent entity in 1997, at the
instigation of culture professionals working in or-
ganisations dedicated to European and international
diffusion: Velia Papa, Mary Ann DeVlieg, Fabien
Jannelle, and Manuèle Debrinay-RRizos. The Fund
has been fully active since 2000.
The Fund carries the name of the Italian theatre and
festival director, Roberto Cimetta, who was at the
origin of many initiatives which contributed to the
development of the international theatre communi-
ty - the Inteatro Association and Festival of Polverigi
(IItaly), IETM (tt Informal European Theater
Meeting),, the ACARTE programme of contemporary
performing arts of the Gulbenkian Foundation in
Lisbon, Portugal.
The Roberto Cimetta Fund gratefully acknowledges
the support:
the French
Ministry of
Culture (DDDAI,
the Department
of Development
and Internation-
al Affairs)
the Gulbenkian Foundation
(PP
the Foundation of
France ONDA
(tt National
Office of Artistic Distribution)
of the European
Cultural Foundation
Who are we?ഊ4
We always come back to mobility. It ’s the magic
word of cultural co-ooperation. But what exactly
are we talking about? Between migration – mobil-
ity limited by a search for better conditions of life
– and what we would call ‘travel ’, mobility always
has many causes. Between the traveller who freely
chooses a destination and the one who depends on a
right of entry granted by someone else, the condi-
tions of mobility are hardly the same. Between quick
trips and residence, the impact of mobility on the
mobile person – and on those who stay behind –
is very different.
This publication addresses the mobility of cultural
players: a mobility founded, in principle, on a desire
for discovery, for reflection and for working together
with those who operate in a different cultural
context … from one side of the Mediterranean to
the other.
And, here again the term mobility begs several
questions. •Is it only mobility which counts? Or is
it as much about the way it is exercised? Mobility
in itself does not automatically mean engagement ;
physical mobility doesn ’tnecessarily mean mental
mobility. It depends on what baggage one is carry-
ing, in terms of objectives, beliefs, prejudices and
questions. …and what one brings along in terms
of knowledge, experience, understanding, images
of the other, of other places. …and what mobility
means for those who welcome the incomers, and for
those who stay behind.
• Between the departure, the arrival and the return,
how do we conceive of mobility programmes which,
going beyond physical displacement, stimulate the
interior voyage of those who are involved?
Did you say ‘mobility ’?
There is no time to waste if we want to give
meaning to mobility – in every sense of the term –
in the Mediterranean.
EDITOrIalഊ• In what direction is the mobility? The question is
particularly delicate in the perspective of Euro-Medi-
terranean exchange where North-South mobility
is asymmetrical, and timid in comparison with
South-North mobility which is even more difficult.
As if we could not escape a geography designed in
terms of centre and periphery; as if it was not time
for European cultural actors to also travel more in
order to try to learn, to understand how to work in,
and with ‘the South ’.
• Cross-border mobility: what borders are we speak-
ing of? Mobility should not be confused with dis-
tance …and the most difficult frontiers to cross are
not always the furthest. We can ’tthink of mobility
across the Mediterranean without also thinking of
the cultural borders which cross our European cities,
of the historic frontiers which cross the Arab world
and of all other visible and invisible borders which,
like all borders, always have two faces which divide
but paradoxically, also connect.
This publication tackles these questions and many
others. Through stories, analyses and experiences,
mobility is placed in the context of the Euro-Mediter-
ranean Partnership today. This publication, with its
multiple voices, comes at the right time. There is no
time to waste if we want to give meaning to mobility
– in every sense of the term– in the Mediterranean.
5
Odile Chenal
European Cultural Foundationഊ6
Travel Grants of the association,
AMA.Art Moves Africa allocated
73 travel grants allowing artists
and cultural operators who live
and work in Africa to be involved
in information exchange, skills
improvement, the development of
informal networks and to research cooperation possibilities within the
African continent itself.
The Travel Grants of the Roberto
Cimetta Fund
Over 100 artists and culture profes-
sionals have been able to benefit
from mobility support which aims to
help a personal or collective artistic
project materialise.
Mawa3eed,by Culture Resource.
This is the new programme of sup-
port for artistic creation launched by
the association whose original name
was ‘Al Mawred Al Thaqafy’ [see
also the interview with its Director,
page 15]. It supported the presen-
tation of eight works or artistic
projects taking place at festivals,
forums, training workshops…
Step Beyond,of the European
Cultural Foundation, 144 artists and
cultural operators were supported
by this artistic mobility programme
which facilitated artistic exchanges
between Europe and Eastern Euro-
pean countries.
Mobility support from YATF
The Young Arab Theater Fund,
which supports the production and
the circulation of artistic works
(vvisual or performing arts),, has sup-
ported the travel of numerous artists
in order to participate in events in
the Arab world and at international
festivals.
It ’s the number of travel bursaries
awarded since 2000 to artists and
professionals of the contemporary
performing and visual arts. The
aim? To allow them to acquire new
skills or to find resources to develop
their artistic projects. Half of the
grantees come from the south
Mediterranean.
Projects which took place in 2006
néma pour le ciné
pour les oeuvres pour les oe
multidisciplinaires
pour la dannsee 20%
17%
12%
26%
cinema
interdisciplinary interdiscip
dan nce e
theat tre e
new circu cus
music
visual arts
20%
17%
12%
10%
7 7%
7%%
26
néma pour le cin in
our les oeuvres pour les pour les
multidisciplinaires
pour la d nse dan dans
pour le théâ e âtre âtre
pour le cirq rque rq
pour la musique la m la m pour
uels pour les arts visue ue
20
17
12
10
7
7
oeuvres multidi-sciplinaires
danse 17%12%
ArtistiC Mobility:
‘MADe in MeD ’ enCAPsulAteD
Allocation of grants by artistic
sector in 2006 Source:RCF
the roberto
Cimetta Fund: statisticsഊ“Invited by the Roberto Cimetta
Fund to the first ‘Mobility Meeting
in the Mediterranean ’ organised in
Fez in 2006, I requested a visa at the
Moroccan Embassy located in the
Gaza Strip. But for me, a Palestinian
from Ramallah, it was going to be
difficult. A victim of the separation
between the West Bank and the
Gaza Strip, I had to do everything by
post. After numerous exchanges, I
finally got the visa. In order to leave
the country, Palestinians have to
fly from the international airport in
Amman, Jordan. It takes about ten
hours to get there. From there I had
to get a flight for Casablanca, but
with a nine hour wait in Paris. If I’d
had a Schengen visa, I would have
been able to get a hotel room to rest
in, but as I wasn ’tallowed to leave
the airport, I had to settle for a chair
in the waiting area. Finally the flight
time arrived, well, almost.. the flight
was delayed two hours! The result
was that, in Casablanca, I missed
my flight to Fez. Therefore I had to
stay one night there. My suitcase,
which meanwhile had been lost,
was finally delivered two days later.
Shall I tell you what happened on
the return trip?””
Art goes up,
art comes down
The arrival of new artistic media
such as video, photography and
digital art has facilitated the emer-gence
of visual arts in the Mediterra-
nean which are free from tradition
and classical forms. Contemporary
dance which, unlike Arab theatre,
does not rely on a staged tradition,
is inventing new forms of repre-
sentation and relations with the
public. With this greater freedom
of experimentation, visual arts and
contemporary dance are currently
the most dynamic contemporary
artistic disciplines in the Mediterra-
nean and the most connected on an
international level.
7
Morocc occ cco oc cc co co co o o o o oc c c c c c c c cc
Spain
Algeria
Mauritania
Mali
Western Sahara a
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Ceuta uta C a t ta t ta a u u C C C C C C
Marocca ccan a a ca ca c c c ca a
defense s
wall
Iraq Ir Ira Iraq raq aqq q q q
Turkey
Koweitt
Iran
Jordan
Saudi Arabia
Egypt
Cyprus
Syria S Sy Sy Syr Syri yria ria ia
on Lebano o on on on n n n
Gaza strip
Attila line
Palestinian les
Authority or
o o o o o o o o o o
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Sensitive areas Areas of armed conflict Sensitive borders
Armed conflict and sensitive areas
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Fatin Farhat, Artistic Director, Palestine
Mobility … not so easy …ഊToday, I spend only 4 months a year in Singapore, my home
city. As a director of international performances collabo-
rating with diverse cultures, I have to make the journey to
connect with traditional wisdoms of societies which are not
mine. I believe in this journey. In order to be an engaged la-
bour force, an engaged individual, we have to become citi-
zens of the world. Citizens of the world who are not afraid
of borders, who are open to new experiences.
I desire mobility even though my body is weak. Many a time
I have called myself a citizen of jet lag city.Many a time, I
have woken up in a new hotel room walking into the wall in
the middle of the night because in the last hotel room, that
was where the bathroom was!
I am a firm believer that mobility alleviates the poverty of
knowledge, the poverty of empathy, the poverty of imagina-
tion, the poverty of spirit. I don ’twant to be poor, to be poor
in knowledge, to be poor in empathy for another human
being, to be poor in imagination, to be poor in spirit.
ong Keng sen:“i believe in this journey”
Extract of a speech given in 2006 in Lille,
by the Director of TheatreWorks
and Founder of Artists ’ Network Asia.
8
underSTandIng MOBIlITyഊ“…to promote the mobility of artists and profession-
als in the cultural field and the circulation of all
artistic expressions beyond national borders… ”
This is one of the objectives in the European Com-
mission ’s ‘Communication on a European Agenda
for Culture in a Globalizing World ’¹of May 10th,
2007. The notion of mobility has indeed become a
real concern of the European Union with regard to
cultural cooperation. It is also regularly evoked by
the Member States as a priority for the cultural sec-
tor, as was the case during the ‘ Meeting on Europe
and Her Culture ’ organised in Grenada in April
2006. Mobility is now recognised as essential to the
European project, and specifically valued in all of
the programmes of the EU.
Nevertheless, with regard to cultural affairs, mobili-
ty is not always the object of a dedicated programme
either in internal or in external policy.
How can this paradox be explained? In the Euro-
Mediterranean space, not focusing on mobility as
such is due notably to the problematic character it
represents in the region. Behind ‘mobility’, there are
eminently political questions on both national and
international levels. Thus, the question of popula-
tion flow refers back to that of migration risk and
to issues which are sensitive in the current context,
linked also to security and economic questions,
among others. Today we are witnessing a reversed
perception of migration risk, Catherine Lalumière ²
reminds us. “At the beginning of the 90 ’s, when we
established the Shengen Area, the threat of migra-
tion was perceived as being within the European
space, as coming from the East, the countries which
today are part of the EU.” Today, the mobility of
people from the South is perceived as the risk. On
the contrary, the mobility of individuals in civil
society, such as artists and cultural actors, should be
perceived as a tool for the development of societies.
It should also be valued as a catalyst in the develop-
ment process of the Mediterranean region regarding
global problems such as the closing off of societies,
limits on the freedom of expression or isolation of
communities.
the paradox of mobility
Mobility, a phenom menon which goes
far beyond the cultural sphere
UNDERSTANDING MOBILITY 9
1 Communication from the
Commission to the European
Parliament, the Council of
Ministers, the European
Social and Economic Com-
mittee and the Committee of
the Regions http://ec.eeuropa.
eu /culture /eac /communica-
tion /pdf_word /COM_2007_
242_een.ppdf
2 Formerly Vice-President of
the European Parliament
and General Secretary of
the Council of Europe, she is
currently Director of the Mai-
son de l’Europe in Paris and
President of Relais Culture
Europe.ഊPromotion of, and support for artistic mobility, no mat-
ter who is promoting it, responds primarily to strategic
concerns. If the European Union (eu )promotes mobility
in general as a means of cohesion and the construction of
a shared identity, national organisations and ministries
in particular have made it a device for spreading and rein-
forcing their image.
Private foundations, rarely motivated by artistic
concerns, are interested mainly for political reasons, as
a factor of development and /or intercultural exchange.
The professional sector, finally, supports mobility as a
means of structuring the sector itself and to encourage
the development of artistic practice.
UNDERSTANDING MOBILITY 10
CulturAl Mobility in the
MeDiterrAneAn:the PlAyers
AnD th heir strAtegiesഊTh he eurOPea an unIOn
The cultural dimension of the European Union ’s
external action rests on a series of values belonging
to the European project (tt rule of law, democracy,
respect for human rights…).. In the Mediterranean
at the regional level, this approach is interpreted as a
priority for intercultural dialogue, the development
of civil society and the strengthening of the media’s
role. The mobility of artists, recognised by the EU
as a factor of cohesion and understanding between
peoples, is seen in the Euro-Mediterranean as being
in service to these principles but is not the object of
any specific programme.
InTernaTIOnal fOundaTIOnS
The cultural actions of international foundations
in the Mediterranean rest principally on global
priorities for building bridges between peoples and
for opening up civil society. Foundations follow
political agendas which vary according to the source
of their funds. They thus have various geopolitical
approaches for the Arab world, the Euro-Mediter-
ranean, South East Europe etc. Very proactive and
directly involved in the implementation of projects,
they have initiated the principal programmes which
support cultural mobility in the region.
Th he naTIOnal level
As a general rule, nations support the mobility of
artists (nnationals going abroad or foreigners coming
into the national territory) in a rationale of vis-
ibility, as a device for diffusing, strengthening and
exporting national culture abroad. In the context of
bilateral partnerships between states, mobility in the
cultural sector can also be a part of the more general
policy of co-ddevelopment; in this case mobility is
recognised for its capacity to facilitate exchange of
knowledge and skills.
lOCal auThOrITIeS
Local authorities are key players of cultural coopera-
tion in the Mediterranean, notably via the creation
of mechanisms for decentralised cooperation and
via bilateral partnership agreements. The develop-
ment of a chapter for trans-border cooperation in the
European Neighbourhood Policy should allow them
to strengthen their role with regard to European
initiatives, especially in the south Mediterranean.
Current strategies concerning artistic mobility are
based on models of development and of promoting
the attractiveness of territories, within a perspective
of reinforcing their international positioning.
Th he PrOfeSSIOnal CulTural SeCTOr
The cultural and artistic sector has, already for some
years, brought into being networks and support
mechanisms for mobility, to facilitate the creation
of international artistic productions. The sector has
thus recognised mobility as necessary to the struc-
turing of its activities. Mobility and exchange with
foreign artistic scenes, including that of the Mediter-
ranean, are recognised as bringing qualitative added
value which allows for the enrichment of aesthetics
and critical thought on art.
UNDERSTANDING MOBILITY 11ഊUNDERSTANDING MOBILITY 12
From 1995 to 2003,you were the President of the
network,DBM (Danse Bassin Méditerranée).Today,
as Director of Relais Culture Europe (the EU Culture
Contact Point for France),you are confronted with the
question of cultural networks and Euro-Mediterranean
cultural cooperation.What do you think is the interest
of cultural networks in the Mediterranean?
These networks act on three levels which should
interact:•Aesthetic comparison: by allowing artists
to meet one another and to work together where
there are limited possibilities for exchange, cultural
networks are indispensable meeting points which
simultaneously offer the chance for a renewal of
equal relations between the North and the South.
•Professionnalisation: the networks are often places
of shared training in all its forms – artistic, technical
or in management. They therefore offer the capac-
ity to strengthen individuals or groups, structuring
the sector above all by facilitating the acquisition of
intercultural and professional competence.
•Political: as spaces for creation, the networks are
also places for reflection on the conditions for this
creation. They encourage a questioning of the issues
around cultural policies (wwhere these exist or where
they do not) and on the relations between the stake-
holders of these policies on the national, regional or
international levels. Indeed, artistic creation can be
a dangerous process for certain societies, especially
if they are victim to censorship.
How can a network fight for freedom of expression?
The struggle against censorship goes beyond the
political terrain and its coercive or economic exten-
sions, to financial issues for example. It is necessary
to find spaces of expression – which networks offer
through the exchange, meeting and mobility of their
members. They are at the same time a breath of fresh
air for debate, a laboratory for ideas, and construc-
tion sites for solidarity, facilitatating the emergence
of projects. More or less formal, the networks can
help an artist exist as such where he or she wishes to
live and work. Consider the theatre piece, “Corps-
otages ” of Fadhel Jaibi. Produced and rehearsed
but not actually played in Tunisia, it was able to be
programmed at the Théâtre de l’Odéon in Paris en
May 2006. It is a question of active and concrete soli-
darity which enables joint projects. This is where the
‘soft power ’ of networks is played out. Beyond a mo-
bilisation to guarantee the integrity of an artist, it is
necessary to be able to construct and guarantee the
conditions of his or her work - the means to produce
– abroad if need be – to think, to confront, to move. A
de facto alliance can arise between networks and the
European cultural diplomatic services. For example,
when the network of the French cultural centres
supports the Conference of Euro-Med Mobility in
Fez organised by the Roberto Cimetta Fund, they
are participating in the emergence of a space of free
expression in the public sphere of the South.
What is the result of this de facto alliance?
Evaluating a linear process is difficult. Alliances,
in the plural, evolve at the rhythm of events and
people ’s schedules. The artists ’ concerns remain
rather the same (tt elaborate, propose, show
work…) and don ’tcorrespond to political priori-
ties in the Mediterranean. Moreover, political and
institutional time differs from that of artists. Artistic
creation is often urgent, falling within a short and
limited period.
In Tunis s, you exist as an artist because
you have contacts abroad
PAsCAl brunet:
“netWorKs Are th he guArAntee
oF Artists’ FreeDoM ”ഊUNDERSTANDING MOBILITY 13
Thus, when innovative projects start, they must seek
their own means of existence before attracting the
attention of the political sphere. For DBM, years of
continuing collaborative action was required before
achieving visibility with the political institutions.
And still today, no permanent alliance exists.
Changing perspectives, multilateral institutions
often offer an evolving field which is interesting
for cultural actors. The translation of their policies,
however, involves hard work requiring well-trained
professionals to access rare and complicated finan-
cial support.
But funding does not solve all problems … Obviously
not. The objective is continuation, not of the net-
works but of the projects they support. A network is
only a given method of organisation which responds
to a given problematic in a given time and place. The
rule seems obvious, but in reality, organisations have
trouble transforming themselves.
More precisely, I think that the challenge of the cul-
tural networks, especially in the Mediterranean, is to
focus first on the conditions for the constitution of a
lively artistic space, an artistic and cultural ecosys-
tem, and then to focus on their own transformation.
This complex reflection - how to make the conditions
of artistic production sustainable - can only be car-
ried through if certain conditions are in place:
•Democratic governance and functioning: a site of
equality, the network has to be a place of negotiated
and collective intelligence. •A process of continuous
work: a network has to be open to everyone, to dif-
ferent ways of thinking, and has to constantly adjust
itself to the interactions provoked by these relation-
ships. •A taste for complexity: solutions are to be
found in the process, not in the measures and still
less in the institutions. There must be simultaneous
transformation of the artistic, social, economic and
political processes. •A space of personal transfor-
mation: things happen day-tt on the ground.
The network is not the actor, it is the essential site
where the capacity to grasp its complexity is devel-
oped by its members.
types of networks,
according to Pascal brunet
North-South Networks
As with DBM, the aim here is the transfer of com-
petence. But it is necessary to avoid political and
economic dependence from becoming artistic
dependence, with the risk of the South falling into
‘folklorisation ’.
South-South Networks
They encourage exchange between the countries of
the south shore of the Mediterranean. An example is
the Young Arab Theater Fund (yatf ).Often financed
by funds from the South and the North, they start by
building up the artistic production system. Although
constructed at a local level, they are not at all cut off
from the rest of the world.
Institutional Networks
Here there is often an abuse of the word ‘network’.
The action of promoting culture here serves a par-
ticular political function. The members are not inde-
pendent in their decision-mmaking but are linked to
political institutions, like the network of the French
institutes or of the Goethe Institutes.ഊUNDERSTANDING MOBILITY 14
General Delegate of the René Seydoux Foundation,
you work with just about everyone involved in artistic
and cultural mobility in the Mediterranean.What are
the real forces of change?First of all, it is the artists
themselves. It is they who, in this period of globalisa-
tion, feel the need and the desire to be mobile. Next
are the public authorities, but the nations today
are an obstacle to free circulation. With their very
restrictive visa systems, they carry a huge responsi-
bility. On the other hand, the European Union is now
taking a much more courageous position. According
to the EU, if one wants to discourage immigration,
it is counter-pproductive to have obstacles to free
movement. That ’s why visas for certain categories
of people (ssuch as athletes or scientists) have been
made easier to obtain. It ’s an intelligent position be-
cause more flexibility allows many individuals who
don ’tnecessarily want to stay in Europe, to come and
go freely. Europe – which has free circulation in her
genes, can thus be decisive in the future of mobility.
But at present,the means are not there.Will Europe
succeed?It ’s too early to tell. For the moment, the
political European project is at its lowest ebb. On the
other hand, Europe continues to embody a vision
of the future.
Is it the same for non-public sources of funds?
Mobility is increasingly becoming a priority for
them. But we are still far from an ideal situation.
European foundations should, like the European
Cultural Foundation, seriously work on programmes
financing mobility. Next, amongst the key players,
we mustn ’tforget public authorities! Numerous
regions and city councils include a strong dimen-
sion of ‘mobility’ in their programmes, each with ‘its
own ’ geography. Lately I met the Deputy Director for
Culture and the Mediterranean from the Regional
Council of Puglia (iin South East Italy). For them,
the ‘Mediterranean ’ means, in the first place, the
Balkans (AAlbania is less than 100 km away). And
‘artistic mobility ’ means, for example, providing art-
ists ’ residencies for artists from the other side of the
Adriatic.. What is developing today is a real regional
diplomacy.
One could say that you have a ‘glocal ’vision of the
galaxy of the mobility players …Yes, it ’s true. Between
the local authorities and the European level, there
are a lot of elements currently in play. I believe that
it is the ‘local ’ and the ‘global’ which will push the
national to change.
the Mediterranean index
Created with the aim to list the best research insti-
tutes for Mediterranean issues, the Mediterranean
Index lists “close to 700 organisations which today
include NGO ’s, human rights organisations and
more recently, specialist magazines ”, Giovanna Tan-
zarella explains. Initiated by the Seydoux Founda-
tion, it is freely accessible on their internet site. After
verification by the editor, each entry can be updated
directly by the listed organisation, as long as it has
previously registered.
www.fondation-seydoux.org
giovanna tanzarella:
“europe embodies a Vision of the Future”ഊUNDERSTANDING MOBILITY 15
MAShREk h ERE!basma el husseiny: “We don ’t
need any active role from the West”
“What Euro-Mediterranean partn nership p?!””
In Cairo,you are the Director Al Mawred Al Thaqafy,
an organisation which supports artistic creativity and
mobility in the Arab World.Would you say there are
problems of censorship in Egypt?
It ’s a fact in this country – censorship is a legal proce-
dure. Take the example of the film industry. Foreign
productions need a ‘visa’ in order to be distributed.
The Da Vinci Code, for example, was prohibited
in order to please the Egyptian Church. Regarding
nationally-mmade films, they need a green light from
the authorities even before they can be made.
How do you react to this situation?
In the Arab World, the margin of manoeuvre is dif-
ferent according to whether the censorship is legal
or illegal. Take the case of the Spring of Culture
Festival in Bahrain in March 2007. A musical produc-
tion based on lyrics by the famous poet Qassem
Haddad and music by the Lebanese Marcel Khalife
was banned by the Parliament because of alleged
obscenity. We protested vigorously but in this case
there was a legal procedure and thus we could not
do anything about it.
In which situations can you protest?
When the censorship is not on a legal basis. In Egypt,
there is no official censorship in the publishing
industry. But in the case of the writer Helmy Salem,
some of his writing, published in a magazine, was
declared blasphemous by print workers who unilat-
erally decided to destroy all the copies.
Do you feel that the West does enough to support your
struggle?The West has its own problems of censor-
ship. Consider the controversy around the creation of
the State of Israel or even Guantanamo. Apart from
know-hhow transfer and sources of funding, we don ’t
need any active role from the West here. You know,
censorship is not an abstract concept - it is the people
here who have to resolve their problem.
What do you think about artistic mobility in the Medi-
terranean?Without mobility we couldn ’tdo any-
thing. In this region, the professional infrastructure
for culture is very underdeveloped. Even in Lebanon,
cultural effervescence limits itself to the capital,
Beirut. Mobility is a means to unite the forces of the
cultural operators, to capitalise our opportunities.
What about the role of the State?It depends if the
State has had a socialist system or not. In Algeria, for
example, I don ’tthink that cultural players call for
‘more State ’. In Syria, artists would want ‘less State ’
whereas in Lebanon they would like to have a Min-
istry of Culture which is far more present. In Egypt
we have a huge Ministry – almost all cultural venues
belong to the State. Everything! So of course it ’s not
surprising that artistic productions are very politi-
cal. The culture budget, which includes restoration
of ancient monuments, is about 6 to 7% of the total
State budget!
Are there independent cultural venues in Egypt?
My organisation runs the El Genaina theater in
Azhar Park. But in February 2006, Cairo ’s Governor-
ate decided to close the theater without giving us
any official explanation. We learned that this •••
betWeen th he hAMMer oF
CensorshiP AnD th he AnVil
oF ConserVAtisMഊUNDERSTANDING MOBILITY 16
was due to the political content of a show by Nagham
Masry. After an active protest campaign, the theater
was re-opened in August of the same year.
Did you change your policy afterwards?
We are more careful, of course. We ask for permits
beforehand. But we always knew the situation.
Do you feel supported by the Euro-Mediterranean
Partnership?What Euro-Mediterranean Partner-
ship?!! [she laughs ] That has nothing to do with
culture! It ’s a political and economic agreement,
that ’s all.
In 2000,you founded Barzakh publishing house.
What is it like to be a publisher in Algeria today?
It is a mission first and foremost. After the fall of
socialism in 1992, the State separated itself from the
publishing world. It was the beginning of a liberal
economy but also the bleak period of terrorism.
There were no more bookstores, no publishers; writ-
ers were leaving in exile. After our studies in Paris,
we therefore decided to listen to our deepest desire:
to create an independent publishing house.
What is the profile of the Algerian reader?
Essentially there are two. The first, whom we ad-
dress, is over 40 and reads in French due to their
bilingual education. They prefer novels, essays or
history. The second is a younger public, completely
Arabic-sspeaking, who turn either towards practical
books or religious publications.
And you,in what do you specialise?
Our catalogue covers literature, history and luxury
books. On principle, we don ’tcover the religious
book market because it is generally propaganda and
we are fighting against Islamic extremism. On the
other hand, we publish writings on Islamic reform.
Do you suffer from censorship?
During the period of the managed economy every
book had to receive a certificate from a reading com-
mittee. Today, contrary to television which is a State
monopoly, in the book industry there is no more of-
ficial censorship. For example, in 2001 we published
‘Zarta! ’ (““Deserter ”), a novel by Mustapha Benfodil.
He wrote it during his military service in the middle
of the civil war, and the least you can say is that he
was not exactly tender with the world of the army.
On the other hand, there is very much a form of
self-ccensorship. In Algeria there is what one calls the
triangle of prohibitions: sex, politics, religion. If you
speak of these subjects, you take risks.
MAGhREB hERE!sofiane hadjadj:
“to be ublisher ere is, first
and foremost, a mission”ഊUNDERSTANDING MOBILITY 17
You belong to the enlightened elite;you publish for
the most part in French … You don ’t think you ’re living
in the clouds?Not at all. Literature is the mirror of a
society which does not want to see itself. To live in
the clouds means not to be in step with your society.
We don ’twant to fall back into one culture for all. We
are aware that we reach a minority.
Do you feel supported by Europe in your struggle?
Unfortunately European funds for our country don ’t
touch publishing but are reserved for actions around
good governance. On the other hand, we develop
co-ppublications with publishers on the other side of
the Mediterranean. But I have to say that I often feel
a great deal of contempt from European publishers.
What do you mean?I will give you an example. An
Italian publishing house, Edizioni Della Meridiana,
has never paid us the author ’s rights for “Cinq Frag-
ments du Désert”, a novel by Boudjedra Rachid. It ’s
around 1500 euros but they know that we don ’thave
the resources to go to court. You see, this is symptom-
atic of the power relations between the north and the
south of the Mediterranean but I must add that in
general we work well with Europe.
Don ’t you feel abandoned by your European neigh-
bours?No. But when you see that in Algeria the cul-
ture budget is 0,18 % of GDP, whereas UNESCO has
called for at least 1 %,, you can well see the problems
which we face.
www.barzakh.com
Literature is the mirror of a society which
does not want to see itselfഊUNDERSTANDING MOBILITY 18
A CulturAl ACtor
Ferdinand richard: “it ’s not the fault
of the eu, but of national selfishness ”
As Director of AMI (Aide aux Musiques Innovatrices/
Assistance to Innovative Musics),you have experien-
ced the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership via exchange
in the popular music field.What ’s your assessment?
The basic problem is the opposition between ‘clan ’
and ‘network’. The EU is pushing for the establish-
ment of networks whereas the societies of the South,
including those in southern Europe such as Mar-
seilles, are closer to the logic of clans. In addition,
culture is largely missing from the European project,
except in this morsel called Culture 2000. It ’s not
the fault of the EU, but of national selfishness!
The States baulk at investing in culture at the EU
Community level because they see culture first and
foremost as being of service to national prestige. In
France, since Malraux and De Gaulle, culture profes-
sionals - myself included - serve the authorities in
power. As to the Anna Lindh Foundation, at least it
has the merit to exist – it ’s already a small miracle
that it manages to do something with such a modest
budget! Finally, when I am admiring the dynamism
of the London or Irish popular music scenes, I won-
der about our French model where State interven-
tion is really too great. It is not about aligning with
extreme economic liberalism but finding a balance
between public and private intervention.
What is the principal problem for cultural cooperation
in the Mediterranean?
There won ’tbe cultural integration in the Mediter-
ranean as long as we, Europeans, have not perfected
our own cultural integration! Arab artists them-
selves do not see any unity between Europeans; we
are in competition between ourselves. The problem
is that everyone wants to hold on to his own patch!
How can this problem of disunity among
Europeans be resolved?
The real problem is national sovereignty. The current
return to nationalism is a catastrophy. Today, Europe
the euro-MeDit terrAneAn
PArtn nershiP As VieWeD by … ഊUNDERSTANDING MOBILITY 19
does not exist. How can we have any real dynamic
in the Mediterranean without a European Foreign
Minister?
What is your feeling about the artistic avant-garde in
the South?The question is not if there is an avant-
garde – there has always been. It is if there is a strong
enough sector to help it emerge and be seen. This is
the role of cultural mediators. It ’s the role of commu-
nication, of schools, of training.
How can the sector in the South be improved?A sector
is only efficient if it responds to need. It ’s impossible
to create a strong industry without taking its context
into consideration as fully as possible: what exists,
the difficulties, the potential for development …
Now, we don ’thave integrated tools for studying this.
Today we are working in a dangerous empirical fash-
ion, often tainted with the arrogance of the North
and the short term-ism of the South. I would note
that this imprecision, this weakness is closely linked
with the instrumentalisation of artists or of culture.
It would be necessary to encourage the emergence
of a group of Arab researchers or universities, or
Southern and South East Mediterraneans – to come
together to form a cultural observatory which would
be transversal, inter-MMediterranean, pragmatic,
concrete and multidisciplinary (nnot merely con-
fined to heritage, sacred art or cultural tourism.)
In this way, the cultural operators of the Med could
understand the realities of the situation and set
themselves planned objectives. Let ’s start with that…
I can ’tpredict what would come out of it but prob-
ably we would then need to implicate large sections
of society, beyond the strictly cultural field, such as
economic, education and communication sectors.
Between 2000 and 2004,you advised Romano Prodi,
President of the European Commission,on Mediter-
ranean questions.Twelve years after the launch of the
Barcelona Process,what would you say about its state
of health?It was with tremendous intuition in 1995
that Europeans, Arabs and Israelis were united in a
Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. But today it has to
be admitted that the Barcelona Process did not reach
its expectations.
Why not?For reasons such as the Israeli-Arab con-
flict, which are independent of the process itself.
In addition, multilateralism was the cause of much
delay, and we finally ended with a lack of flexibility.
Should the political players have done more?It would
have been necessary to correct the political absence of
the EU within the Middle East. And I really mean the
“Middle East” because we would have to ask ourselves
today about the possibility of extending the partner-
ship to all the countries in the region. (ssee the article
on page 31) Another problem is that the regional
initiatives undertaken by the European Union and the
United States, crossed without ever really meeting.
How can the transatlantic partnership be re-launched
today?Nothing is going to change until the US presi-
dential elections in November 2008. However, on the
European side, all the conditions are ripe because the
European leaders - Prodi, Sarkozy, Merkel – are all
pro-Atlantic.
Let ’s get back to Barcelona.What did the Process do
for culture?The socio-cultural chapter has produced
significant results. I am thinking here of youth
exchange, artistic heritage, audio-visual cooperation
and also in the university field. We can say that today
there is a Euro-Mediterranean civil society. Let ’s
think, for example, of the Euromed Civil Forum in
2003. That said, we have to do much more! •••
A PolitiCiAn
sandro gozi: “today a euro-Mediterranean
Civil society exists ”ഊUNDERSTANDING MOBILITY 20
What do you think about the Anna Lindh Foundation
(ALF)that you created with Romano Prodi?At the
moment it is not what one would have liked it to be.
The governments are reticent about its autonomy.
Then, on the operational side, it must be said that it
doesn ’twork. How could it be re-launched? Perhaps
by finding a high profile President? The ALF is the
first institution common to the countries on both
sides of the Mediterranean. Thanks to it we can see
that the problems of mobility in the Mediterranean
have an increasingly cultural dimension. This is why,
against all the extremisms, it is necessary to repeat
loudly and clearly that it is only through cultural
dialogue that the region can be stabilised. Certainly
the economy is fundamental, but a deep engagement
with culture on the ground is indispensable!
What do you think of Sarkozy ’s project of a Mediter-
ranean Union?It ’s a familiar concept for us. We ’ve
been saying for a long time that it was necessary to
create a regional institution for the Mediterranean,
one of the rare regions in the world not to have one.
What is needed is to be inspired by successful models
such as the European Union, with regular summits,
a commission, an international secretariat, ‘eco-
fin ’ councils etc. This would need to evolve from
reinforced cooperation in the fields of water, energy
or infrastructure… a bit like what was done with coal
and steel in Europe. As a founder of the programme
Erasmus Mundus, I cannot forget the university field.
Why not encourage the emergence of common curri-
cula between universities on the two shores? In brief,
we ought to apply the European Community model
to the Mediterranean.
The Mediterranean can also be seen in the light of
the major issues of our globalised world: the lack of
balance between the North and the South, the prob-
lematics of new countries entering into the globali-
sation process, ecological upheaveals, the increasing
introversion and isolation of some societies, the
development of religious fundamentalism, etc. To
these are added global cultural problems: cultural
diversity, linguistic pluralism, digital culture, access
to knowledge, safeguarding material and immaterial
heritage, etc.
A region in a globalised world
25 de Allemagne,Belgique,Danemark,Estonie,Grèce,Italie,Luxembourg,Royaume-Slovénie,10 de Algérie,Israël,Syrie Population PIB Taux
25 Member States
of the European Union
10 countries of the southern
and the eastern
Mediter-ranean:
Morocco,
Algeria,
Tunisia,Egypt,Israel,
Palestinian Authority,
Jordan,Lebanon,Syria
and Turkey.
10 countries of the southern southern
and the eastern
Mediter-ranean:
Morocco,
Algeria,
Tunisia,Egypt,Israel,
Palestinian Authority,
Jordan,Lebanon,Syria
and Turkey.ഊUNDERSTANDING MOBILITY 21
Lebanon and the adjacent region is currently going
through a period of crisis. Many misunderstandings
and prejudices hinder our relations with our Medi-
terranean neighbours and isolate us. It is important
for us to re-establish a dialogue and a just perception
of our cultures. Artistic and cultural exchanges are,
in my view, the best way to initiate dialogue and to
bring civilisations closer together. Artistic residen-
cies, workshops, festivals, seminars, fora… are the
means by which we meet one another, know each
other better, widen our horizons, strengthen our
network and train ourselves.
In the Mediterranean area, artists are up against a
growing conservatism. Especially in the Arab world
where for some years religious fundamentalism
has diminished the status of art in the public arena.
“Today”,observes Radhouane El Meddeb, Tunisian
choreographer and theatre director, “it is difficult for
a contemporary artist to feel necessary to the society
in which he or she lives.” “Many subjects are still
taboo and the reactions of the public are sometimes
anticipate that of the censors! This is very bad be-
cause censorship is, in reality, the reflection of what
society thinks”, adds Lamia Joreige, Lebanese visual
artist. The rationale of conservatism, pushed to the
extreme, can turn into withdrawal into one ’s own
identity, this is why the opening up of Arab societ-
ies to the exterior world is a real issue in the region.
Contemporary art puts the liberalisation of morality
into play by questioning subjects as sensitive as the
relationship with the body, the place of women in so-
ciety, the possibility of artistic comment on religion,
political subversion … “Artistic mobility, because
it encourages meeting, comparison and exchange,
holds an important place in the process of opening
up to others and to foreign cultures. It can be seen as
a process of transformation; it brings renewal and
creation ”, affirms Leïla Badis, manager of coopera-
tion projects at Relais Culture Europe (FF ’s Cul-
ture Contact Point).. Today’s artworks present com-
plex representations of the societies around us which
go beyond folkloric clichés or mass-mmedia images.
The circulation of these innovative artistic forms
thus contributes to refining the public ’s appreciation
and to opening the field of critical observation.
An anti-ffundamentalist vaccine
Many subjects are still taboo and the
reactio ons of the public sometimes anticipate
that of the censors
MOBILITY STORIES soline Daccache,
actress (OOkaybeh, Keserwane, Lebanon)
Mobility to Do WhAt?ഊUNDERSTANDING MOBILITY 22
Impertinent, the productions of Fadhel Jaïbi have
met with lively popular success for thirty years. They
present theatre which constitutes more than a cul-
tural intention – it ’s an issue of freedom. Witness the
success of the piece, Les Amoureux du Café Désert,
created in 1995, which, despite the radical nature of
the subject, reached a large public in the Arab world.
The play relates the story of a woman researching
the disappearance of her daughter. A scandal in the
university world where the young girl is maturing,
seems to be the cause. The mother undertakes a real
initiation into the secret and complex universe of
youths in search of new reference points. This piece,
tough and violent, which brought together thirteen
actors who play these young rebels, emotionally
moved the public in Tunis and in numerous other
cities of the Arab world where it played, uncovering
cruel truths such as rape, corruption and suicide.
It is clear that institutions, foundations and other
funding sources which support cultural action in the
Mediterranean have precise development aims for
the region. However, the programmes ’ procedures
and eligibility criteria are heavy-ggoing and have the
negative tendency of pushing artistic projects into
pre-ordained formats. For some years ahead, creativ-
ity and artistic exchange risk becoming predictable
and inflexible. It ’s necessary to give more freedom to
artists and organisers – the freedom to create, to be
inspired, to travel.
MOBILITY STORIES
Karim Dakroub, puppeteer (BBeirut, Lebanon)
ThE PERFORMANCE
les Amoureux du Café DésertഊUNDERSTANDING MOBILITY 23
“Mobility? For my artistic career, it ’s fundamental ”,
sums up Karima Mansour. For this Egyptian chore-
ographer, professional travel allows artists to “feel
that they themselves also have access to the exterior
world, to new expressions and to relations which
make them feel alive, useful, connected and listened
to. ” And if, on the south coast of the Mediterranean,
Karima’s need is not rare (ssee the story p. 21), it is
because the artistic landscape of this region suffers
from a chronic lack of professional infrastructure.
And a real deficit of resources – limited training
workshops and rarely available performance and
exhibition spaces, extremely scarce opportunities for
critical exchange… In certain countries of the South,
contemporary art only exists thanks to funds from
certain foreign sources, such as the Ford Foundation,
or from opportunities offered by the international
market. This deficit causes a lack of circulation of
information, a lack of networking, and a weak finan-
cial framework which hampers, for example, South-
South exchange. “It is often easier for a festival of
the Arab world to invite European artists whose
costs are paid by the cultural services of embassies,
than to invite an Arab artist who isn ’tsupported by
any cultural diplomatic service ”, observes Ahmed El
Attar, Egyptian theatre director.
“The professional infrastructure of the Euro-Medi-
terranean ’s artistic and cultural landscape”, Pascal
Brunet, Director of Relais Culture Europe insists,
“can only be achieved on the basis of a diversifica-
tion of competences and a clear definition of the
degrees of specialisation in countries where almost
all the layers of the cultural ecosystem are yet to be
created.” Managers, producers, technicians, pro-
grammers, researchers and critics are amongst the
professional categories which are nearly nonexistent
in the southern countries. Countries in which indeed
it is common to see artists wearing two or three hats
- that of producer, tour manager … for example,
an artist such as Ahmed El Attar, Egyptian theatre
professional, is also an initiator of international
projects, founder of an artistic residency space,
organises events and training and is the president of
a network.
Taking all of this into account, it is important today
to consider mobility not as an end in itself, but as
a formative means which serves to dynamise and
structure the sector, because it can facilitate a
clarification of competences and a differentiation of
the different levels of activity. Mobility represents,
in this sense, a fundamental step in a professional
pathway in that it provides exchange, meeting
and comparisons which are as much technical
(tt acquisition of new competencies and working
methods) as artistic (bb possibilities it offers to
bring about the evolution of a vision or an intention
which is in contact with other forms of creation)..
According to Mary Ann De Vlieg, Secretary General
of IETM, the International Network for Contempo-
rary Performing Arts, direct cooperation between
professionals from the North and South, acting on
the same levels, speaking the same ‘language ’ and
having the same kind of practices can help the artis-
tic and cultural community to create a professional
structure for itself ”. And to develop a real market for
the arts at home.
Often in the South, the artist has to be the
producer and the tour manager at the same time
Professional infrastructure: a dream?ഊUNDERSTANDING MOBILITY 24
South-South The Maghreb-MMashrek Gap
The continuing weakness of mobility between the
Maghreb and the Middle East is linked to several
factors: a structural weakness in the professional
landscape (rr in little circulation of infor-
mation, rare networking, and certainly hardly any
framework for funding), a heavy political context
and a lack of appeal. For professionals in the South,
the key influences are, in fact, in the West - in Europe
and North America. Regional mobility amongst
Middle Eastern artists is, however, rather strong.
This is facilitated on the one hand by the presence
of important international donors such as the Ford
Foundation, who develop programmes on a regional
basis, and on the other by the work of independent
‘umbrella organisations ’ like the Young Arab Theater
Fund, who operate throughout the territory.
On the other hand, artistic regional mobility within
the Maghreb is weak because of the political context
but equally because of a lack of artistic stimulation
in the region and the isolation of independent cul-
tural actors.
South-North The Weight of the Past
Northern Europe remains the principal destination
for travel associated with training and with produc-
tion. In other respects, it is noticeable that ‘classic ’
circulation patterns persist, linked to bilateral frame-
works inherited for the most part from post-colonial
relations notably between Europe and the Maghreb.
Cultural actors in the Maghreb countries firmly place
their mobility projects in the framework of bilateral
cooperation, especially with France which has an
extremely active local network for cultural coopera-
tion, in Morocco for example.
North-South Solidarity Obje ectives
In the North-South flow within the Mediterranean,
socio-cultural projects and those aiming for solidar-
ity strongly predominate over those which are purely
artistic. The Palestinian example is the most striking
– Europeans go to Palestine more for solidarity rea-
sons than to discover the local artistic scene. This is
often the case for projects with Algeria and Morocco,
but also with Syria and Lebanon. Thus, even if travel
by European culture professionals to the Southern
Mediterranean are quantitatively important, they
don ’tdemonstrate an artistic appeal for the region.
Instead, they demonstrate the great sensitivity in
Europe for the political and socio-economic stakes
today being played out in the Mediterranean region.
South-East The Divide
Despite many structural similarities and a cultural
kinship with the Arab world, the countries of Eastern
Europe, even the Balkans, face more toward Europe
than toward their southern neighbours. Neverthe-
less, some initiatives which bridge Eastern Europe
and the Southern Mediterranean have taken place
over the last years, such as a project bringing to-
gether a Serbian company, DAH Theatre, with artists
from Morocco. We can also note here the efforts
achieved by certain networks such as IETM or DBM
to open up and build links between the people in
various geographic regions which tend to be rather
closed.
the FloW
oF ArtistiC Mobil lityഊUNDERSTANDING MOBILITY 25
RCF travel grant program 2000 -2006
70 grants/year 40 to 60 less than 20
Northern Europe
Southern Europe
Eastern Europe
Maghreb Middle East
70 grants/year 40 to 60 less than 20
Maghreb Middle EastഊIn order for political decision makers to understand the
issues concerning artistic mobility in the Mediterranean
region, it ’s necessary to provide a detailed analysis of
needs, and a deeper comprehension of the actual prac-
tices on the ground. At present, there are very few chan-
nels of communication which allow the decision makers
to benefit from artistic professionals ’ ideas. The cultural
sector is a minority among the organisations which re-
present civil society such as the Euromed Civil Forum. In
the EU ’s cultural policy for the Euromed region, there is
very little place for contemporary creation. ‘ Intercultural
dialogue ’, for example, is often focused on ‘inter-rr
dialogue ’. Therefore it is urgent for the artistic sector to
make its voice heard.... and to seize the political impera-
tives which are being drawn in the region. This is why,
based on a ‘bottom-uup ’ methodology, the Roberto Cimet-
ta Fund, like the European Cultural Foundation or the
Young Arab Theatre Fund, aims to encourage the ‘ideas
box’ of mobility in the Mediterranean.
Judith Neisse
President,Roberto Cimetta Fund
26
let ’s brAinstorM …
ThInKIng MOBIlITyഊBeing mobile? “It ’s not without obstacles”, admits
Cristina Farinha. “It ’s necessary to have logistic
and organisational skills to plan, some expertise to
choose the places where you want to go; you need to
know how to communicate in several languages …”,
says Farinha, sociology researcher specialising in
questions of mobility in Europe. “What ’s more is that
being mobile is to have aspirations, and this is not
innate; a desire for personal or professional develop-
ment is acquired by one ’s education and the system
in which one evolves.” To this is added the problem
of a lack of professional structure in the cultural sec-
tor in the Mediterranean countries and especially in
the southern countries.
The mobility of artists and cultural actors lies within
a systemic framework - if we wish to promote mobil-
ity widely, without turning constantly to the same
‘privileged ’ artists, but instead reaching the most
isolated cultural actors, it is important to consider
educational and social factors for example, taking
into account adaptations for people who do not
have a facility for foreign languages or who don ’t
have the necessary intellectual baggage to develop a
well-constructed argumentation as requested in ap-
plication procedures. “It would be useful for funders
to provide training for their beneficiaries, to help
them fill in application forms, for example”, observes
Khadija El Bennaoui, Coordinator of the mobility
programme, Art Moves Africa. According to her,
“It is important to develop the capacities of cultural
actors - to work with small funds, to go and seek
information … all the skills which are inescapable
in order to make a project concrete. ”
The question of the accompaniment of cultural
actors is fundamental. This is why mobility needs
to be an essential part of the professionalisation
process. “Mobility has no sense unless it is produc-
tive”, adds Ferdinand Richard (ssee interview on
page 18). “Today knowledge is transmitted increas-
ingly by experiential learning and apprenticeship.
This is a result of the global mix - and no one is
complaining, because this is how new aesthetics are
born (aand have emerged in the last century). This
type of experimentation is nourished by intangible
elements, by human connections impossible to
depict. No real transfer of knowledge is achieved by
a mere exchange of data on the internet. ” Mobility
should be recognised as an essential tool of career
development, as a necessary step in the professional
development of Mediterranean artists which allows
access to informal training, to the transference of
knowledge and to critical development.
ID DEAS BOX Th he InvOlveMenT Of The eurOPean
CulTural fOundaTIOn
In 2008,the European Cultural Foundation plans to
launch a pilot programme:a North-South Placement
Scheme for European culture professionals to visit
colleagues in North Africa,the Middle East or Turkey
for a 2 – 4 week working period.Objective:to support
the European professionals to better understand the
everyday reality of cultural work in the south Me-
diterranean countries,to facilitate relations of real
cooperation.
www.eurocult.org
ThINkING MOBILITY 27
objective: Accompaniment
Mobility has no sense unle ess it is productiveഊWith the Schengen Accords, many countries have
put into place a common visa policy whose restric-
tive character is exacerbated by measures taken
following the events of 11 th September in New York
and Washington. Result: the Euro-Mediterranean
finds itself cut off more than ever. Visas are refused
for security reasons, there are long delays, high visa
costs, short validity periods – all these are obstacles
to the circulation of our neighbours from the south-
ern Mediterranean. If it is clear that visa policies
arise from more basic policies upon which it will be
difficult to have an influence, we have to think about
flexible means which can encourage the mobility of
certain categories of people, such as cultural players.
One solution for facilitating visa procedures has
been proposed for several years by cultural actors. It
is to create a cultural passport by means of a recom-
mendation ‘label ’ for artists and/or events for which
the circulation of professionals would be encour-
aged. This raises a question highlighted by Giovanna
Tanzarella, General Delegate of the Rene Seydoux
Foundation, “How can a specific device for the
cultural sector be put into place without demanding
special privileges for this sector and without compet-
ing with other sectors of civil society?”
The concept of the cultural passport also faces a ma-
jor structural obstacle: who is an artist or a cultural
operator in a context and in a sector where there is
a real lack of a professional framework? (ssee article
p. 23) It is extremely improbable that the Member
States would give easier visa conditions by means of a
‘label ’ for artists; indeed, how do we define an ‘artist ’?
“Member States would never accept formal positive
discrimination regarding artists, as it would open
the door to all sorts of abuse”, argues Anne-MMarie So-
erensen of the Secretariat of the Council of Europe.
“The big problem is a lack of figures and quantitative
data, which considerably weakens the argument and
gives place to speculation on the security risks”, adds
Cristina Farinha, sociology researcher.
Data is missing on two levels: first, at this moment
no statistical study exists demonstrating visa prob-
lems in the cultural sector, or more generally in civil
society, which would allow an analysis of the mag-
nitude of the problem in the Euro-Mediterranean.
Secondly, we lack territorial analysis allowing us to
define professional categories in the cultural sector
in the South Mediterranean. This analysis could act
as an applicable framework for specific measures
such as those which facilitate the delivery of visas
for certain professional categories like business
people, or certain events like the Olympic Games.
“Within the European Neighbourhood Policy,
exchange between the actors of civil society is re-
cognis sed as an important elem ment for the achieve-
ment of the EU ’s strategic cooperatio on obje ectives.
However,within the glo obal question of the dialogue
between societies, the specifi fic role of culture is
diffi ficult to define and to put a valu ue on,”
observes Leïla Badis, project manager at Relais
Culture Europe (tt EU Cultural Contact Point
for France).. In a process of political advocacy, it is
fundamental to put forward the link between the
question of artists ’ mobility and that of exchange
between civil societies, and to work closely in this
rationale with the other actors of civil society, such
as human rights or youth networks. ”
ThINkING MOBILITY 28
Make it easier for artists to travel
The role of culture must be valu uedഊID DEAS BOX whO are The SOuThern
MedITerranean arTISTS?
Faced with a lack of quantitative and qualitative data
concerning mobility in the cultural sector,the Roberto
Cimetta Fund has identified a series of studies to be
made.The first concerns ‘profiles ’in the cultural field,
and will define the typologies of beneficiaries and
the means to identify them,aiming to create specific
devices to facilitate their mobility.The research will
analyse:
— legal contexts regulating
the artistic sector
— positive actions brought into
being by cultural policies
— the place given to artists
in civil societies
— the role of mobility in the process
of national and international recognition
Mobility of Artistic Work
and north -south Dependence
It is imperative to start to create a structured
network for distrib bution in the South
“The mobility of artistic work? It doesn ’thappen by
itself! First of all it ’s necessary for artists and present-
ers to meet”, comments Fabien Jannelle, Director
of France ’s National Office of Artistic Distribution
(onda ).In fact, to have real mobility of performing
arts productions or visual arts in the Mediterranean,
three elements must exist: the means of production,
spaces for public presentation and a distribution
network. The role of producers is crucial. But very
often in the Mediterranean, either the producers
are foreign, or the means of production are based
on foreign finance, whether European diplomatic
services or European festivals. “To add to this, there
is a lack of programming as a career. The directors of
venues and festivals in our countries don ’thave the
habit of discovering and programming new artists
whether local, national or international. As to the
distribution of foreign productions that one can see
here, it generally relies on the choice of the cultural
services of the foreign embassies”, confirms Tarek
Abou El Fetouh, Director of the Young Arab Theater
Fund (YY . A fundamental structural problem
emerges: it ’s the North which possesses the keys to
distribution… in the South.
That “This strengthens even further the feeling in
the region that it is the West who defines contem-
porary art tendencies”,is a concern of Fatin Farhat,
artistic director in Palestine. “There is a great need in
the South to develop a critical mass around artistic
creation which would permit a ‘reappropriation ’ of
the discourse of Arab contemporary art. ” It is also
about facilitating the public ’s accessibility to art, not
only by showing work but also by developing media-
tion tools which would allow the public to develop
their curiosity and a taste for artistic creation. Esra
Aysun, of DOT Theater in Istanbul, deplores “the
gap between internationally recognised local art-
ists and the difficulty they have to meet their local
public ”. Artists thus find themselves faced with an
unresolvable dilemma - to position themselves in
the experimental field of contemporary art in order
to please Europeans, or to ‘be appreciated ’ by their
local public at a price of renouncing their profes-
sional vocation. It is therefore imperative to start to
create a structured network for distribution in the
South because only the meeting between contem-
porary artists and the public can avoid, on the one
hand a drain of talent abroad and on the other hand,
an aggravation of the cultural under-ddevelopment
of the southern region. Obviously, such a network
can ’tbe created without addressing the question of
training, especially for programming and producing,
and questions of fundraising and of policies which
address audience development.
ThINkING MOBILITY 29ഊID DEAS BOX MeeTIng POInTS:nIne CITIeS,
One feSTIval
Since 2002,the Young Arab Theater Fund has been
organising Meeting Points,an international and
interdisciplinary contemporary art festival which takes
place every two years in several cities in the Arab
world.The aim of the festival is to stimulate artistic
creation,and especially the circulation of artists and
their works in the region.The next edition will take
place in November 2007,and will include two Euro-
pean cities,Berlin and Brussels.‘Meeting Points 5 ’
will present around thirty productions,from theatre to
dance,from music to visual arts,from film to interdis-
ciplinary performances.Artists who are rarely seen in
the region will also be programmed.
ID DEAS BOX “MeeTIng TheIr gaze” Or The SOCIal
rOle Of arTISTS
To analyse the perspectives of isolated communities
originating from the south Mediterranean on their
own cultures,to suggest new methods of cultural ani-
mation with isolated publics:these are the objectives
set by the Roberto Cimetta Fund for ‘Regards croisés ’,
an ambitious project of contemporary Arab artists ’
residencies in immigrant communities in Europe.It
will demonstrate the decisive place that contemporary
artistic creation can take in intra-community dialogue.
It will also allow artists to play a real social role with
excluded groups,especially by updating perceptions
of their own culture.
From the crisis of the French suburbs to the involve-
ment of young British-born immigrants in terrorist
acts in Britain, there are many current events which
justify the renewal of interest in integration policies.
But it would be an illusion to view this phenom-
enon from a strictly political, or indeed, a security,
perspective. The question of intercultural dialogue
within immigrant communities is fundamental, just
as that of dialogue between the country of origin
and the immigrant community.
Arab immigrant communities in Europe often have
a fixed image of their own culture and are relatively
uninformed about the current artistic scene in their
country of origin. “Tunisians living abroad very of-
ten have an old fashioned and resolutely traditional
image of our country and its cultural, social and
urban environment ”,relates Radhouane El Med-
deb, choreographer and theatre director. “Whether
it is in Paris, Rotterdam, Berlin or even Barcelona,
the Tunisian or Arab public is often shocked and
disappointed by our performances. On the one hand,
they don ’tsee themselves in the experimental form
and the critical discourse of the pieces shown, which
they find…too modern to be Arab! On the other
hand, they are often shocked to see us - us, young
Tunisian actors, open and looking cool – in fact just
like they are! …except that we are supposed to live
in the countryside and so we aren ’tsupposed to look
contemporary! ”
In such a context, and to allow these communities
to respond to their identity questions, there is a real
need to stimulate the relationship of the immigrant
communities with contemporary culture, especially
that of their country of origin. What is at stake?
Coming to terms with, and accepting the realities of
contemporary Arab society.
ThINkING MOBILITY 30
immigrant communities…
and if we modernised our gaze?ഊIn March 2007, the First Gulf Art Fair opened in
Dubai. It is one of the signs that this emirate in the
heart of the Persian Gulf increasingly wishes to af-
firm its place in the artistic world of the Middle East.
What ’s more is the growing number of artists from
the region, attracted by the excitement of this terri-
tory belonging to the United Arab Emirates (UU .
Its economic and political context is undoubtedly the
most favourable in the Middle East. In comparison,
in 2006 the GDP per capita in Lebanon was slightly
above 5 000 US dollars; in the UAE it reached 50 000
dollars - ten times greater.
“But the great dynamism of the cultural scene in the
UAE has not yet spilled over to produce the emer-
gence of a promising artistic community”, cautions
Zeina Arida, Director of the Arab Image Foundation.
“We are still in a situation where politics precedes
art. The professional fabric is still weak, but there
is a strong will from the UAE to develop a strong
cultural identity. The policy there is very proactive
and financially supports the running of numerous
initiatives, for the most part those organised by and
with foreign groups and artists.” Considering the
development of artistic action and support pro-
grammes for mobility directed at Arab World artists,
it seems in any case incoherent not to take this active
Gulf region into account. “With an important nuance
- the Roberto Cimetta Fund has always had support
to artists in difficulty at the heart of its mission”,
Velia Papa, Director of Inteatro in Polverigi (IItaly)
and co-ff of the RCF, reminds us. “Maybe we
should bring a particular attention to those Arab
Muslim countries where the conditions for creation
are even harder : Yemen, Oman, Irak but also Iran
where there are major artists, especially in cinema
and theatre. ” It is essential to think of opening up
geographically and not to limit the region to the
Mediterranean Basin. It ’s about staying open to
new types of exchanges and to new circulations of
artists. “Opening the Mediterranean is also about
considering that what ’s happening artistically in the
region concerns everyone and not only those who
live there”, concludes Catarina Saraiva, Director of
Production for Alkantara in Lisbon.
ID DEAS BOX ‘BIdOun ’,when dIaSPOraS MIx
To think about opening up geographically is also to
think about an articulation of the region with its often
very powerful diasporas –an example is the quarterly
revue,’Bidoun ’,published in New York and produced
by a team of editors throughout the USA,Europe and
the Arab world.With 10 000 copies sold every three
months,‘Bidoun ’is the critical magazine on contem-
porary art from the Middle East which echoes current
tendencies in the region and which brings an essential
critical view of artistic creation today.
www.bidoun.com
ThINkING MOBILITY 31
the sun rises in Dubai
There are countries of the Arab Muslim world
where conditions for artistic creation are even
tougher:Yemen,Oman, Irak but also Iran