The Challenges of Mobility : Research, Debates and Practices [1 ed.] 9781443885072, 9781443877039

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The Challenges of Mobility

The Challenges of Mobility: Research, Debates and Practices Edited by

Herman Bashiron Mendolicchio and Serene Huleileh

The Challenges of Mobility: Research, Debates and Practices Edited by Herman Bashiron Mendolicchio and Serene Huleileh This book first published 2015 Cambridge Scholars Publishing Lady Stephenson Library, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2PA, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2015 by Herman Bashiron Mendolicchio, Serene Huleileh and contributors All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-4438-7703-4 ISBN (13): 978-1-4438-7703-9

The articles in this publiccation were co ompiled over a period of th hree years from researcch presented at a a symposium m held in 20111 around the theme of exploring m mobility, and a second symp posium held inn 2014, both within w the Istikshaf proogram which was w initiated and a managed by the Arab Education E Forum in Joordan and suppported during g the first phaase by the An nna Lindh Foundation and during thhe second phase by the Eurropean Union. Some of the articles hhave already been b published d in Arabic annd French. www.almouultaqa.com www.safarfu fund.org www.istikshhaf.org

This project is funded by The EEuropean Union

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction ................................................................................................. 1 Herman Bashiron Mendolicchio Istikshaf: The Mobility Platform of the Mediterranean ............................... 6 Serene Huleileh Istikshaf Policy Agenda ............................................................................. 11 Chapter I: Research Understanding the Impact of Mobility: Istikshaf Survey Results .............. 20 Rami Takrouri Public Policy Advocacy: Best Practices in Funding Mobility ................... 44 Rami Takrouri Public Policy Advocacy Visa Assessment: Country Reports (Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates) .......... 52 Rami Takrouri A Report on Mapping Mobility Funds in the Mediterranean .................... 69 Lamia Raei Right to Enter Campaign: Academia Undermined: Israeli Restrictions on Foreign Academics in Palestinian Higher Education Institutions......... 84 Ghassan Abdullah Education in Mobility: Experience, Creativity and Intercultural Knowledge................................................................................................. 91 Herman Bashiron Mendolicchio Still Moving and Learning? Questioning Previous and Further Research .................................................................................................. 101 Xabier Landabidea, Matina Magkou and Cristina Ortega

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Table of Contents

Chapter II: Debates The Roberto Cimetta Fund’s Contribution to the Mobility of Artists and Cultural Operators between Europe and the Arab World ................. 110 Angie Cotte Mobility Restrictions and its Effects on the Slower Development of Mediterranean Cultural Collaboration, Network and Artistic Exchanges ................................................................................................ 115 Slavika Ilieska The Mobility of African Artists: A Politically-Oriented Issue ................ 131 François Bouda Art Mobility Initiatives for Emerging Theatre Companies in Nigeria: Paradoxes and Mutations ......................................................................... 137 Taiwo Okunola Afolabi Mobile, Therefore Free? Mobility Paradoxes of Nowadays Societies .... 151 Cristina Farinha Challenges of Interaction between Host and Guest through Artistic Mobility ................................................................................................... 158 Isin Onol freeDimensional @ 10 – A Decade of Looking Both Ways: Artist Mobility and Human Rights .......................................................... 165 Todd Lester and Mary Ann DeVlieg Linking International Volunteerism to Mobility in the EuroMediterranean Region ............................................................................. 179 Christoforos Pavlakis Chapter III: Practices In Place of War: Researching, Empowering and Connecting Artists Working in Sites of War, Revolution and Conflict ................................. 192 Inés Soria-Donlan

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Arab Learning and Convivial Cities: Amman Jeera as an Example ........ 203 Serene Huleileh and Mais Irqsusi The Legacy of the Trail ........................................................................... 226 Nesma Al-Guaily Love Helps Make Distances Shorter ....................................................... 231 Raouf Karrai The Impossible Journey ........................................................................... 238 Saad Hajo Contributors ............................................................................................. 248

INTRODUCTION HERMAN BASHIRON MENDOLICCHIO

Mobility is indeed a challenge. A personal challenge that requires every individual to deal with the complexity of life, that makes us reflect on our own needs, passions, struggles, desires and identities. Mobility is a collective challenge, which makes us reflect on migration, globalization, cultural transformations, communalities, differences, borders, restrictions and the evolution of a world that is still unable to improve itself, seeking the common good. Mobility is a political, social, economic and cultural issue. Mobility is, possibly, one of the major factors and elements that are shaping and transforming the contemporary world. Flows of people crossing seas, lands and continents; irrational, huge imports and exports of merchandise, products and useless objects; fruitful exchanges of ideas, knowledge, thoughts and visions; and amazing, creative and original encounters as well as horrible and cruel clashes, are some of the most usual and somehow timeless elements that form the history and the contemporaneity of mobility. Analysing and understanding the multiple aspects of mobility, and its impact and connection with several fields of our living society, has nowadays become necessary and urgent. The practice and the experience of mobility – with both its richness and obstacles – are generating a new knowledge, new forms of interrelationships and new questions that are definitely important and need to be addressed. What kind of knowledge, ideas and visions, do mobility practices generate? How does mobility, and its restrictions, produce and/or contrast the transformation and alteration of geographies, borders, territories, cities and conflict areas? How do mobility practices contribute to create new narratives, cultural representations and counter-representations? How could cultural mobility contribute to a responsible and sustainable

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Introduction

transformation of society? What are the impacts of mobility? What can we learn through the analysis of the relationship between mobility, art, education, intercultural dialogue, human rights and volunteerism? The present volume attempts to cover and reflect on these several crucial issues that shape our contemporary age, and give some new and fresh perspectives about the challenges of mobility. Divided into three different sections (Research, Debates and Practices), the book originates from the second Istikshaf Conference, “Advocating Mobility: Right on Track”, organized by the Arab Education Forum – in cooperation with several international partners – and held in Amman, Jordan, in March 2014. In the first section of the book, we focus on the research, findings and outcomes, initiated and developed by the Istikshaf Coalition. The “Regional Mobility and Freedom of Movement Policy Agenda, 20122015” is a fundamental document which aims “to develop closer links between a range of international stakeholders including government agencies, foundations, voluntary and community sectors in delivering specific policies and positions in areas affecting mobility with a focus on arts, culture and social entrepreneurship”. Focused on four specific policy issues – 1) Mobility in the National Agenda; 2) Financing Mobility; 3) Crossing Borders; and 4) Mobilizing Communities – the agenda, on the one hand, defines the needs, concerns and challenges related to mobility, specifically in the Arab countries, and on the other hand offers a series of values, principles and recommendations in order to promote, ease and support mobility initiatives. The survey results, findings and recommendations on the impact of mobility; the best practices and research on financing mobility; and the policies and country reports on crossing borders and visa issues, prepared and developed by Rami Takroury, constitute significant documents that provide useful qualitative and quantitative data that will certainly help in understanding concepts, practices and obstacles related to mobility. The report by Lamia Raei on mapping mobility funds in the Mediterranean, presented in the first Istikshaf Symposium in 2011, offers a detailed analysis of the work of several mobility operators in the EuroArab region. The report, which also examines the definitions of mobility, represents one of the first pieces of research developed under the Istikshaf

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project and is useful today in order to understand and analyse current changes and evolutions in the activities of the mobility operators and funds. Education and new learning practices in mobility are other important fields that constitute interesting challenges to explore and deal with. The paper by Ghassan Abdullah focuses on the negative impact of the Israeli military occupation on the Palestinian Higher Education Institutions. The research describes the abusive movement and access restrictions on foreign academics that undermine the quality of education and cause the isolation of Palestinian Academia, and provides some recommendations in order to face these challenges. The paper by Herman Bashiron Mendolicchio focuses on the identification and analysis of the new dynamics of knowledge production and “education in mobility” in the Mediterranean, through two specific areas: on one hand, the international university programs of mobility between Europe and Southern Mediterranean countries; on the other hand, the development of new educational practices (that are essentially non-academic) that are emerging thanks to the initiative of interdisciplinary centres of art, education and creativity, as well as museums. The article by Xabier Landabidea, Matina Magkou and Cristina Ortega, represents a further development of the “Artists’ Moving and Learning” study. The research focuses on artistic mobility, the added value of mobility in life-long learning and the possible repercussions of these issues due to the socio-economic crisis in Southern Europeans countries. The second section of the publication deals with current debates related to mobility, developed by several international professionals working mainly in the field of art and culture. Angie Cotte explores the role of mobility in cultural policies and the Roberto Cimetta Fund’s contribution to cultural mobility in the Euro-Arab region. Slavika Ilieska focuses on the restrictions on cultural and educational mobility and its effects. The paper by François Bouda addresses the specific case of the mobility of African artists and the political logics, at international and national levels, that regulate the movement of goods and people. Taiwo Okunola Afolabi centres his article on the impact of art mobility initiatives on emerging theatre in Nigeria. Is mobility a choice or a need? The inner paradoxes of mobility, its positive effects and its potential, but also its controversial aspects, its

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Introduction

regulations, obstacles and risks, compose the main points developed in the article by Cristina Farinha. The challenges and responsibilities concerning interconnection between the guest and the host in the art sector are the focus of the article presented by Isin Onol. Among the contributions of this section, Mary Ann DeVlieg and Todd Lester describe the role of freeDimensional and explore the relationship between artist mobility and human rights. Moreover, Christoforos Pavlakis, tells us about the potential of cross-border volunteerism on regional governance in the EuroMediterranean region. The last section of the book focuses on practices and experiences, presenting issues like artistic research, the discovery of neighborhood and the potential of conviviality, literature, travel, personal stories and cultural displacement in relation to mobility. Inés Soria-Donlan presents the international project “In Place of War”; Serene Huleileh and Mais Irqsusi search the inspiring learning opportunities that exist “close to home”, exploring the city of Amman and the concept of Jeera (which means “neighboring” in Arabic), as well as presenting the idea of learning and convivial cities. Nesma Al-Guaily narrates, in the form of a letter, part of her long journey across several governorates in Egypt. The experience of travelling, practical recommendations and the personal story of being “on the road” inspire the article written by Raouf Karray. The last contribution by the artist Saad Hajo interrelates words and images which tell us about a personal account of artistic displacement. There are evidently several issues we should deal with in order to create common ground on which to discuss and analyze the significance of sharing and exchanging, the value of mobility and all its contradictions. Mobility presents multiple facets: it is directly related to the issues of diversity, exchange, experience and intercultural dialogue. At the same time, it makes us reflect on migration, exile and the obstacles that are faced when crossing borders. The several contributions presented in this book provide multiple perspectives that can help to advance the process of exploring mobility. Through this process of discussion and exploration, and through the practices of mobility, we can build new knowledge and contexts from which we can begin to analyze the present and to deal with the challenges of the future.

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Before wishing you a good read, I want to thank all the authors of the publication for their insights, projects and research, all the people involved in the Istikshaf Coalition, and especially Serene Huleileh for all of her efforts and her immense contribution to the analysis, reflection and practice of mobility in the Mediterranean.

ISTIKSHAF: THE MOBILITY PLATFORM OF THE MEDITERRANEAN SERENE HULEILEH

We work, travel, learn, seek, reflect, take part in dialogues, meet, discuss, and try to create a convivial atmosphere: this is our life story at the Arab Education Forum in general, and the Safar program in particular. This is also how the story of this book started: from two seminars held three years apart, and with several uprisings and revolutions in between, the idea of this book arose from an evident shortage of literature and knowledge about mobility as a tool for learning, dialogue, and artistic exchange and as a new–old paradigm around the Mediterranean basin. The journey of the “Arab Education Forum” began in 1998 when Palestinian educator Dr. Munir Fasheh was a visiting professor at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University. The idea he proposed simply stated that instead of looking at what is “missing” or what the “needs” are in the Arab world, we should pay more attention to what “exists” and what people “have”. There are many inspiring community and educational initiatives that are dispersed both geographically and intellectually, but which, together, can create the momentum for the renaissance that everyone who is active in the field of education and learning seeks. Joined by a coordinating committee from 1999-2003, and by Serene Huleileh as the regional director in 2000, the AEF started with a search for inspiring educational/cultural initiatives in the Arab world to reach a better common understanding of the indigenous knowledge that is being generated but not necessarily articulated. Over the past 14 years, the AEF has promoted a “culture of initiative” and the “construction of new knowledge” and meaning from experiences as the stimulator for co-motion/change. The AEF has also fostered genuine partnerships amongst diverse initiatives locally, regionally, and internationally, stressing the “inherent value” of each experience as a common ground for healthy interaction amongst them. The AEF’s

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structure strives to be consistent with its convictions, using a flexible yet structured approach to create a functional “institution”. Its “regional” framework necessitates a small administrative base (no more than ten staff) with a far-reaching web of volunteers constantly “weaving the fabric of human connections.” Since 2003, the AEF has developed several PanArab projects as well as cooperation projects across the Mediterranean that focus on building knowledge, generating wisdom, and providing alternative discourse(s) that give the responsibility of learning back to the individual and his/her community. Safar and Istikshaf respectively mean travel and discovery, and as such, derive their programmatic momentum and direction from the wide concept of learning through mobility, which helps the youth engage in a healthy process of growth that permits them, and hence their communities, to develop their own unique experiences and knowledge. The Safar youth mobility fund, launched in 2005, provides travel grants for Arab youths aged 15-35 years to travel to another Arab country to learn from a workshop, conference, meeting, seminar, apprenticeship, internship, joint project, or an exchange visit. It also provides an online database and forum for exchange of experiences, as well as opportunities for Arab social entrepreneurs to develop a new community discourse based on their experiences. Since the establishment of the Safar youth mobility fund in 2006, there has been a marked increase in the number of mobility operators in the Arab region as a response to the urgent need for resources to support the mobility of social entrepreneurs and artists. Nevertheless, available travel opportunities are still far fewer than the increasing demand, and artists and socially active individuals and groups are still lamenting the shortage of available resources for travel, particularly between Arab countries, as well as public policies that promote mobility, all of which limits opportunities for artists to travel, learn, and interact with their audiences.

Mobility: The Concept, imagination, and practice When we search for a way to define mobility, we find many variables at play. Its most basic definition is the ability to move freely and easily. However, experiences of promoting mobility for artists and social entrepreneurs in particular tell us that the key to defining mobility is purposeful planning and thoughtful processes, as well as a focus on personal and collective development. Destinations also tell us something

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Istikshaf: The Mobility Platform of the Mediterranean

about mobility: whether its aim is a place, a move across social hierarchies, economic advancement, accomplishment, knowledge accumulation, internal reflection, or the exercise of liberties. Mobility can also be defined as a tool for external and internal exploration and discovery, and an interest in mutual learning; it does not necessarily require a license, budget, professionals, or visible outcomes. More specifically, mobility for “learning” can only be lived; it requires physical presence and face-to-face conversations. The stress is not so much on information and content as on re-thinking and unlearning much of what has been learned before – including beliefs. And while learning is usually defined in relation to formal forms of schooling – informal, nonformal, or experiential – mobility for learning within the context of “Istikshaf” can be seen from the perspective of two distinct concepts connected to mobility: Tajawor and Tazawor. Tajawor is similar to apprenticeship, whereby an individual already practicing a certain skill/field of knowledge organizes to yatajawor with someone older and/or with more experience in the same field whom he/she wishes to learn from; not just the technical part of the skill, but also the “human” part, the connection between character, values, and lifestyle to the work itself. Tazawor or mutual visitation is when a person with an initiative or a vocation visits another person/group/organization in order to take a closer look at their work, discuss with them what they do, and explore possible ways for mutual learning. Looking at education curricula where the value of research, indigenous knowledge, and learning from life is undermined and different cultures are mostly in absentia, conceiving mobility is placed out of the reach of the vast majority of the population in formal educational institutions (schools and universities alike). This dimension highlights an absence of a system that operates against cultural xenophobia, alienation and isolation, whether within or outside of familiar national borders.

Istikshaf program Within this context, the Istikshaf program evolved as an interactive platform for the questioning of and reflection on artistic mobility around the Mediterranean, as well as providing mobility opportunities for artists across the Mediterranean divide.

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It aims, through various tools, to expand on and develop a renewed understanding of contemporary mobility by bringing together people who are able to think about mobility in its widest sense. This collaborative program started between two mobility operators in the EuroMediterranean area, namely the Arab Education Forum/Safar fund and the Roberto Cimetta Fund, and the collaboration expanded to include several other organizations and individuals in the region with funding from the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean foundation for dialogue between cultures and the European Commission. The Istikshaf coalition for mobility was formed to reflect the growing concern on the part of several community organizations and groups about the increasing obstacles to mobility and freedom of movement within the Arab World in particular, as well as in other countries around the world. This problem is aggravated by the fact that the concept of the mobility of people, artists, and initiatives is not well defined and recognized by institutions in the public sector, the private sector, and NGOs, as a learning tool and as an integral part of social, economic, and political development. Istikshaf’s main areas of focus are: Influencing policies: To develop and manage an advocacy campaign around mobility; to bring mobility funds (or other kinds of organizations supporting mobility) together in order to find common actions and tools; to use and develop the complementarities; increase efficiency; exchange good practices and challenges; develop a better understanding of the context; and set up an innovative scheme to support mobility embedded in lifelong learning and local development. Enhancing communication and mutual learning through knowledge building amongst various stakeholders: Mobility is a long term process; thus, measuring the impact and outcomes of mobility is always a challenge, especially since the Istikshaf platform and partners view mobility as a tool for development and growth. Istikshaf aims to research and discuss what quality mobility is. Mobility operators need to share their know-how as well as enhancing their evaluation tools (quantitative and qualitative indicators). On the operational level, what are the tools and resources that can be shared to reach better cost effectiveness? Technical assistance.

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Enhancing mobility opportunities for artists and young social entrepreneurs: Providing travel opportunities; sharing resources and knowledge between mobility operators; integrating alumni databases; ensuring consistent and valuable communication with the alumni in particular and the community in general; and exploring ways in which mobility experiences are shared/multiplied/transmitted. Community involvement and mainstreaming mobility: Developing and enhancing a common “Mobility Alumni” and local travel funds, as well as developing local projects that support and enhance mobility. This book aims to inform an ongoing debate around mobility, one that is of particular importance first and foremost in order to defend the basic right to learn. And in the spirit of meaningful mobility, perhaps what we need to do is “spend more time in conversations face-to-face with one another, in doing things together, in dreaming beautiful dreams, and in building shared visions. In short, we need to reclaim our lives and regain our cultural spaces.”1

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Munir Fasheh

ISTIKSHAF POLICY AGENDA

Regional Mobility and Freedom of Movement Policy Agenda 2012–2015 Advocating for Mobility and Freedom of Movement Istikshaf Advocacy Coalition: The Arab Education Forum – Istikshaf Program, in collaboration with a number of social and cultural organizations, initiated this coalition in order to develop a policy agenda and to create a platform for interested individuals and civil society organizations working under the theme of mobility, arts, culture, and social entrepreneurship. This regional mobility and freedom of movement policy agenda aims to develop closer links between a range of stakeholders, including government agencies, foundations, and the voluntary and community sectors in delivering specific policies and positions in areas affecting mobility with a focus on arts, culture and social entrepreneurship. It also helps people to better understand the policy issues and their impact, and provides tools to influence them. The Methodology: The Arab Education Forum – Istikshaf Program – is using the best international practices in developing this agenda and its supporting strategies. In June 2012, the AEF commissioned Rami Takrouri, Policy Advisor, to lead the process with the Istikshaf policy team. A problem identification survey was sent to a number of mobility operators, NGOs, and international organizations, followed by a workshop that was held in Alexandria in order to define the policy issues, agree on specific positions, and set and prioritize their initial strategies. In addition, two focus group meetings were held in Amman to complete this important exercise. The work will continue in order to develop an advocacy and communications strategy in order to support the execution of this agenda. Our Values and Guiding Principles are as follows:

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Participation, where we commit to ensuring the participation of all stakeholders.

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Transparency and accountability, where we commit to the work according to a well-defined and clear process, and constantly evaluate our strategies, tools and effects.

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Evidence based approach, where we commit to using the best practices in policy development processes to gather information and support our positions with evidence and data.

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Proactive approach, where we commit to presenting solutions and ideas in order to try to solve the policy issues and challenges.

The Scope of this policy agenda has two levels:

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Regional – International Level, where all involved stakeholders can work collectively on cross-cutting issues that have regional and international impacts.

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Country Level, where mobility operators and NGOs in each country can use this regional agenda as the base to further develop their own specific national policy agendas.

POLICY ISSUE I:

MOBILITY ON THE NATIONAL AGENDA

Challenges: There is a growing concern about the lack of mobility within the Arab World, and between other countries around the world. The concept of the mobility of people, artists, and initiatives is not well defined and recognized by institutions in the public sector, private sector, and NGOs, as a learning tool and as an integral part of social, economic, and political development. We aim to ensure a true engagement of all key stakeholders in order to promote and adopt the concept of mobility within the national agendas in the region, with a focus on influencing the cities’ agendas and private sector strategies to acknowledge it as a central theme within its long term vision and strategies.

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Positions / Recommendations 1. Governments should support all stakeholders to freely engage in participating and developing the national policies, discussing the concepts and definitions of mobility, and promoting its positive role in society, in order to adopt it as part of the national development agendas in the region. 2. Arab cities should work to promote the concept of mobility, and officially adopt and include it within their national and local agendas, and provide the linkages needed to allow for better interaction and integration of cities and people. 3. In recognizing the important role of civil society, governments should facilitate the work of the NGOs, artists and youth groups that are working to improve cultural and social mobility by reducing regulatory constraints. 4. Artists, social entrepreneurs, mobility operators, NGOs, foundations, civil society organizations, and private sector companies should work to introduce the concept of mobility within their development and human resources strategies in order to encourage mobility of employees. Stakeholders -

The Arab League Central governments Municipalities Private sector companies Foundations and NGOs (local, regional and international) Mobility operators Academia Citizens Artists and social entrepreneurs Media

Advocacy Strategy / Tools 1.

2. 3.

4.

5.

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White paper on the concepts and definition of mobility Regional and national conferences and workshops Position paper on the role of Arab cities in supporting mobility Research on social and economic impacts of mobility and creative economy Regional/national campaigns to promote and encourage the concept of mobility White paper on the mobility vacation concept and process

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POLICY ISSUE 2:

Istikshaf Policy Agenda

FINANCING MOBILITY

Challenges: Mobility operators, along with social and cultural NGOs, are now facing a bigger challenge in providing and sustaining programs to support the mobility of social entrepreneurs and artists (men and women) in the region. There is a growing need for governments, donors, and private sector companies to set a clear budget and allocate funds that have clear and simplified processes. We aim to work with public and private sector institutions and the donor community in the region, in order to agree on clear and transparent mechanisms for allocating budgets and distributing funds to support mobility initiatives with no restrictions on the receiving of funds and donations. Positions / Recommendations 5. Governments and municipalities should invest in mobility by allocating a clear percentage of their budgets, needed to provide sustainable support for developmental projects related to mobility. 6. Governments, in collaboration with civil society and the donor community, should work to develop a clear and transparent funding system and procedures, to allow NGOs, mobility operators, groups, artists and entrepreneurs to freely access the available funds. 7. Governments should adopt a progressive tax and benefits system to encourage socially responsible private sector corporations and NGOs to establish mobility funds and provide donations to support mobility initiatives. 8. Mobility operators and NGOs should work with all stakeholders including governments in order to establish friendly spaces and facilities to support the mobility of people, initiatives and activities.

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Stakeholders -

Advocacy Strategy / Tools

Central governments Parliaments and elected officials Municipalities Private sector companies Foundations and NGOs (local, regional and international) Mobility operators Donor organizations Artists and social entrepreneurs Media

POLICY ISSUE 3:

7.

Impact assessment study/position paper on allocating government mobility funds, and tax incentives for the private sector 8. Position paper on funding systems and procedures 9. White paper on “the use of regional friendly spaces to support mobility” 10. Regional conferences and national/city debates 11. Regional/national campaigns to promote and encourage CSR and government funding

CROSSING BORDERS

Challenges: The right to free and responsible movement within national and international borders, as described in international declarations, can have profound effects on societies and people. Over the past years, the concept of the free mobility of people has been faced by unexplainable social behaviors and legal systems that aim to place artificial boundaries between Arab countries, and also between Arab countries and the rest of the world. We aim to reach for a free movement of people and ideas across the Arab countries, where all borders are open without limitations, and to ensure all Arab citizens including artists, social entrepreneurs, men and women are capable of spreading social and cultural initiatives. Positions / Recommendations 9. Governments, in coordination with local and international organizations and activists, should work to ensure free mobility between Arab countries for all Arab citizens, and should also work collectively to ensure the freedom of movement of the people in Palestine.

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10. Governments, on the short term, must set new policies that are in line with human rights principles, in order to better govern the movement of artists and social entrepreneurs across borders, and to create an effective, efficient and transparent visa system and procedures. 11. Governments should work to ensure the availability of information on laws and regulations related to movement across borders, and visa procedures and costs. 12. Local, regional and international organizations should work in cooperation with individuals and communities to provide all the necessary travel and movement information by developing a comprehensive travel guide for Arab countries and cities. 13. Governments and NGOs should work to encourage foreign authorities to set clear, simple and cost effective international visa procedures in order to facilitate the movement of artists and social entrepreneurs to their countries. Stakeholders -

The Arab League Central governments Foundations and NGOs (local, regional and international) Donor organizations Artists and social entrepreneurs Mobility operators Citizens Media

Advocacy Strategy / Tools 12. Benchmarking research to compare visa laws and regulations to the human rights declarations 13. Legal and technical research on visa procedures/cost and impact on the movement of artists and social entrepreneurs 14. White paper on low risk–high risk visa system – security system 15. Regional and national conferences and public debates 16. Regional/national campaigns to support the movement of people, artists and social entrepreneurs in the Arab world

Istikshaf Policy Agenda

POLICY ISSUE 4:

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MOBILIZING COMMUNITIES

Challenges: Mobility has been an integral part of the development of Arab societies, cities, culture and people. Although we are living in a mobile society where technology plays a major role in exchanging information and ideas, Arab societies, cities and people are not fully engaged in supporting the concepts of mobility, cultural exchange, and the arts. Social constrains and negative behavior is still discouraging people, especially women, from engaging in such endeavors. We aim to fully engage people to be supportive of art and culture, mobility initiatives, and the development of their societies, and to reduce the fear factors that limit the participation of men, women and youth from different backgrounds in developing their societies and engaging in mobility and artistic initiatives. Positions / Recommendations 14. Creating partnerships between governments, civil society organizations and societies in order to ensure a national endorsement of “learning” as a tool for creativity and innovation, and “mobility” as a tool for acquiring experience. 15. Creating partnerships between governments, civil society organizations and societies in order to reduce the gaps, and encourage the involvement and participation of women, youth, artists and social entrepreneurs in mobility and cultural initiatives by eliminating social and economic constraints. 16. Governments should invest in the voluntary and community sectors’ work in building bridges within and between communities, through local infrastructure networks and partnerships. Stakeholders -

Central governments Municipalities Political parties Community leaders Private sector companies Foundations and NGOs (local, regional and international)

Advocacy Strategy / Tools 17. White paper on learning and link with mobility 18. Regional and national conferences and workshops 19. Position paper on the legal constraints facing Arab women in mobility, arts and culture, and social initiatives

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Mobility operators Universities and schools Citizens Artists and social entrepreneurs Media

20. Regional/national campaigns to encourage participation of women, youth, artists and activists in mobility 21. Disseminating the “Jeera” initiative to Arab cities, municipalities, institutions and individuals in order to adopt and implement it.

SUPPORT ISTIKSHAF MOBILITY AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT REGIONAL POLICY AGENDA How can you Support the Istikshaf Policy Agenda? As an individual or an organization, you can support this initiative by: 1. Adopting the policy agenda by joining the group and signing the MOU. 2. Supporting the coalition in advocating related issues to you or your organization. 3. Providing your expertise, skills, and time as an advisor to the coalition. 4. Providing feedback, information, and data to support the positions and advocacy strategy. 5. Provide financial or in-kind support to execute the technical and legal research, papers, and campaigns that will be implemented according to this agenda.

Feedback and Contact Information For more clarifications and information related to this agenda, please contact the Istikshaf Policy Team at [email protected], or info@ almoultaqa.com, or call us on 00962-6- 4659992.

CHAPTER I: RESEARCH

IMPACT OF MOBILITY: SURVEY RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS RAMI TAKROURI

I. The Survey The Istikshaf Advocacy Team designed a tailor-made survey in order to gather some qualitative and quantitative data that will help in understanding the concept of mobility and its impact. This survey results will help the coalition members in: x Acquiring initial data about some factors relating to travel grants and their impact on people and communities. x Understanding certain patterns of behavior and practices within the travel cycle. x Setting a model to determine the impact of mobility on a country and regional level. The survey was posted online (www.surveymonkey.com) during February–July 2014, and it was promoted to all mobility operators and partners using different communication and social media tools.

Rami Takrouri

Understanding the Impact of Mobility I. Knowing You D1. Name (Optional): D2. Year of birth: D3. Email: D4. Gender: 1. Male 2. Female D5. Nationality: D6. Country of Residence: D7. Education level: 1. Never went to school 2. Primary 3. Secondary 4. High school/TAWJIHI 5. Vocational Studies 6. Intermediate Diploma 7. BA 8. Higher Diploma 9. MA and Above D8. In which sector do you work? 1. Community based organization 2. International NGO 3. For profit private sector 4. Governmental, Semi-Governmental 5. Other, please specify ---------------------------D9. What is your field of work/expertise? 1. Culture and Art 2. Community activism 3. Education & Training 4. Environment & agriculture 5. Media 6. Technology 7. Health 8. Other, please specify: …………………. D10. Are you working as: (Check all that apply) 1. Business owner 2. Freelancer/self-employed 3. Employee 4. Volunteer 5. Other, please specify: ………………….

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Understanding the Impact of Mobility: Istikshaf Survey Results

D11. Which of the following statements best apply to you? 1. Income is insufficient: does not cover basic expenses 2. Income sufficient to cover basic expenses 3. Income covers more than basic expenses – able to save 4. Income allows me some luxuries in addition to the ability to save D12. Do you mind being contacted for more information thorough a one-on-one meeting to share the story of your trip and your reflections on it? 1. Yes, please provide your contact information (telephone number, Skype) 2. No

II. The last time you searched for a travel grant Note: If you have traveled more than once or received more than on travel grant, please select the most recent trip that you made using a travel grant. Q1) Where did you hear/read about travel grant opportunities: (Check all that apply) 1. Website 2. Media (Newspaper, Radio, TV) 3. Social media 4. Brochure 5. Nomination of host organization 6. Referred to by a friend 7. Attending an event 8. Other, please specify …………………… Q2) When checking the source of information, did you find all the information you were looking for in terms of: (Check all that apply) 1. Type of grants available 2. Eligibility requirements 3. Amount/coverage of financial support. Q2.4) Deadline for applications 4. Time frame for receiving a response 5. Required documents 6. Application forms and templates 7. Possibility to read and fill in the application in your mother tongue

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Q3) How many weeks elapsed between submitting your grant application and receiving the notification of approval? 1. Less than 1 week 2. 1 week 3. 2-3 weeks 4. 4-5 weeks 5. More than 5 weeks

Q4) Did you approach any governmental organization that provides mobility grants in your country? 1. No 2. Yes (Specify) Q5) Where did you finally get funding for your trip? (Check all that apply.) If applicable, specify name of entity. 1. Safar Fund 2. An Arab mobility operator/mobility fund 3. A European mobility operator/mobility fund 4. A local NGO/foundation 5. An international NGO/foundation 6. A government institution 7. A private sector company 8. Other, please specify Q6) What percentage of the total cost of the ticket (or transportation costs) was covered by the travel grant? 1. 10-20% 2. 20-40% 3. 40-80% 4. 100% Q7) What percentage of the total cost of your trip (including accommodation, food and other expenses) was covered by the travel grant? 1. Less than 10% 2. 11-20% 3. 21-40% 4. 41-60% 5. 61-80% 6. 81-99% 7. 100%

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Understanding the Impact of Mobility: Istikshaf Survey Results

III. So, It’s Travel Day! Note: If you have traveled more than once or received more than on travel grant, please select the most recent trip that you made using a travel grant. Q8) Which year did you travel? Please specify …………………. Q9) How long was the duration of the whole trip? ---- days Q10) What was the purpose of your travel? 1. Meet a person/people working in the same field 2. Apprenticeship or training with a person or organization working in the same field 3. Work on a specific project in collaboration with other individuals 4. Attend an event (conference, seminar, festival, etc.) 5. Research project 6. Performance 7. Other, please specify: --------------------------Q11) How much did you pay in total for your ticket(s)? 1. Less than $100/€73 2. $101/€74 – $250/€184 3. $251/€185 – $500/€367 4. $501/€368 – $1000/€735 5. $1000/€735 – $1500/€1102 6. Above $1500/€1102 Q12) How much money did you spend on food for the whole trip? 1. Less than $100/€73 2. $101/€74 – $250/€184 3. $251/€185 – $500/€367 4. $501/€368 – $1000/€735 5. $1000/€735 – $1500/€1102 6. Above $1500/€1102 Q13) How much money did you spend on accommodation for the whole trip? 1. Less than $100/€73 2. $101/€74 – $250/€184 3. $251/€185 – $500/€367 4. $501/€368 – $1000/€735 5. $1000/€735 – $1500/€1102 6. Above $1500/€1102

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Q14) What problems or barriers did you face during your travel (please choose all that apply)? 1. Lack of direct modes of travel to my destination 2. Langue barrier 3. Cost of living 4. No available information/travel guides 5. Visa issues 6. Customs issues on the border Please explain the issue(s) briefly ………………………………………………………………

IV. You had a great trip & went back home! Q15) Upon returning, and within the span of at least one year, did you transfer your acquired knowledge, contacts and skills to others in your country? 1. Yes 2. No Q16) If yes, please specify how 1. Through publishing an article in the media 2. Presentation to colleagues 3. Training workshop or seminar 4. Integrated my learning into my work 5. Other, please specify: ---------------------Q17) How many people do you estimate benefited from your experience or were informed of your experience? 1. 1-5 2. 6-10 3. 11-20 4. 21-30 5. 30-49 6. 50 people 7. More than 50 people 8. None

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Understanding the Impact of Mobility: Istikshaf Survey Results



Q18) Upon your return and within the span of at least one year, how many hours of community service did you volunteer in your country after your travel? 1. 10 hours per year 2. 20 hours per year 3. 30 hours per year 4. 40 hours per year 5. Over 40 hours per year 6. I didn’t volunteer any time. Q19) Did you use what you learnt in developing a new project or business ideas after your travels? 1. No 2. Yes If yes, please specify the type, budget, and duration of the project, and how many employees/consultants you hired.

V. Last thing before we thank you officially! Q20) What did you accomplish through the whole trip? Check all that apply 1. Improve my knowledge or skill in some areas 2. Learn a new skill 3. Expand my network and contacts 4. Develop innovative ideas for my work 5. Expand my project to a broader scope/other countries 6. Complete the project/research 7. Other, please specify: ---------------------Q21) Did the experience/knowledge/skills you gained from your travel have a direct impact on your income? 1. No, my income didn’t improve 2. My income improved by less than 10% 3. My income improved between 10 to 20% 4. My income improved between 21 to 30% 5. My income improved more than 30% 6. N/A Q22) Overall, how did your travel (mobility) impact your life? 1. It changed my life 2. It was a good experience 3. It was a neutral experience 4. It changed some of my beliefs 5. It prompted me to change my field of work/interest

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6. 7. 8. 9.

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It changed the way I perceive life It changed my convictions about learning and knowledge It had a negative impact on my life It had no impact what so ever

II. Results of the Survey The Team has received and analyzed 120 responses, and categorized the results as follows: Section 1: Profiling of Participants: This section would help us to better understand the target audience who participated in the survey. Section 2: The Travel Grant: This section would help us to better understand the issues related to the process of providing and receiving travel grants. Section 3: The Travel Process: This section would help us to better understand the practices, costs, and barriers faced by travelers. Section 4: The Travel Impact: this section would help us to understand how travel help in the traveler’s personal improvement (knowledge and skills), and how it impacted on their communities.

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Understanding the Impact of Mobility: Istikshaf Survey Results

Section 1: Profiling Gender

75 male participants – 45 female participants The Sectors

The participants represented different sectors: 48.1% worked in civil society, 29.6% worked for governmental or semi-governmental entities, and 22.1% worked in the private sector.

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Field of work/expertise

The majority of participants worked in the fields of the arts, community work, education, and media. Type of work

78.9% of the participants were working as employees, freelancers/selfemployed, and volunteers.

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Understanding the Impact of Mobility: Istikshaf Survey Results

Education level

Participants with BAs/diplomas represented 90.5% of the responses, compared to the 9.5% of the other segments, which represented an educational level below a high school certificate. Member of a network or association

68.8% of participants were members of a network or association.

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Section 2: The Travel Grant Where do people hear/read about travel grant opportunities

Mobility operators’ websites, social media, and word of mouth are among the most used tools of communications. Is the information about travel grants available

An average of 53% of responses by the participants stated that they were able to get the required information related to the travel grants. It also

32

Understanding the Impact of Mobility: Istikshaf Survey Results

shows that 65% of participants didn’t find the required information related to a response timeframe and available forms in their mother tongue. Applicants approaching a governmental organization to provide mobility grants in their country?

77.3% did not approach any government organization to get a travel grant in their country. The funding Source

International NGOs/foundations provide the most funding by percentage (25.51%), followed by the Safar Fund (23.47%), and mobility operators (21.43%). As for government institutions and the private sector, they provide the lowest amount of funding, reaching (5.10% - 9.18%).

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Number of weeks to receive the notification of approval

The actual “response time” to receive the notification of approval is considered a main issue by applicants, as 52.5% indicated that it took more than 4 weeks for the organization to respond to their application.

Issues to consider x Mobility operators should consider reviewing the travel grants packages and content in order to add all the required information related to the types of grants, eligibility criteria and response timeframe, and work to make all documents and forms available in different languages. x Mobility operators should work to enhance their communications tools in order to attract different types of grantees. x Mobility operators should reconsider the internal process that is needed in order to issue an initial response to the applicant. The process should include an initial approval if the applicant has met the eligibility criteria. x Related central governments’ agencies and municipalities should work to provide mobility grants as part of their strategies to support the concept of mobility. x Mobility operators should develop a CSR strategy to be sent to private sector companies to encourage them to provide financial and/or in-kind support.

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Understanding the Impact of Mobility: Istikshaf Survey Results

Section 3: The Travel Process The purpose of the travel

Attending events (festivals and conferences) is considered the largest category, reaching 32.7%. The numbers show that apprenticeships/ training, meeting people, and project development activities are also considered important issues, reaching 48.6%. Duration of the travel

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The majority of grants were provided to support applicants traveling for 114 days, reaching 68.1%, compared to 31.8% who spent more than 3 weeks on a trip. Means of Transportation

The airplane is considered the favorite means of transportation (62.5%), followed by taxis (11.3%) and private cars (10.0%). Cost of tickets / transportation

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Understanding the Impact of Mobility: Istikshaf Survey Results

Calculating the average cost during a mobility funded trip – ticket costs range from $250 – $400. Cost of accommodation

Calculating the average cost during a mobility funded trip – accommodation costs range from $100 – $500. Cost of food

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Calculating the average cost during a mobility funded trip – food costs range from $100 – $500. Main problems or barriers faced during the travel

The cost of living was considered the biggest barrier that was faced by travelers (47.1%), followed by the availability of information about the city (29.4%), and the language barrier was also a main problem, reaching 23.5%.

Issues to consider x Mobility operators should work with airlines around the region to encourage them to support mobility, taking into consideration that the majority of travelers use airplanes during their mobility travel. x Mobility operators should work to reduce the barriers faced by travelers. This can be achieved through: o Developing and publishing “Travel Handbooks” which contain all the necessary information for the visitor/traveler. o Working with governments and civil society to provide low-cost venues (e.g. motels and youth hostels). x Mobility operators should validate the average cost of “one mobility travel” ($925 per trip), in order to try to assess its direct impact.

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Understanding the Impact of Mobility: Istikshaf Survey Results

Item

Low Cost $

High Cost $

Average Cost $

Ticket

250

400

325

Accommodation

100

500

300

Food

100

500

300

Total

450

1400

925

Section 4: The Travel Impact What was accomplished by the grantees after the travel

More than 50% of the grantees considered building and expanding a network to be a very important achievement. The responses also stated that improving or adding to knowledge and skills were very important goals, reaching 48%. Although research is considered a very important issue, only 31% completed a piece of research during their travels.

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The personal improvement (knowledge, skills, ideas, etc.) as a result of the travel

The results show very positive signs about personal improvement, as 78.7% learned a lot form their travel experience, compared to 21.3% who learned some new or minor things. Transfer of applicants’ acquired knowledge, contacts, skills

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Understanding the Impact of Mobility: Istikshaf Survey Results

After coming back to their communities, 94.4% of grantees shared and transferred their knowledge, skills and contacts, which is also considered a very positive sign. How was the knowledge transferred?

Training programs, seminars, and presentations are considered one of the best ways to transfer knowledge to other people. How many people benefited

More than 50% of the grantees reached out to 20-50+ people within their communities. This shows that through the 120 grants provided, a total of 4,333 people benefited directly from grantees (1 grant = 36 people on average).

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How many hours of community service provided (Volunteered)

More than 80% of the grantees volunteered for an average of 29 hours after going back to their communities. This shows that through the 120 grants provided, a total of 4,949 community service hours were provided (1 grant = 41 labor hours). Calculating the minimum wage at $225 per month / 8 hours a day ($28 per hour on average), this shows that through the 120 grant provided, a total of $139,185 was contributed indirectly (1 grant = $1,160 on average). The travel grant enabled me to

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Understanding the Impact of Mobility: Istikshaf Survey Results

64.1% of the grantees were able to benefit directly from the travel grant by completing their whole project or a large portion of it. Overall, how did your travel (Mobility) impact your life?

Less than 5% of the grantees indicated that they didn’t benefit from the travel grant, that it had a negative impact on their lives, or it was a neutral experience, compared to 95% of the participants who benefited from the experience, where 13.7% indicated that the travel experience changed their lives.

Issues to consider x Mobility operators should focus on promoting/expanding travel grants targeted towards working on or completing “Evidence Based Research”, as this is considered an important aspect in the understanding of trends, knowledge and culture, and it helps in all of the advocacy efforts. x Mobility operators should develop a monitoring and evaluation mechanism in order to follow up with grantees to study how they benefited from their experience. x Mobility operators should work to ensure the gathering of all material developed through travel grants, and the dissemination of knowledge and skills. This could be achieved by:

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o Setting a rule to ensure that all grantees present their experience to a certain number of people within their community. o Developing a dynamic online portal to ensure better communication between grantees and other individuals. x Mobility operators should validate the average cost of “labor hours of volunteerism” ($28 per grant), in order to try to assess its direct/indirect impact.

PUBLIC POLICY ADVOCACY: BEST PRACTICES IN FUNDING MOBILITY RAMI TAKROURI

I. Sources of Funding for Travel There are many levels and streams where funding can be obtained by individuals in order to travel under the concept of mobility. The definition of mobility can be summarized as follows: Mobility for learning within the context of “Istikshaf” can be seen from the perspective of two distinct concepts connected to mobility: Tajawor and Tazawor. Tajawor is similar to apprenticeship, whereby an individual already practicing a certain skill/field of knowledge organizes to yatajawor with someone older and/or with more experience in the same field whom he/she wishes to learn from; not just the technical part of the skill, but also the “human” part, the connection between character, values, and lifestyle to the work itself. Tazawor or mutual visitation is when a person with an initiative or a vocation visits another person/group/organization in order to take a closer look at their work, discuss with them what they do, and explore possible ways for mutual learning. For more information on the concept and definition of mobility, please refer to “Exploring Mobility – White Paper”, published by the Istikshaf Coalition, 2014.

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The sources of funding for a mobility/travel grant can be obtained from one of the following institutions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Mobility Operators. Local and International NGOs. Donor Agencies. Central and Municipal Government Institutions. Private Sector Companies.

It is important to state that the concept of mobility is not well defined within most of the mentioned institutions (other than mobility operators), as most governmental and non-governmental organizations indirectly support the concept of mobility under the concept of “arts and culture”. This issue was noticed during the initial mapping of available government and NGO funding programs in the region. The Istikshaf Coalition will be conducting a survey to gather information and data about the sources of available mobility funding, the yearly budgets allocated by different institutions to support mobility, and art and culture initiatives in the Arab World.

II. Role of Stakeholders in Financing Mobility Supporting mobility and travel, arts, culture, social initiatives and activists is considered a joint responsibility for all involved stakeholders. The

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Public Policy Advocacy: Best Practices in Funding Mobility

Istikshaf Coalition will be working with all related stakeholders in order to define the concept and develop a strategy with clear funding process in order to reach more communities, activists, social entrepreneurs, artists, and youth. In this section, we have tried to identify the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder in order to reach a joint understanding and commitment in order to develop a new financing model. x The central government (Ministries of Culture) is responsible for developing and issuing modern cultural policies, and working to influence other policies which are needed to empower the work of NGOs and mobility operators. This will be achieved by setting a new regulatory framework, where civil society organizations and people working in this field, or supported by it, can benefit from tax incentives. Ministries of Culture should also work to set and declare a transparent and detailed budget for mobility, with clear and published mechanisms (regulations) governing the funding process. x The local government (Municipalities) is responsible for ensuring that the city is prepared and branded to host, attract, and support arts and culture activities and artists, support mobility exchange programs and develop the required spaces. Municipalities should also work to develop progressive social and cultural policies, strategies, budgets, and internal processes, targeting arts and cultural and mobility initiatives, NGOs and operators. x The Donor Community (Organizations) is responsible for understanding the needs of communities on issues related to mobility and exchange programs, and works to consider this a stand-alone theme that should be supported by strategies. Donor organizations should work to understand the nature and process of mobility/travel in order to set simpler technical and financial requirements, forms, and funding procedures. x Local, regional and international NGOs are responsible for forming a mobility funding network in order to better synchronize their initiatives and strategies within the country and within different regions.

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NOGs should also work to include and encourage the concept of the mobility and travel of artists and social entrepreneurs in order to ensure the transfer of knowledge and skills. x The Private Sector is responsible, through the CSR programs, for allocating parts of the budgets to support mobility, and mobility operators. Companies can work to provide direct financial support or in-kind support, and also introduce this concept within their “Human Resource Development Strategies” by funding their employees to help them to learn through traveling. x The Mobility Operators are the key players working to promote the concept of mobility, and should work to mobilize and engaged all stakeholders, communities, media, youth, men and women. Through unified funding policies, systems and procedures, mobility operators can work as a bigger network to reach their target audience.

III. Governing Values The Istikshaf Advocacy Team has researched the values that should govern any funding system that is/will be used to provide grants for organizations and individuals. The following values should be the cornerstone of any financing system, whether is implemented by a government institution, an NGO, or a private sector company. x Accessibility: The funding system should ensure the access of all people to the system, with no discrimination based on gender, age, level of education, beliefs, location or language. x Transparency: The funding system should be clear and published in all available means, where a clear budget should be declared to the public. The policies and legal requirements should identify all of the requirements for a person to be eligible to receive the funding, and to explain the review process in detail. It should also define how the decision has been made, and how this will be communicated to the applicant.

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Public Policy Advocacy: Best Practices in Funding Mobility

x Efficiency: The funding system should have a clear and published process with a realistic time frame for each and every internal and external process. The system should take into consideration the cost associated with submitting and processing the application for both the applicant and the organization. x Accountability: The organization and its employees should work under a strict code of conduct to ensure fairness in the decision making process. The funding system should have a clear and easy appeal process that can be used by the applicants to challenge the decision making process. The results and processes of providing/rejecting funding applications should also be reported and published to the public through the annual financial statements or financial records.

IV. Good Practices in Funding Mobility During the first phase, the Istikshaf Advocacy Team will work to try to define some good practices in funding mobility in general. This diagram explains the overall procedure that should govern the process of setting a travel fund and providing travel grants. The following acronyms are used: Ministry/Municipality: Gov.; Mobility Operator: MO; Non-Governmental Organization: NGO; Donor Organization: DO; Private Sector Company: PSC.

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Regulatory Framework (Gov.) / Internal Policies (MO, NGOs, DO, PSC)

Allocation of Budget Set Budget with detailed line items

M&E Indicators Monitored and published to the public

Target Audience / Countries Clear illegibility criteria and a list of countries

Quality Control Measures Pear review process with a simple appeal process Funding Model

Requirements List of requirements and funding conditions

Review mechanisms and structures Clear Refusal / Approval guidelines

Announcement Multiple ways to disseminate information

Internal Processes Detailed process map and timeframe

Assets

Accessibility, Transparency, Efficiency, Accountability – Structure & Systems

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Public Policy Advocacy: Best Practices in Funding Mobility

The Process

Allocation of Budget

Target Audience / Countries

Requirements

Announcement

Good Practices à Including mobility as a theme within the annual strategy à Defining a clear percentage of the total budget to support travel grants à Preparing the necessary regulations / internal policies that govern the spending process and payment methods à Identifying the target audience who will be eligible to receive a travel grant based on clear criteria à Identifying the regions / countries / cities that are covered under the travel grant à Defining the travel directions that will be supported (inside the same country, outside the host country, visiting the host country) à Identifying the technical requirements related to the project / travel plan that should be fulfilled by the applicant à Identifying the financial costs that the applicant will have to bear when submitting the application and during travel à Preparing a list of documents that need to be provided à Developing a template / document for announcing the travel grants (opportunity) à Announcement of the Grant Document through different tools (meetings, advertising, social media), and based on an action plan à Ensuring continuous and proper communications after every process / decision

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Internal Processes

Review Mechanisms and Structures

Quality Control Measures

M&E Indicators

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à Developing a detailed process map for each step of the grant funding process à Assigning a realistic timeframe for each step, with a clear description of the roles and responsibilities of the organization’s staff and the applicant à Posting the process map to the public, and posting the process map with every travel grant announcement à Forming a Review Committee with a clear job description and detailed guiding principles for decision making à Publishing the names of the Review Committee members and chair à Setting a code of conduct and internal procedures for the Review Committee à Developing an appeal system and procedures à Forming a Sub-Committee that includes a Board of Directors, Members and Pears to review any appeal sent by any applicant à Defining monitoring and evaluation indicators to ensure the gathering of data at each step of the process à Announcing the results and data to the public on an annual basis: Ń Number of approved applications by country, nationality, age, etc. Ń Number of rejected applications and appeals Ń Number of uncompleted applications and the related causes (such as: visa issues, financial issues, personal issues, etc.) Ń Detailed budget / financial statements

PUBLIC POLICY ADVOCACY VISA ASSESSMENT: COUNTRY REPORTS (JORDAN, LEBANON, EGYPT, MOROCCO AND THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES) RAMI TAKROURI

I. Introduction to the Concept “Freedom of Movement” According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), all people are entitled to the recognition of inherent dignity and certain inalienable rights, which are the “foundations of freedom and justice in the world.” Freedom of movement is part of the “liberty of man”, thus making it one of the most basic human rights. The right to free movement or the denial of it within national and international borders can have profound effects upon other basic human rights which are also outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other treaties. Without the right to leave one’s home, an individual may be politically repressed, prevented from observing his/her chosen religion, prevented from enjoying the basic right to marriage or family life, or blocked from a job or an education that could ultimately enhance his/her quality of life. Thus, while free movement may seem on the surface to be a fairly minor and obvious human right, it is actually one of the most basic rights that in many nations around the world – when violated – causes numerous problems and cases of suffering.1 The policy framework that protects this right has been stipulated on both international and national levels. International and national organizations and authorities have issued the following policies:

 1

Source: Human Rights Education Associates (HREA) www.hrea.org

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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) x Article 13: Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and return to his country. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) x Article 12: This is the foremost treaty dealing with civil and political rights. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, often abbreviated to ICCPR, stipulates that everyone residing legally within a state has the right to choose his/her place of residence and has the right to move around freely. Recommendation 1373: Freedom of movement and the issue of visas to members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (1998) x This document was intended to make travel between the member states of the Council of Europe easier. The recommendation acknowledges that obtaining travel documents can be very costly and that while it will not be possible in the immediate future to remove the need for such documents, the ultimate goal of the Council of Europe should be free movement within all member states for all of the nationals of each separate country. General Comment 28, Equality of rights between men and women (2000) x This comment deals specifically with article 3 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states the equality of rights between men and women. In section 16, it also sets that parties should provide any information on any legal practice or provision which restricts women’s freedom of movement. As for the Arab Countries, the Arab League has issued the following charters: Arab Charter on Human Rights (1994) x Articles (20, 21, 22): The Arab Charter determines that citizens shall have the right to choose their residence freely within the territory of the state and in addition they have the right to move from state to state and shall be allowed to re-enter their country of origin or nationality if they so choose.

Public Policy Advocacy Visa Assessment: Country Reports

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-

Article 20: Every individual residing within the territory of a State shall have the right to liberty of movement and freedom to choose his place of residence in any part of the said territory, within the limits of the law.

-

Article 21: No citizen shall be arbitrarily or unlawfully prevented from leaving any Arab country, including his own, nor prohibited from residing, or compelled to reside, in any part of his country.

-

Article 22: No citizen shall be expelled from his country or prevented from returning thereto.

Arab Charter on Human Rights (2004) x Article 26.1: Everyone lawfully within the territory of a State party shall, within that territory, have the right to freedom of movement and to freely choose his residence in any part of that territory in conformity with the laws in force.

II. Visa Research and the Legal Assessment Methodology In order to better understand the regulatory framework, the Istikshaf Advocacy Team gathered all available data related to visa laws and regulations, visa procedures, and the legal and technical requirements for all Arab countries. This mapping has helped the team to better understand the interrelations and trends within the visa policies in the Arab world. The Istikshaf Team then initiated a legal research to study the visa policies, laws, and regulations of five Arab countries. The Team selected the following countries based on the following criteria: y Representation of the main regions within the Arab World (Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf). y All selected countries are considered a cultural destination. y The accessibility and availability of information that is needed to complete the research. The five Countries are: 1. 2.

Jordan Lebanon

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3. 4. 5.

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Egypt UAE Morocco

The Istikshaf Advocacy Team has set a clear methodology in order to complete the research and submit the policy recommendations. The team has implemented the following steps: 1. Gather all available legal instruments (laws, regulations, instructions), and administrative procedures related to visa policy and process. 2. Develop the assessment criteria based on best practices in setting and implementing legal instruments. 3. Perform a legal assessment in order to review the current regulatory structure within the selected countries. 4. Issue a “Country Report” showing the results of the assessment. 5. Develop the policy recommendations and an action plan for the Istikshaf Coalition to consider and implement. The criteria were set in order to guide the assessment process, as the team wanted to evaluate the regulatory tools according to the best practices in developing policies, laws and the supporting regulations (transparency, accountability, efficiency, and cost based services). In order to perform a unified assessment for all countries, the team has developed 15 questions, which each legal instrument was checked against. The checklist included the following questions:

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Public Policy Advocacy Visa Assessment: Country Reports

1. Has the government issued any clear statement that identifies the national visa policy? 2. Are there any published statistics/data stating the number of visas issued / rejected? 3. Are the laws / regulations published and available online? 4. Are the visa regulations transparent in terms of setting rights, conditions, and requirements? 5. Are the visa regulations clear and do they define the mode of implementation? 6. Is there a published list of exempted countries and nationalities? 7. Restricted Arab countries / nationalities (visa needed / issued with certain restrictions) 8. Is there a detailed process map and are there standard operating procedures (SOPs) published by the responsible governmental entity? 9. Are the steps to applying for and obtaining any type of visa published and available online? 10. Are there clear time limits for reviewing and approving the visa applications? 11. Are the visa forms and templates published and available online? 12. Is the cost of obtaining a visa clear and published online? 13. Is there a differentiation between the application fees and service fees? 14. Is there a special visa type for “Mobility / Art / Culture”? 15. Is there formal coordination between authorities to support cultural activities and facilitate the movement of artists and social entrepreneurs?

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III. The Country Reports Based on the legal assessment according to the best practices, the Istikshaf Advocacy Team has developed the following country reports: 1.

Jordan Country Report

Issue

Assessment Criteria

1.

Visa Assessment Report 2014 – Jordan

Visa Policy

2.

3. Visa Law and Regulations

4.

5.

6.

Visa Restrictions & Exemptions

7.

Yes

No

Has the government issued any clear statement that identifies the national visa policy? Are there any published statistics / data stating the number of visas issued / rejected? Date of publication of the visa law. Are the laws / regulations published and available online? Are the visa regulations transparent in terms of setting rights, conditions, and requirements? Are the visa regulations clear and do they define the mode of implementation? Is there a published list of exempted countries and nationalities? Restricted Arab countries / nationalities (visa needed / issued with certain restrictions)

9 9

1973 9 9

9

9 (7 countries) Palestine*, Iraq, Djibouti, Mauritania, Sudan, Somalia, Comoros

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Public Policy Advocacy Visa Assessment: Country Reports

8.

Visa Procedures

Visa Cost

Visa Type

Is there a detailed process map and are there standard operating procedures (SOPs) published by the responsible governmental entity? 9. Are the steps to applying for and obtaining any type of visa published and available online? 10. Are there clear time limits for reviewing and approving the visa applications? 11. Are the visa forms and templates published and available online? 12. Is the cost of obtaining a visa clear and published online? 13. Is there a differentiation between the application fees and service fees? 14. Is there a special visa type for “Mobility / Art / Culture”? 15. Is there formal coordination between authorities to support cultural activities and facilitate the movement of artists and social entrepreneurs?

9

9 9 9 9 9

9

9

Rami Takrouri

2.

Lebanon Country Report

Issue

Assessment Criteria

1.

Visa Policy

Visa Assessment Report 2014 – Lebanon

59

2.

3. Visa Law and Regulations

4.

5.

6.

Visa Restrictions & Exemptions

7.

Yes

Has the government issued any clear statement that identifies the national visa policy? Are there any published statistics / data stating the number of visas issued / rejected? Date of publication of the visa law. Are the laws / regulations published and available online? Are the visa regulations transparent in terms of setting rights, conditions, and requirements? Are the visa regulations clear and do they define the mode of implementation? Is there a published list of exempted countries and nationalities?

Restricted Arab countries / nationalities (visa needed / issued with certain restrictions)

No

9

9

1962 (2000) 9 9

9

9 (12 countries) Palestine, Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Somalia, Djibouti, Mauritania, Comoros, Yemen

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8.

Visa Procedures

Visa Cost

Visa Type

Is there a detailed process map and are there standard operating procedures (SOPs) published by the responsible governmental entity? 9. Are the steps to applying for and obtaining any type of visa published and available online? 10. Are there clear time limits for reviewing and approving the visa applications? 11. Are the visa forms and templates published and available online? 12. Is the cost of obtaining a visa clear and published online? 13. Is there a differentiation between the application fees and service fees? 14. Is there a special visa type for “Mobility / Art / Culture”? 15. Is there formal coordination between authorities to support cultural activities and facilitate the movement of artists and social entrepreneurs?

9

9 9 9

9 9

9

9

Rami Takrouri

3.

Egypt Country Report

Issue

Assessment Criteria

1.

Visa Policy

Visa Assessment Report 2014 – Egypt

61

2.

3. Visa Law and Regulations

4.

5.

6.

Visa Restrictions & Exemptions

7.

Yes

No

Has the government issued any clear statement that identifies the national visa policy? Are there any published statistics / data stating the number of visas issued / rejected? Date of publication of the visa law. Are the laws / regulations published and available online? Are the visa regulations transparent in terms of setting rights, conditions, and requirements? Are the visa regulations clear and do they define the mode of implementation? Is there a published list of exempted countries and nationalities?

Restricted Arab countries / nationalities (visa needed / issued with certain restrictions)

9

9

NA 9

9

9

9 (12 countries) Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Somalia, Djibouti, Mauritania,

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Comoros, Yemen. Iraq 8.

Visa Procedures

Visa Cost

Visa Type

Is there a detailed process map and are there standard operating procedures (SOPs) published by the responsible governmental entity? 9. Are the steps to applying for and obtaining any type of visa published and available online? 10. Are there clear time limits for reviewing and approving the visa applications? 11. Are the visa forms and templates published and available online? 12. Is the cost of obtaining a visa clear and published online? 13. Is there a differentiation between the application fees and service fees? 14. Is there a special visa type for “Mobility / Art / Culture”? 15. Is there formal coordination between authorities to support cultural activities and facilitate the movement of artists and social entrepreneurs?

9

9

9 9

9 9

9

9

Rami Takrouri

4.

UAE Country Report

Issue

Assessment Criteria

1.

Visa Assessment Report 2014 – United Arab Emirates

63

Visa Policy

2.

Visa Law and Regulations

4.

5.

6.

Visa Restrictions & Exemptions

7.

No

Has the government issued any clear statement that identifies the national visa policy? Are there any published statistics / data stating the number of visas issued / rejected? Date of publication of the visa law.

3.

Yes

Are the laws / regulations published and available online? Are the visa regulations transparent in terms of setting rights, conditions, and requirements? Are the visa regulations clear and do they define the mode of implementation? Is there a published list of exempted countries and nationalities? Restricted Arab countries / nationalities (visa needed / issued with certain restrictions)

9

9

1973 (1997) 9

9

9

9 (16 countries) Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Libya,

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Somalia, Djibouti, Mauritania, Comoros, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, 8.

Visa Procedures

Visa Cost

Visa Type

Is there a detailed process map and are there standard operating procedures (SOPs) published by the responsible governmental entity? 9. Are the steps to applying for and obtaining any type of visa published and available online? 10. Are there clear time limits for reviewing and approving the visa applications? 11. Are the visa forms and templates published and available online? 12. Is the cost of obtaining a visa clear and published online? 13. Is there a differentiation between the application fees and service fees? 14. Is there a special visa type for “Mobility / Art / Culture”? 15. Is there formal coordination between authorities to support cultural activities and facilitate the movement of artists and social entrepreneurs?

9

9

9 9

9 9

9

9

Rami Takrouri

5.

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Morocco Country Report Istikshaf Advocacy

Issue

Assessment Criteria

1.

Visa Assessment Report 2014 – Morocco

Visa Policy

2.

3. Visa Law and Regulations

4.

5.

6.

Visa Restrictions & Exemptions

7.

Yes

No

Has the government issued any clear statement that identifies the national visa policy? Are there any published statistics / data stating the number of visas issued / rejected? Date of publication of the visa law. Are the laws / regulations published and available online? Are the visa regulations transparent in terms of setting rights, conditions, and requirements? Are the visa regulations clear and do they define the mode of implementation? Is there a published list of exempted countries and nationalities?

Restricted Arab countries / nationalities (visa needed / issued with certain restrictions)

9

9

2003 9 9

9

9 (12 countries) Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan, Egypt , Somalia, Djibouti, Mauritania, Comoros, Iraq, Syria, Yemen

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8.

Visa Procedures

Visa Cost

Visa Type

Is there a detailed process map and are there standard operating procedures (SOPs) published by the responsible governmental entity? 9. Are the steps to applying for and obtaining any type of visa published and available online? 10. Are there clear time limits for reviewing and approving the visa applications? 11. Are the visa forms and templates published and available online? 12. Is the cost of obtaining a visa clear and published online? 13. Is there a differentiation between the application fees and service fees? 14. Is there a special visa type for “Mobility / Art / Culture”? 15. Is there formal coordination between authorities to support cultural activities and facilitate the movement of artists and social entrepreneurs?

9

9 9 9

9 9

9

9

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IV. Observations and Recommendations Based on the country reports that were developed, the team has identified the following observations and recommendations.

Issue

Observations

1.

2.

3. Visa Policy

4.

5.

1.

2. Visa Law and Regulations

3.

No policy statement has been issued by central governments that relates / links to the UN declaration and the Arab Charter. There is no visa policy that defines the right of movement of Arab citizens. Only GCC countries signed a joint agreement. The Arab League has no clear initiative or program to work on developing a policy. The Arab Charter (2004) has narrowed the right of movement with one article that set the right to move within the same territory. The right to leave the country was dropped from the 2004 text. There is no published data on accepted / rejected visa applications per country / nationality / gender. Visa laws were first developed in the 1970s and poorly drafted, with no real amendments over the past years. Visa laws are not transparent in terms of setting the right of people to travel, and the related conditions and requirements. Visa regulations (if published) are not obvious in terms of setting a clear and transparent mandate for authorities, and the implementation process is not clearly defined to enable citizens / applicants to easily understand the process.

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1.

2. Visa Restrictions & Exemptions

3. 4.

1.

Visa Procedures

2.

3.

1. 2. Visa Cost 3.

Visa Type

All selected countries exempted certain nationalities from obtaining a visa (mainly the US, Europe and Asia). 7–12 Arab nationalities are restricted without any proper justification. GCC countries / nationalities are exempted by the selected countries. Palestine, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, Mauritania, Comoros, Yemen and Morocco are always considered restricted nationalities, and require a visa by the selected countries. There are no clear and transparent procedures, standards, and time limits with regard to applying for and obtaining a visa. Only the UAE has a detailed process maps and standard operating procedures, which reduce uncertainty factors. Visa application forms are published online for all selected countries. The cost of the visa is published for most countries. A cost based service concept was not proven or shown within the legal framework. There is no differentiation between application cost and service cost.

1. Selected countries mainly regulate business, student, tourist and medical visas, based on economic factors and impact. 2. An “Entertainment” visa type was noticed during the research. This type is linked to commercial events and activities. 3. No Mobility / Art / Culture visa type was noticed. 4. There is no sign of collaboration between government entities on facilitating a Mobility / Art / Culture visa.

A REPORT ON MAPPING MOBILITY FUNDS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN LAMIA RAEI COMMISSIONED BY THE ARAB EDUCATION FORUM IN COOPERATION WITH THE ROBERTO CIMETTA FUND FOR THE ISTIKSHAF PLATFORM SUPPORTED BY THE ANNA LINDH FOUNDATION

Introduction This report was commissioned by the Arab Education Forum/Istikshaf Programme with the objective of exploring mobility networks/programmes operating within the Arab world or extending across the region. For the purpose of this mapping, 32 organisations were contacted. Fifteen have responded, though one of them was not relevant due to its limited geographical proximity to two European countries.1 One organisation that was found relevant was added, but it did not fill in the required form.2 This report is based on data collected from 15 relevant mobility operators working within the North-South region. The mapping exercise was conducted to explore the existence and work of mobility operators: their vision behind adopting mobility, as well as the needs and gaps which impact on mobility, with the overall objective of exploring how to best improve the impact of artists’ mobility in the region.



1 Pépinières Européennes pour Jeunes Artistes operates from France (MidiPyrénées and Aquitaine regions) and Spain (Aragon region). Thus, despite filling in the mapping form, it was classified as outside the scope of the study. 2 This organisation is the Centre for International Mobility (CIMO). It awards scholarships to foreign post-graduate students and young researchers from all over the world to carry out post-graduate studies, do research, and teach in Finnish universities.

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The analysis of this report depends primarily on the data submitted by 18 mapped organisations. The exercise has adopted an e-mapping methodology which was conducted by both the AEF and the Roberto Cimetta Fund, whereby the AEF covered mobility funds in the Arab region and the RCF contacted those in Europe. Additional data on relevant operators was collected through website reviews. Thirty-two mobility funds were identified and contacted as part of this study. They were defined as “Mobility operators who support the mobility of artists around the Mediterranean among other beneficiaries.” The results of the mapping will be communicated to other mobility operators, donors, and applicants who benefit directly from mobility funds. The process of collecting data took place according to the following time line: A. Mid-January 2010: There was a review of organisations funding artists’ mobility. B. Mid-February 2010: A data collection tool was designed by the AEF and reviewed by all the project partners: Al Balad Theatre, Dramatiska Institute, Roberto Cimetta Fund, and Studio Emadeddin. C. March 2010: The data collection tool was translated into English and French. D. March 2010: The e-mapping was uploaded on Safar’s website to make it accessible to any mobility fund online. Fourteen written responses were received from mobility operators out of the 32 who were contacted. One was researched electronically. The data collection process lasted for nine months, and despite a clear deadline, data continued to be received. Thus, this report will be based on information received until early January 2011. Any additional data will be annexed and shared with partners.

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Research questions addressed This report attempts to answer the following questions: 1. How do mobility operators define their operations—i.e., what are the various definitions of mobility in various organisations? 2. How do mobility operators achieve their goals operationally? 3. Who benefits from mobility funds/organisations? 4. How can gaps and services be identified? 5. What tools are used to address the beneficiaries? How is the application process facilitated? 6. What are the requirements detailed in the applications to each mobility fund/organisation? 7. What is the purpose behind funding mobility? 8. How do various organisations/funds measure the achievement of their goals (qualitatively)? 9. Is there a long-term follow-up of mobility results/impacts? 10. How are grants distributed according to age, gender, and geography?

The overall objective of this report is to produce a descriptive and analytical account that addresses and contextualises the results of the research above in order to provide recommendations on how to improve the quality and outcome of mobility funds, with a special focus on the Euro-Mediterranean (in particular, the Euro-Arab) context. Finally, it can be used as a tool for knowledge-building and sharing.

Overview of Mapping Data Definitions of mobility In examining the definitions presented by mobility operators, it is important to highlight two main findings: The first is that, considering the small sample of organisations reviewed, it was clear that even though a concentration of mobility funding was noticeable in the 1990s and gained momentum after the year 2000, mobility operators have been active since 1923 (the Culturesfrance Association) – keeping in mind that the definition of “mobility” has changed over time.

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The second observation is one of numerical significance. A total number of 4,813 grants (reported) have been awarded by 10 respondents during the two-decade span beginning in 1990. This can mean redefining mobility needs through the systematic demand for it by various categories of applicants. Findings reveal that mobility operators have adopted five main definitions of mobility, as detailed below: Mobility as a policy instrument is used to facilitate particular policies and a certain amount of cooperation within a wider political context in a certain region. Accordingly, strengthening cultural ties with certain countries is part and parcel of a policy development endeavour. Mobility operators who adopt this definition view art as a catalyst for enhancing “political relations” and promoting particular policies or cultural experiences within certain regions, such as the European neighbourhood, French-speaking countries, Development Assistance Countries, or the Mediterranean. In that sense, culture and arts are a means of presence and influence. This is a two-pronged approach in which mobility takes place between particular countries and vice versa. Mobility as a means for learning is a particular approach to learning that targets cultural regeneration projects that spring out of indigenous knowledge and experiences within a particular context. From this perspective, individuals and the youth play the role of a catalyst, based on the premise that their contact with international interlocutors “can build national capacities through exposure to particular fields and sectors.” Mobility as a contributor to an emerging art scene emphasises the support that can be lent in various ways, such as providing mobility grants “to create an artistic and cultural community” within certain countries. This aim is achieved through providing funds for young artists to meet external counterparts, youth initiatives, and opportunities for shared exposure through “exchange, internships, and apprenticeships.” Mobility as an opportunity to build artistic careers focuses on those mobility operators who address purely the aesthetic and artistic needs of individuals/artists, especially independent ones, to help them build careers in order to create a platform for cultural exchange and knowledge sharing.

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Mobility as a means for asserting cultural identity and creating a platform for its expression applies specifically to the Arab region, where both intellectuals and writers are invited to the Arab world to present their work or to work on a project. This definition responds to the “cultural drain,” as we may call it, of artistic and cultural talent which has resulted from Arab artists leaving the region. Other operators function along the lines of moving the process of learning and knowledge-sharing to become an inter-Arab experience through residencies, joint projects, or attending an event.

Operational aspects of mobility funds Data gathered from e-mapping indicates that the 15 organisations have received 3,430 applications within the following ranked categories: -

Young artists and cultural operators Journalists, researchers, or lobbyists Established artists, writers, curators, and experts Students and local professionals from various sectors Youth Women

The number of accepted applications is 742 out of 3,416, which constitutes 21.73 percent of the overall applications. Meanwhile, and in terms of cost coverage, artists receive grants ranging from 100 percent (from organisations which are solely targeting artists) to 15 percent (from organisations where arts mobility is a component). It was observed that seven out of the 14 organisations presented data related to the percentage of artists funded. The distribution of other variables, such as age, gender, geography, and grants is indicated in Table 1.

A Report on Mapping Mobility Funds in the Mediterranean

Naseej – Resources for Community Youth Arab Development Roberto Cimetta Fund

Al Mawred al Thakafy FF 50% females 50% males

50% females 50% males

All ages

60% females 40% males 18% females 82% males -

Gender statistics 2008–2009 -

Youth aged 18-35

All ages

All ages

0–35 Youth aged 9100 years and women 18–30 years

ECF AMA

KAFD

Target age

Operator

European countries, Mediterranean countries, Arabian Gulf countries

All countries – Arab region Arab region – Arab region Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen, and Palestine

International

EU-EU neighbourhood Africa-Africa

Geographic area covered

50

50

30

13

50

Average grants per year 150 10

88%

-

-

-

-

-

Grants of 2008–2009

Table 1: Distribution of Grants according to Intended Age, Gender, and Geographical Distribution according to Data Provided by Respondents

74

All ages

International Organization for French-Speaking Countries Prince Claus Fund Safar

-

2008: 32% females 61% males 2009: 41% females 59% males -

30% females 70% males -

From all over the world to Finland

DAC listed countries1 22 Arab countries

Arab world – Arab world French, African, and Caribbean artists – internationally French-speaking south countries – international

-

30–40 114

100

-

10

-

-

-

-

-

75

The DAC list is reviewed every three years. Countries are divided into income groups based on Gross National Income (GNI) per capita as reported by the World Bank, with the least developed countries (LDCs), as defined by the United Nations, separately identified. Countries that have exceeded the high-income threshold for three consecutive years at the time of the review are removed from the list. The DAC list approved in September 2008 was used for reporting in 2009 on 2008 flows. The DAC list approved in August 2009 applies in 2010 and 2011 for reporting on 2009 and 2010 flows, respectively.

1



CIMO

All ages

Culturesfrance Association

All ages Youth aged 15–35 years

All ages

YATF



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Tools and Requirements of the Application and Selection Process All beneficiaries have access to mobility operators’ grants electronically. Once they fit into the various criteria defined by operators, they can apply online or via e-mail and send their applications. The languages used by the organisations mapped are presented in Table 2 below. Table 2: Targeted Population and Language Operator

Geography

Application language

ECF AMA HOME

EU–EU Neighbourhood Africa–Africa Everywhere

KAFD Al Mawred al Thakafy FF Naseej – Resources for Community Youth Arab Development Roberto Cimetta Fund

International All Countries – Arab Region

English English/French English/Slovene languages English/Arabic Arabic

YATF

Arab region – Arab region Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen, and Palestine

Not filled in Arabic

European countries, Mediterranean countries, Arabian Gulf countries Arab world – Arab world

English/French

Culturesfrance Association International Organization for French-Speaking Countries Prince Claus Fund

French, African, and Caribbean artists – international French speaking south countries – international

Safar

22 Arab countries – 22 Arab countries

CIMO

From all over the world – Finland

DAC-listed countries2

Arabic, English and French English/French French

English, French and Spanish Arabic

Finish, Swedish and English

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The majority of respondents (42.85 percent) receive applications all year round—28.57 percent annually and 28.57 percent quarterly. Administrative procedures follow the internal regulations of each organization. Three types of selection process categories exist: 1. A selection process in which decisions are taken internally within the organisation without a need for a selection committee but according to internally defined criteria 2. A selection process in which boards or committees advise/recommend possible eligible applications, yet the final decision is taken by the organisations’ management 3. A selection process in which a “specialised committee” makes the decision (used by 40 percent of operators) It was observed through the data collected and the information displayed on operators’ websites that the internal procedures by which the selection process takes place were not always clear to the outside audience. Table 3 details the mobility operators’ selection processes in terms of committees, their cycles, their members, and who forms these committees.

Naseej – Resources for Community Youth Arab Development PEJA

FF

20

Selection committee

-

Jury of 3

5

-

Selection Committee Management Management Selection committee

AMA

The programme officer recommends candidates, while the supervisor approves the final selection No committee

Final decision ECF

ECF

HOME KAFD Al Mawred al Thakafy

Who selects

Operator

Committee members 6

2 years

-

-

One evaluation cycle

2–4 years

Duration of committee cycle 2 years

A Report on Mapping Mobility Funds in the Mediterranean

Table 3: Mobility Selection Committees

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A committee of partner residencies and invited personalities

-

On the basis of balance regarding geographical scope, background, gender, etc. Journalists, university lecturers, consultants, and researchers A committee from the general assembly board and the artistic board of Al Mawred Al Thakafy -

Composition of committee

-

Internal selection process involves: the concerned department, funds’ programme coordinators, and director Selection committee Internal: by host university

Safar CIMO

Unknown number

Selection committee

International Organization for French-Speaking Countries Prince Claus Fund

8 N/A

Variable

Selection committee

Culturesfrance Association

14 volunteers 5

Selection committee Selection committee

Roberto Cimetta Fund YATF



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1 year N/A

-

3 years

2–3 years

Not specified 2 years

Youth/culture activists Academicians

-

Board of directors of the fund Multi-disciplinary professionals and artists Administrative teams working at Culturesfrance select the experts (no further information) -

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Analysis Gaps and services1 The analysis of the above data will adopt an approach that perceives mobility as a means for expanding culture and art which develops in a source area and remains strong there, while also spreading outward to other areas through the temporary relocation of individuals and groups. The ultimate aim of this approach is to initiate an ongoing process of learning, exchange, and creativity. The mapped sample of mobility organisations indicated the following significant findings: 1. Mobility in the arts and culture scene has been a sustainable activity over the last ten decades. Nevertheless, the vision of its operators, whom it targets, and the expected outcomes have changed within the context of political, social, and cultural changes in the world. Hence, it is important to point out that a considerable increase in mobility activity has been witnessed with the emergence of new information technologies and the flow of information under globalisation. 2. Mobility—regardless of the various definitions adopted by operators—is increasingly in demand. Yet services meet only 21.73 percent of this growing demand. Moreover, they tend to concentrate on mobility within Europe or in post-colonial regions. The emergence of Arab mobility funds is a new development. 3. Fifty percent of mobility funds tend to target the mobility of artists; namely, four categories: a. Young artists and cultural operators b. Journalists, researchers, or lobbyists c. Established artists, writers, curators, and experts d. Artists in poor countries 4. A closer look at the distribution of the target population across gender and age indicates that mobility operators tend to target youth and women. In the meantime, gender gaps are clear, either in the data provided regarding the beneficiaries in recent years or in the total lack of addressing gender as a cross-cutting theme,

 1

This section will be followed by a section on recommending how to move forward addressing each gap.

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6.

7.

8.

9.

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especially for women in poor countries and in the south who can face mobility restrictions, particularly in conservative contexts. Language issues limit the access to some mobility funds when they tend—indirectly—to address their message in a language which is foreign to their target population. Some geographic areas, such as the Gulf and regions of mixed populations—e.g., the EU neighbourhood and DAC-listed countries—in addition to Arab countries in Africa, are not addressed in the Arabic language. This situation limits the access of Arab artists to mobility and learning. The age limit in a few cases raises another issue, particularly in countries where “off-mainstream” artists can be at the lower end of the income spectrum. This situation is not just limited to lower or middle-income countries. A good example nowadays is Italy, where the cultural industries are in crisis and artists are not paid well, even those who are highly qualified. Many established artists in the world have experienced their best art production after the age of 45. There is a lack of clarity on how the calls for applications are disseminated to ensure that they reach the widest audience. According to respondents, it is mostly through electronic communication; this is where access issues resurface again. The investigation would question if there are other means to introduce mobility funds to wider audiences/circles. Are there any outreach programmes that target new beneficiaries? It was not clear if there were medium-term strategies (3–5 years) to tackle issues of addressing the increase in demand for mobility and the constant change in cultural and artistic contexts/climates. Approximately 57 percent of mobility operators have indicated the existence of some sort of an advisory/consultative body with independent artists or cultural activists. Nevertheless, the rationale or criteria for selecting committees or juries—particularly those who are independent—are not very clear except in very special cases. The other question that needs to be addressed is the extent to which the process of selecting the advisory committees/jury is shared with partners, e.g., donors or the public. Upon reviewing the data related to the services provided to artists by mobility operators, an important issue emerges: How are priorities to be set, both operationally and financially, when the decision for funding is taken? The data provided does not mention evaluations or assessments of the sectors served, with the exception

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of the Safar Fund, which has conducted two formal evaluations in a five-year period.

Measuring long-term achievements: The Impact The cumulative statistics provided by 12 mobility operators covering several decades indicate that grants have reached approximately 4,813 applicants.2 In terms of validating the output, all operators request a minimum of narrative and financial reporting and documentation of the activity, which is usually uploaded on a website or published in a newsletter. Meanwhile, only two organisations have required more of a qualitative input by grantees, which included an evaluation and a reflection on the mobility experience as part of the administrative requirement for closing a grant, on the output level. Thus, it is apparent— in most cases—that there is no systematic institutional effort to evaluate the output of mobility beyond checking that the actual travelling and encounter has occurred. As for long-term follow-up, alumni are contacted mainly through the following means, which are ranked below: 1. E-mails, e-newsletters, and informal meetings or attending activities 2. Narrative reports/stories and reflections that are uploaded onto websites or cyber social networks such as Facebook 3. Formal networks linked institutionally to mobility operators, such as Safar’s Ambassadors The third is the least common among the respondents mapped. This can explain why there was no information on the qualitative aspect of measuring the achievements of mobility or its impact. One can conclude that mobility operators are in need of tools to assess the long-term impact of their programmes and to indicate how mobility contributes to further inform the artistic scene in a particular context and enforce learning to improve artistic quality through exchange. Desk research has reflected a lack of data on what indicators can measure the impact of mobility.

 2

This number is the total shared by partners in the templates received by AEF and RCF. Some organisations did not provide numbers.

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How to move forward: Recommendations 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

There is a need to advocate for further mobility funding in light of an increasing demand that is met by less than 25 percent. In light of the current global crisis, (like-minded) mobility operators need to formalise a system of cost-sharing or creating a consortium of donors to fund mobility activities in order to distribute the cost burden. As for the Arab world (Arab–Arab), mobility funds are of special importance as an independent venue for non-mainstream artists to gain further exposure and learning opportunities, and to regenerate the growth of local culture in the region. There is a need to standardise the process of “administrating mobility”; that is, the selection criteria, the committee selection, and the articulation of the expected long-term impact. This point is applicable for both Arab–Arab mobility funds as well as Arab–European funds. Impact assessment indicators need to be defined to improve the outcomes of mobility and to argue its significance regardless of the geographical destinations. Systematic knowledge-sharing is a crucial need in order to enhance artistic experience and to further both collaborations across borders and the lessons learnt. New technologies would enable this process at a minimal cost to mobility operators, such as video conferencing and creating interactive cyber forums to keep abreast of developments related to mobility and its impact on the creative projects generated by experiencing it. Sharing content would require a commitment to be open about information. Examples have been cited where mobility experience has been reflected in artistic output, such as the artistic productions of Safar Ambassadors, ECF alumni testimonies published for public sharing, or spaces supported by the Ford Foundation. The documentation of the previous experiences would provide operators with knowledge on the programmatic level of what mobility alumni’s tangible achievements are. All of the above require strong advocacy activities to facilitate and remove obstacles to mobility.

RIGHT TO ENTER CAMPAIGN— ACADEMIA UNDERMINED: ISRAELI RESTRICTIONS ON FOREIGN ACADEMICS IN PALESTINIAN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS GHASSAN ABDULLAH

Executive Summary The quality of Palestinian education and higher education in particular has been very negatively impacted by the prolonged Israeli military occupation. Schools and universities have been closed for extended periods. Students, staff and faculty have had restricted access to schools and institutions of higher education due to the pervasive and arbitrary Israeli regime of internal movement restrictions. The impacts on all levels of education have been well documented.1 This report focuses on only one of the many problems related to movement and access restrictions that affect the quality of and access to education in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt): the implications of Israeli restrictions on entry and residency for foreign academics wishing to serve at institutes of higher education operating in the oPt. It is important to note that the term “foreign” is something of a misnomer: Israel treats all individuals without an Israeli-issued identity card (“hawiyya”) as a foreigner, even if they are of Palestinian origin and even if they and/or their parents were born in Palestine. Thus the term “foreign” academics

 1

“Right to Education”, accessed June 30, 2014, http://right2edu.birzeit.edu/

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refers to anyone who does not hold a Palestinian identity card and must therefore enter the oPt on a foreign passport regardless of whether or not they are of Palestinian origin. “Foreign” academics or “foreign” nationals could therefore be of Palestinian origin (as is frequently the case) or have no Palestinian roots. The report details: ¾ The impact on the quality of education provided, and ¾ The impact of the isolation of Palestinian academia from the broader academic community on the development of the territory’s academic institutions and its educational development in general. It concludes with some recommendations. Research for this study was conducted by the Campaign for the Right to Enter the oPt (RTE), and was based on interviews with university officials, department chairs, faculty members and students at four Palestinian universities, three in the West Bank (Birzeit, Al-Quds, and Bethlehem) and one in Gaza (Islamic University of Gaza). Interviews were also undertaken with Israeli academics, and some case studies and testimonies were gathered on the actual experiences of foreign academics who were trying to enter the oPt and work at Palestinian universities. Additional material that is presented is drawn from RTE’s previous and ongoing research into issues around access, movement and residency in the Israelioccupied Palestinian territory. Major findings: Israeli-imposed entry and residency restrictions on foreign academics have severely diminished opportunities for the development of faculty, courses, and research programs at Palestinian institutes of higher education. Over the last decade, as recruitment of foreign academics has diminished, higher education institutions have limited their programs of study and cut back on the development of their research programs. Students do not have exposure to a diversity of perspectives, new ideas, cultural norms, and ways of thinking and conceptualizing knowledge. With a shortage of qualified academics in highly specialized and cutting-edge fields, research capabilities have been undermined. Skill acquisition in second languages is being atrophied and the knowledge base and academic erudition of the

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institutions are being diminished as few new approaches and content flow in. Foreign academics are less willing and able to consider taking up teaching and research posts in Palestinian institutions of higher education due to the arbitrary and unpredictable restrictions on entry and residency to which they may be subjected. Israel has established no clear and transparent policy, processes and procedures for issuing entry visas and residency permits to foreign passport holders wishing to visit or work in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Foreign academics have no reasonable guarantees that they will be permitted to travel to the Palestinian universities that have recruited them, to remain in the oPt for the duration of their academic contracts, or to return to their universities should they travel abroad even briefly for academic or personal reasons. The broad discretion exercised with regard to these matters by the Israeli officials controlling entry at border crossings, and handling applications for permit renewals and residency, compounds this uncertainty and absence of accountability. Foreign academics have been arbitrarily denied entry at border crossings, refused an extension of visas mid-semester, refused re-entry to complete their contracted work, and issued with visas that restrict their internal movement. Consequently, the numbers of foreign academics willing and able to teach at Palestinian universities are decreasing. Interviews conducted for this report confirm that this is directly due to the uncertainties and difficulties of securing permission to enter the oPt or to stay for the limited or extended periods required to carry out their academic objectives and commitments. For decades Israel has operated a broad regime of internal and external movement and access restrictions to the detriment of Palestinian higher education and other vital Palestinian economic, social welfare and development processes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In light of its arbitrary and indiscriminate character, political inspiration and disruptive impact on Palestinian civil life, this broad restrictive regime clearly contravenes international law. The expertise and participation of foreign passport holders, including the Palestinian diaspora, is often required to support each of these vital processes. For this specific reason, the arbitrary and indiscriminate restrictions on entry and presence to which foreign

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passport holders, including academics, are subjected clearly contravene international law. A long line of UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, rulings of the International Court of Justice and Israel’s own Supreme Court affirm Israel’s obligation to exercise its control over the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip in strict accordance with international humanitarian law (including the Hague Convention of 1907 and the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949) as well as the applicable international human rights law. As the occupying power, Israel is obligated to both protect and facilitate the functioning of Palestinian civil institutions, including Palestinian institutions of higher education. It is therefore also obligated to exercise its control over the entry and presence of foreign academics in a manner that causes no unnecessary or unjustifiable harm to Palestinian higher education and to the Palestinian population’s right to education. Moreover, Israel may not exercise this control politically, to serve what it considers to be its own national interests. Because restrictive measures do cause harm, they may only be justified on the basis of legitimate grounds of necessity: to protect the security of an occupying power’s own forces; to enable the occupying power to comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law, including its obligation to ensure safety and public order in an occupied territory; to benefit the protected civilian population. No legitimate grounds of necessity can be plausibly invoked to justify the difficulties actually imposed on foreign academics teaching at Palestinian universities. There is no evidence that foreign academics who are denied entry into the oPt, or denied the visa extensions and renewals that are needed to complete their teaching commitments, pose any sort of threat to security. Third States have important responsibilities vis-à-vis the unlawful restrictive measures against foreign academics which are discussed in this report. These stem from their customary duties in international law to oppose, and not acquiesce to its violation, including the duty of States not to recognise as lawful any serious breach of international law, or an unlawful situation created by that breach. This duty is reaffirmed under the international law of occupation as the duty to ‘ensure respect … in all circumstances’ set out in Article 1 common to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949. When restrictive measures are imposed on the entry or presence in an occupied territory of foreign nationals, including foreign academics, the first question that should be asked by their own States, as High

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Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, is whether the restrictions can be justified in light of the disruption caused to the civil life of the territory or the harm caused to the rights of its protected civilian population. The second question that State should consider asking, as a matter of their responsibilities to their own nationals, is whether their nationals are being targeted wrongfully, in particular on the basis their ethnicity or religion. This report and its appendices provide ample indications that both of these wrongs are indeed being committed widely, persistently and unaccountably. States have clear rights to ask such questions and pursue satisfactory answers from Israel. They have the option to cooperate and seek satisfaction jointly. It should be emphasized in this regard that the unquestioned right of any State to limit or deny entry into its own territory as it sees fit does not apply to Israel’s occupation of Palestine. In the case at hand, repeated failures to pose the proper questions and pursue the satisfactory answers to which States are entitled, especially in cases involving their own nationals, implies acquiescence to Israel’s breaches of international humanitarian law.

Recommendations We call on Palestinian educational institutions and representatives, including universities, local academics, Palestinian education unions, the Palestinian Authority, the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Higher Education, and the PLO, to work together to face this challenge. In particular, we urge them to: ¾ Establish monitoring mechanisms within their institutions to track numbers of foreign academics in the faculty, the visa/residency issues they face, the loss of academic programs involved, and the costs incurred ¾ Take collective action on the right to enter restrictions practiced by the Israeli authorities on foreign academics ¾ Activate right to education (right2edu) networks across the education sector throughout the oPt and globally to proactively monitor and address this issue ¾ Ensure that the consequences of access and movement restrictions on education are fully understood by local and international human rights organizations and Third States ¾ The Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) to raise the issue of movement and access with Palestinian diplomats abroad

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We call on international academic institutions and civil society institutions worldwide to join in support of a campaign that would: ¾ Call for an immediate halt to Israel’s arbitrary and abusive practice of denying entry to foreign nationals traveling to the oPt to promote educational development ¾ Demand Israel’s adoption and implementation of a clear, documented, and transparent policy enabling unhindered access to the oPt by foreign nationals who are coming to educate or promote educational development We call on Israel to: ¾ Immediately eliminate the prohibitive stipulation “NOT ALLOWED TO WORK” which is added to visas that are issued to academics or researchers who are working for Palestinian universities in the oPt with the full prior knowledge of the Israeli authorities ¾ Provide multiple entry visas for people who are extending their visas, including family members ¾ Provide explicit assurances that people who have previously been denied entry will be permitted to re-enter the oPt ¾ End the practice of issuing permits that restrict exit and re-entry, or restrict the area of the visit (e.g. “Judea and Samaria only”) ¾ End the practice of issuing permits of less than three months to those traveling to the oPt ¾ Cease the collective punishment of those whose relatives may have “overstayed” their original visa duration We urge Third States that have friendly relations with Israel to: ¾ Demand Israel’s adoption and implementation of a clear, documented, and transparent policy enabling unhindered access to the oPt by foreign nationals who are coming to educate or promote educational development ¾ Provide diplomatic support to their own nationals and citizens who are coming to work as educators, academics and researchers in Palestine ¾ Monitor and facilitate the entry of nationals traveling to the occupied Palestinian territory to provide educational, social,

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economic or development services at border crossings controlled by Israel ¾ Monitor and take steps to facilitate the issuance of residence permits to those nationals for the duration of their work contracts or periods of research ¾ Insist on ascertaining the factual justification and legitimacy of entry and residency restrictions imposed on those nationals on the basis of the applicable rules of IHL and principles of human rights law referred to in this report’s introduction. Contest restrictions that lack lawful justification ¾ Ensure that the correct treatment accorded to Israeli nationals seeking to enter their countries is reciprocated by Israel’s correct treatment of their own nationals seeking to enter the oPt via Israelicontrolled borders.

EDUCATION IN MOBILITY: EXPERIENCE, CREATIVITY AND INTERCULTURAL KNOWLEDGE HERMAN BASHIRON MENDOLICCHIO

In the era of globalization, it becomes necessary to rethink education, consider the growing need to establish an international dimension, and analyse different ways, systems and methodologies regarding the relationship between learning, mobility and the intercultural production of knowledge. Apart from the Academy (universities, research centres, colleges, fine arts institutes), which has always played a key role in the creation of a transversal space of exchange and dialogue, nowadays we can observe and experience the development of new educational systems based on mobility, internationalization and residency programmes. This paper focuses on the identification and analysis of the new dynamics of knowledge production and “education in mobility” in the Mediterranean, through two specific areas: on one hand, the international university programmes of mobility between Europe and Southern Mediterranean countries; on the other hand, the development of new educational practices (that are essentially non-academic) that are emerging thanks to the initiative of interdisciplinary centres of art, education and creativity, as well as museums. Through the examples of academic models as well as the emergence of new realities, this research will address issues related to the multiple impact of mobility in education: both as a tool for creativity, innovation, intercultural experience and knowledge. This paper aims to emphasize the rise and development of mobility programmes in higher education and the increasing phenomenon of the

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mobility of artists and researchers for residency projects in the Mediterranean.

Mobilising Education One of the most important current goals in education and academia is to strengthen and enhance internationalization policies. The mobility of students, researchers and teachers – especially its increase and intensification – is one of the focal points for the development of such policies of internationalization. According to the report issued on the occasion of the EHEA (European Higher Education Area) Ministerial Conference in 2012, the European goal for 2020 is that at least 20% of European graduates should have completed part of their study or training abroad: “Promoting high quality mobility of students, early stage researchers, teachers and other staff in higher education has been a central objective of the Bologna Process from the very beginning. High quality mobility pursues educational goals such as enhancing the competences, knowledge and skills of those involved. […] Mobility is essential to ensure high quality higher education and it is also an important pillar for exchange and collaboration with other parts of the world. […] We have formulated a mobility target that in 2020, at least 20% of those graduating in the EHEA should have had a study or training period abroad”.1

The EHEA’s report outlines the fundamental aims and targets to develop and improve mobility in the field of education. Among the points of the report that I’d like to emphasize are: Ɣ The aim for a greater and better balanced mobility of the EHEA with countries outside the EHEA; Ɣ The purpose of taking measures to dismantle existing obstacles to mobility. On the one hand, it is increasingly necessary to intensify the collaboration between European countries and other areas of the world, establishing a constructive bilateral/multilateral mechanism in terms of professional exchange; on the other hand, it is extremely important to provide valuable

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Mobility for better learning. Mobility Strategy 2020 for the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). EHEA Ministerial Conference. Bucharest 2012. Online: http://www.ehea.info/Uploads/(1)/2012%20EHEA%20Mobility%20Strategy.pdf

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tools and strategies to ease the existing obstacles to mobility. Among the measures recognized by EHEA members are: -

To expand mobility funding and to enable a wide-reaching portability of grants, loans and scholarships. To increase the quality and relevance of mobility periods. To identify problems in our countries – e.g. in relation to issuing visas, residence and work permits in the higher education field – and take measures accordingly to make mobility easier. To promote ideas and concepts to overcome the mobility obstacles linked to the national supplementary pension systems as far as the mobility of staff in higher education is concerned. To give extra attention and opportunities to under-represented groups in order to enable them to be mobile.2

The ambitions, actions, concerns and the various issues examined in the document of the EHEA, serve as a clear starting point to understand that we are facing a changing educational landscape, where increasingly the new keywords are mobility and internationalization.

Euro-Med Mobility The mobility programmes in higher education do usually respond to national, bilateral or multilateral/regional agreements. What is the situation in the Mediterranean area? While in the European region, the academic mobility programs in different levels have been developing, improving and expanding since the late ’80s (e.g. the Erasmus mobility program was created in 1987), the international projects that involve other regions of the world have taken much longer to start being implemented. What interests us here is the analysis of the current state of mobility programs in higher education in the Mediterranean, understanding the current opportunities, and reflecting on regional progress in internationalization policies. In this sense, we could say that in recent years, many actions have been taken in order to create exchange

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Ibidem. Online: http://www.ehea.info/Uploads/(1)/2012%20EHEA%20Mobility%20Strategy.pdf

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programmes and mobility between European and Southern Mediterranean countries. Since 1995 – thanks to the implementation of the EuroMediterranean Partnership and the so-called Barcelona Process – a basis has been created to encourage cooperation among the countries of the region and several common goals have been recognized. The improvement of higher education was one of those goals; however, most of the concrete measures were not implemented, until many years later. For example, the first Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Higher Education and Scientific Research was held only in 2007. Known as the “Cairo Declaration”, the document issued on that occasion recognized the importance of establishing a model of cooperation in the area and facilitating mobility practices. Among the goals of the first EuroMediterranean meeting on higher education was: “Underlining the necessity of reducing disparities in educational achievement between Euro-Mediterranean countries under internationally recognized education standards, as well as facilitating the mobility and employability of students and researchers and supporting the economic development of the region”.3

The establishment of the Euro-Med educational framework is undoubtedly a slow process – due also to the strong presence of heterogeneous educative models, the persistence of regional conflicts and growing instability in terms of public funding – but the development of several actions could give us slight optimism anyway. Among the recent projects and concrete outcomes, it is important to mention: 1) the setup of the EPUF (Euromed Permanent University Forum – a network of more than a 100 Euro-Mediterranean Higher Education and Research Institutions) in 2006;4 2) the establishment of the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI), that was inaugurated in June 2008 in Portorož, Slovenia;5 3) the establishment of a Euro-Mediterranean Higher Education and Research Area, in the framework of the “Union for the Mediterranean” (2008), which stated as its first objective the promotion and facilitation of

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Towards a Euro-Mediterranean Higher Education & Research Area. First EuroMediterranean Ministerial Conference on Higher Education and Scientific Research (Cairo Declaration – 28 June 2007). Online: http://ec.europa.eu/research/iscp/pdf/cairo_declaration.pdf 4 Online: http://www.epuf.org 5 Online: http://www.emuni.si/en/

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“transnational mobility for students, academics and researchers from both sides of the Mediterranean”.6 Concrete projects and initiatives specifically related to transnational mobility and exchange are mainly taken under the TEMPUS III or Erasmus Mundus schemes. In recent years, several Euro-Med Universities have been involved in mobility projects and many students, researchers and academics have had the opportunity to experience international training, research and learning processes. Currently, we cannot separate the experience of learning from the experience of mobility. As Nick Harris affirms in his report on the Euro-Mediterranean Higher Education Area, “Higher education has, since its inception, been associated with mobility; mobility of students as they learn from different ‘masters’ and mobility of academics as they move from one ‘seat of learning’ to another”.7 Among the latest mobility programs developed in the Euro-Med framework, we can mention: Ɣ HERMES. Higher Education and Research Area. Europe and Middle East. A mobility programme that involves 20 universities from Europe (France, Spain, Greece, Italy, and Cyprus) and from the Middle-East (Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Syria). The program targets students of academic excellence at undergraduate, master’s, doctoral and post-doc levels from all fields of study as well as academic and administrative staff.8 Ɣ PHOENIX Project. Intercultural Exchange for Internationalization. The project intends to develop a structured mobility-based cooperation between three Palestinian, two Lebanese, one Syrian and two Jordanian HEIs on the one side, and nine EU HEIs on the other. This cooperation network aims to support students from all levels, academic staff, researchers and administrative staff to gain experiences, expertise and skills through interaction in an international environment.9 Ɣ WELCOME. Widening Egyptian and Lebanese Cooperation and Mobility with Europe. A mobility project funded by the European

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Online: http://ufmsecretariat.org/higher-education-research/ Harris, Nick. Euro-Mediterranean Higher Education Area: Enhancing Quality, Promoting Mobility and Employability. PapersIEMed. European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed). Barcelona, 2012. Pp. 35-36. 8 Online: http://hermes.psut.edu.jo/Home.aspx# 9 Online: http://www.em-phoenix.eu/ 7

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Commission and organized by a partnership of some of the most prestigious universities in Europe, Egypt and Lebanon.10 Ɣ FATIMA AL-FIHRI. Erasmus Mundus Action 2 Scholarship programme for Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and EU. This mobility programme is a partnership established between 11 North African’s Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in five targeted countries and nine European HEIs from eight different countries.11 Ɣ AL IDRISI II: A scholarship scheme for exchange and cooperation between Europe and North Africa. The project will establish an active institution-based mobility network among 19 North African and EU partner universities and six associate universities supported by three associate institutions and the Ministries of Higher Education in the region.12 Ɣ BATTUTA Project. Building Academic Ties towards Universities through Training Activities. This programme has been selected by the European Commission for 2013-2017. Consisting of 20 institutions of higher education, nine European and 11 North African, and three associated partners, the program will enable the exchange of 285 individuals, students and staff between the two regions.13 It is important to highlight that all of the mobility projects mentioned above share most of the specific objectives which are focused on the promotion of mutual enrichment and intercultural understanding; the development of sustainable international cooperation; the transfer of know-how and capacity; the creation of a network of research laboratories; and the improvement of learning experiences and employability, etc. The rise and development of these mobility programmes between EU and Mediterranean institutions demonstrate the growing needs – both of students and academic staff as well as the institutions themselves – to gain international experience and visibility. All of these multilateral agreements and other international projects like JISER-MED (Joint Innovation and Synergies in Education and Research. Mediterranean Region)14 or

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Online: http://www.emwelcome.polito.it/ Online: http://www.alfihri.eu/ 12 Online: http://www.al-idrisi.eu/en/ 13 Online: http://www.battuta.eu/ 14 Online: http://www.jiser-med.org/ 11

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Linking-Med-Gulf,15 the establishment of AECHE (Arab-Euro Conference on Higher Education)16 or the tasks and efforts of structures like UNIMED (Mediterranean Universities Union),17 reveal the emergence and the strength of a new reality that increasingly focuses on cooperation strategies and internationalisation. The rise in flows and exchanges in higher education in the Mediterranean region – and the new cooperation schemes that involve the Gulf countries as well – encourage and give way to a model of “education in mobility” that provides innovative experiences. Therefore, we can affirm that the role of the Academy in relation to mobility and its capability to promote intercultural experiences is still at the core of contemporary society. As Enric Olivé stated, “Practically the only institution that over centuries and centuries has maintained its commitment to knowledge and dialogue between cultures, despite the vicissitudes of history, has been the university. […] In the Mediterranean, where there are many of the oldest university institutions, the central role of the university to face the three current great challenges, that is, peace, socioeconomic progress and intercultural dialogue, is clearer than anywhere on the planet.”18 In any case, nowadays, mobility implies experience, transformation, relationships with others, creativity, innovation and a deep process of intercultural knowledge that goes beyond the academic dimension. As Stefano Chessa says, “mobility does imply some questions, not related only to imbalances or asymmetries in the flows between countries as well as in the inner flows of each country (i.e. the balance between outward flows and returns: is the phenomenon that used to be called brain drain) but also to the very conceptualization of mobility with relation to its functional and expressive dimensions”.19

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Online: http://www.ub.edu/LinkingMedGulf/en/index.html Online: http://www.ub.edu/aeche/ 17 Online: http://www.uni-med.net/ 18 Olivé, Enric. “Introduction”. In: Fouchet, Robert; Moustier, Emmanuelle; Karam, Azza. Education, Research and Gender: The Sources of Progress. 10 Papers for Barcelona 2010. European Institute of the Mediterranean & EU Institute for Security Studies. Barcelona, 2009. P. 9. 19 Chessa, Stefano. Higher Education and Internationalization: students’ mobility and participatory university for the Euro-Mediterranean Area. In: Italian Journal of Sociology of Education, 2, 2012. P. 63. 16

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Creative Mobility In the field of contemporary artistic and cultural practices, the phenomenon of mobility is growing significantly and in many cases it is also connected with the development of new educational practices. Museums, art foundations, interdisciplinary centres of art and creativity, etc., are constantly creating new encompassing models that are dealing with the educative field. Diverse examples reveal an interdisciplinary tendency that involves educative tools (seminars, workshops, lectures, conferences, etc.), museum tools (exhibitions, artwork presentations, projections, talks, etc.) and mixed strategies (conversations, residencies, meeting with theorists, academics, artists and art professionals, visits to the local cultural scene, connection with different levels of society, etc.) in the ever-changing panorama of creativity and contemporary art practices. Educational programmes organized by museums, like the “International Studies Programme” (PEI) offered by MACBA (Contemporary Art Museum of Barcelona), suggest the development of an alternative pedagogy and a different approach to knowledge and education. According to the presentation of the programme: “The PEI positions itself as a pivot between museum and university, and rejects the traditional division of knowledge and the museum-based logic of the cultural industries, as well as the ecosystem targeted at the education of an ‘intellectual workforce’ in the neoliberal context”.20 Another interesting alternative programme that deals both with art and new educational practices, is the one organized by Ashkal Alwan in Beirut, Lebanon. Home Workspace Program, launched in 2011-12, is an “interdisciplinary arts study programme that consists of workshops/seminars, critiques, and one-on-one encounters with the Resident Professors and other invited artists, writers, thinkers, filmmakers, curators, etc.”21 The programme, which is essentially non-academic, lasts for ten months and has gained international recognition in the field of contemporary art and theory.

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“International Studies Programme” (PEI) by MACBA. Online: http://www.macba.cat/en/pei#p3 21 Online: http://ashkalalwan.org/programs_tax/hwp-program/

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The UNIDEE (University of Ideas) in Residence International Program, developed by Cittadellarte – Pistoletto Foundation (Italy), represents another exciting model in-between education and art practices. For the first fourteen editions, the programme was run every year from May to July and its main goals were to explore the relation between art and society, and to investigate methodologies of creative interventions which are able to activate projects for a socially responsible change in society. Since 2014, the programme has changed its format and is now “based on weekly units, evolving as a public utility conceived as a constant reference for a growing community, where you can enrol, designing your own personal tailor-made educational path through an on-line tool”.22 One of the main points of the programme is focused on the intercultural experience of the participants who come from different countries of the world. What is interesting to underline is that the relationship between new practices of “education in mobility”, exhibition projects and residency programmes is becoming increasingly stronger and more evident. The phenomenon of the mobility of artists and researchers for residency projects in the Mediterranean and the growing needs in terms of developing new training and educational practices are paving the way to hybrid models that offer new experiences and opportunities.

Conclusion Beyond the different ambitions, worries and obstacles that constitute the basis of any internationalisation process, it is evident that mobility-related practices are changing education, learning and the dynamics and production of knowledge. The development of mobility and exchange programmes, the increase of international research projects, the promotion of mutual enrichment, the cooperation strategies and the creation of regional networks, etc., are becoming the main goals in academic language. To improve the demands of an “education in mobility” implies the need to welcome new learning models based on exchange and sharing; to facilitate tools and resources in order to develop a sustainable mobility experience; to recognize the multiple impacts of mobility – both at academic and

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Online: http://www.cittadellarte.it/attivita.php?att=27#sub

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extra-academic levels – and the prestige that any institution, centre, organization, etc., would gain thanks to the flow of international students, artists or researchers. The field of art and creativity has also been transformed and renovated, thanks to the evolution of mobility programmes and the creation of hybrid models that involve new educational practices. The demand for innovative experiences based on mobility is clearly growing; what is at stake today is the international capacity to create mobility-friendly structures and make satisfactory use of the potential of universities, museums and other interdisciplinary centres, to renovate education in a contemporary globalised society. [All websites accessed June 30, 2015]

STILL MOVING AND LEARNING? QUESTIONING PREVIOUS AND FURTHER RESEARCH XABIER LANDABIDEA, MATINA MAGKOU AND CRISTINA ORTEGA

The Artists’ Moving and Learning study explored the added value of the mobility of European artists on Life Long Learning processes from a qualitative and experiential point of view. Recognising the relevance of researching artistic mobility, this article revisits its initial approach and main findings in light of the present development of the economic crisis in European countries such as Portugal, Greece and the Spanish State. The findings and recommendations raised in the European Reports are confronted with a scenario-changing structural crisis and it is concluded that the systemic crisis has repercussions at the conceptual and legitimacy levels of artistic mobility. The article implies that further research is necessary in order to reassess mobility’s benefits and Life Long Learning opportunities in times of systemic crisis.

The “Artists’ Moving and Learning” Study This paper is based on the Artists’ Moving and Learning research project, conducted between 2008 and 2010 under the Lifelong Learning Program framework and financed by the European Commission, with the objective of analysing the impact of mobility artists in Europe from an educational and Life Long Learning perspective. The study, led by the ENCATC and coordinated by Mediana sprl, was designed, conducted and written on both a national1 and European basis2

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Ten national reports were produced: Belgium National Report, France National Report, Hungary National Report, Italy National Report, The Netherlands National Report, Portugal National Report, Romania National Report, Slovenia National Report, Spain National Report and the United Kingdom National Report. 2 See the European report in its English, German and French versions.

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by a network of project partners of a diverse nature: the University of Deusto in the Basque Country; the French Joint Research Unit, PACTE; the Centro Internazionale per la Promozione e la Ricerca Teatrale in Italy (Inteatro); the Budapest Observatory on financing culture in EasternCentral Europe Hungary; the Romanian Centre of Professional Training in Culture; and the Fondazione ATER Formazione from Italy. As a research and authoring network created ad hoc for the study, it offered an interesting and complementary mixture of institutions linked to the cultural and artistic field (from academic institutions to artistic bodies and observatories) from eight different countries. This diversity of natures, histories and locations made possible a vibrant, innovative and organic approach to the object of study instead of applying a “ready-made” formula to the questions which were raised, which proved to be a key element when researching the learning experiences of mobile artists.

The importance of researching mobility Mobility has been and is being thoroughly researched both inside and outside of the European Union. There is no shortage of sources dealing with the objective and subjective conditions of professional, formative and artistic mobility (see, for example the Report on the Situation and Role of the Artists in the European Union, 1999, and the ERICarts Mobility Matters3 study, 2008), and the evaluation of mobility policies and funding schemes. The originality of the Artists’ Moving and Learning study lies in the combination of objective and subjective dimensions (taking into account the experience of mobility and the experience of learning), and in the choice of a qualitative method adapted to tap into the artists’ insights of their relationships to moving and learning. The discourse analysis of the artists’ account of their most relevant mobility experience shows that moving appears to have a very strong impact on creativity and artistic development, leading many of the interviewees to acknowledge that art is itself a form of mobility. On the other hand, the study has been able to identify a much wider set of capacities acquired by artists while moving that have thus been referred to as a portfolio of capacities with an operational perspective. This has

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See the Mobility Matters report at http://www.mobility-matters.eu/web/index.php

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allowed us to highlight national and European level effects of mobility experiences in terms of the perception of mobility (its nature, its importance), the possibilities of mobility (what facilitates and what impedes fruitful mobility) and the disparities in the age of access to mobility (especially when initial learning is concerned).

The added value of mobility on life-long learning The mobility4 of performing and visual artists5 is hereby taken as a catalyst for personal, professional and artistic change, and as a qualitative and powerful factor stimulating life-long learning. In that sense, the study pushed for the exploration of the specificities of artists’ mobility. Artists may, after all, move like other types of mobile professionals; but what makes the difference is their learning outcomes. The personal impact of mobility on artists’ creative capacity, but also on their ability to generate a variety of outputs, both in the host country and in their place of origin, is what makes artistic mobility an essential element in the creative sphere, which the EU wants to enhance. This was the departing point of the research. Whereas quantitative approaches to artists’ mobility schemes are necessary in order to inform mobility and artistic policies, a qualitative approach is ideal in order to explore the links between moving and learning, and uncovering the effects of mobility in the Life Long Learning processes of artists. The methodology of the study was therefore centered on the analysis of the interviewed artists’ experiences. The reports were therefore based on their discourses. These personal narratives have a lot to tell us about interactions between moving and learning.

Main findings The ten national realities, when compared and normalised, showed a rich,

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Understood in the sense of the International Network of Contemporary Performing Artists – a short, medium or long term move across national borders for professional purposes. 5 Taken, in UNESCO’s definition, as any person who creates or gives creative expression to, or re-creates works of art, who considers his artistic creation to be an essential part of her/his life, who contributes in this way to the development of art and culture and who is or asks to be recognized as an artist, whether or not he is bound by any relations of employment or association.

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complex and dynamic scenario of artistic mobilities throughout Europe and the rest of the world. While the different national reports portrayed idiosyncratic and specific mobility schemes and the legal, professional, artistic and cultural references shared by interviewed artists from the same country, the European Report also provides an account of the general trends, shared patterns and main findings that are shared by the great majority of the 144 participating artists. All in all, the main findings of the study can be summarized as follows: Artistic/professional learning and biographical/personal learning were at no point understood by the interviewed artists as differentiated realities but taken as a whole. Personal and artistic development were explicitly and universally taken to be inherently and inextricably intertwined. A big variety was found in the mobility profiles regarding the reasons and motivations of mobility (professional, formation-related, personal, etc.) although they remain mostly optimistic and positive. Reasons and motivations are interpreted in the key of opportunities and chances either to do something or learn something, instead of being forced to go or having no other option but to move. Even when the events surrounding the main mobility experience are related to as being inevitable, the reasons for mobility are interpreted as opportunities, not as necessities. The variety was also notable regarding the preparation measures taken and help received before the mobility experience. Existing official (institutional, corporate, etc.) help-desks and pre-existing personal networks were used when available, and tended to be perceived as very much favorable, but a laid back, informal preparation (or total lack of preparation) was also frequently noted. This is also reflected in the diversity of positions regarding previous mobility experiences and attitudes towards the stay and in the formative action taken once in the host country, which were almost as varied as the artists themselves. The departing points registered were, therefore, spectacularly varied, both inter- and intranationally. Curiously, though, a more unanimous voice was registered regarding the richness of the experience for both personal and artistic development, and the stimulating nature of the new context, which were practically universally accepted and put forward. In relation to the most impressive elements, artists tended to highlight the importance of cities as nodes of connection with artistic circles and markets, the possibility of reflection and creation in the new environment(s). The intensity and reach of the mobility experience proved to be more

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dependent on the artists’ capabilities and attitudes (language, social skills, contacts, etc.) than on the objective conditions found in the host country, and ranged from a first contact with the host community to long-term collaboration and integration in the new culture. In some cases, where the integration was more complete, the artist no longer made a distinction between her/his life and mobility. Travelling, in those cases, is felt as consubstantial to life itself; directly linked with the process of learning, creation and personal/artistic growth. Moving, learning, creating and living become one thing.

Wanted vs. forced mobility: the cases of Greece and the Spanish State The Artists Moving and Learning research project was conducted during a time (2008-2010) when the social repercussions of the economic crisis were not as evident as at the moment of writing these lines. As researchers revisiting this project in the form of this short article almost three years later, we questioned ourselves about whether the results of 2010 would be still valid in 2013. Especially for countries in the South of Europe, like Spain and Greece, the socio-economic context has changed a lot. Would it make sense today to underline the benefits of mobility on learning if we do not consider whether the motivations and needs of the artists are still the same as a few years ago? Could we argue today that artists are still moving and learning? Or does an urgent need for survival predominate, and a search for alternative ways to continue doing what they want to, but they might be facing troubles doing this in their home country? The Artists’ Moving and Learning project asked the interviewed artists about their most significant mobility experience, and took for granted (although exceptions were found during the fieldwork) that these experiences were wanted, desired and chosen. This (mainly) uncontested scenario of wanted, chosen and desired mobility has, arguably, changed with the profound economic and systemic crisis that has elevated unemployment rates to 26.3% for the Spanish State and 27.6% for Greece in July 2013 (Eurostat), that almost doubles in the case of young people. Can professional mobility, when forced by dramatic economic circumstances in the home country, be as beneficial and positive in terms of its Life Long Learning effects? The waves of migration from Greece and Spain to other countries, while needing further study and documentation, have significantly increased over the last years, and this has had repercussions,

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especially for the artistic professions. The scenario in Greece and Spain has been affected by the fact that subsidies for the arts and opportunities for mobility originating from the public sector have decreased, cultural venues face problems in their activities and artists look for alternative jobs to support their living. Working internationally was, for many years, a choice, not an obligation. Today, financial uncertainty has become a major motivation for artists to leave their homes – most of the times with a longterm perspective and without looking back. The financial, economic and systemic crisis that has shaken Europe has, arguably, fundamentally changed the mobility scenario for European artists. As researchers dealing with issues of artistic mobility, it is therefore crucial to examine the repercussions of the new economic and social scenario in the previous findings of this research project.

Benefits of mobility (personal, professional, artistic) The comparative study articulated in the European Report highlighted a series of positive learning effects resulting from the mobility experiences, ranging from learning potential (both in personal lives and from an artistic perspective) to cultural sensitivity and employment opportunities. Regarding the learning possibilities identified with the mobility experience, creativity, motivation, perspective change, autonomy and selfknowledge were mentioned the most. This informed a positive, constructive conception of mobility as a field of opportunity for personal development and growth, both individually and collectively, and once again, at the professional and personal level. Personal benefits showed a strong link with personal growth and the expansion and development of artistic imaginary (both entwined and inextricably linked), in some cases converging in a nomadic approach to one’s life. From a purely artistic perspective, some shared elements were highlighted, especially the contact with other artistic communities, the acquisition of new techniques, the opportunity for the definition of one’s own artistic profile, and a newly found connection between everydayness and creation. Regarding other professional benefits, three competences related to the artistic activity but not necessarily directly linked to it were mentioned: the coordination and production of international projects, the learning and practice of foreign language(s), and the formation of digital tools for production and communication.

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These opportunities for artistic and professional development also appeared to be closely related to a cultural awareness expressed in very different terms, but never far from the idea of developing a higher cultural and social conscience. Expressed as being able to turn from a tourist or spectator into a participant in the host country, opening up to other cultures and lifestyles, understanding the universality of art, developing a higher tolerance and social sensitivity, and the ability to take some distance from events, cultural awareness rises as one of the major merits of artistic mobility. Last, but not least, employment opportunities were frequently mentioned and referred to when documenting the benefits of mobility. Specifically, three positive outcomes were highlighted: the acquisition of a certain international status or curriculum, the opportunities for cooperation with relevant professionals and companies, and the importance of developing a network of contacts.

Reconsidering the concept and status of mobility It can be argued that the legitimacy, glamour and social capital associated with the figure of the mobile artist are in crisis due to the aforementioned factors affecting the status of European artists (especially from peripheral countries). Not only are mobility schemes and funding structures affected by budget restrictions, the skyrocketing unemployment rates and economic instability affect individual careers, fueling a brain drain from countries like Portugal, Greece or the Spanish State. The very concept of moving for artistic reasons is therefore in crisis. The study that constitutes the grounds for this article proposed five ideal archetypes of moving/learning artists based on their narration of the mobility experiences and their link to Life Long Learning processes: The hyper mobile world artists, whose vital and professional trajectory appeared strongly rooted into a multi-facetted mobility; portfolio artists, who moved in order to increase their artistic skills; creative mobile artists, who moved chiefly in order to stimulate their creative processes; and gap artists, whose mobility was more informally formed and structured. So, what happens with the artists who are forced to move in order to make a living? Do these five ideal categories stand amidst the perfect storm of unemployment, social unrest, welfare cuts, political crises and decline in cultural and artistic investment? Does an artist forced to move by the situation still benefit from the same opportunities as those who moved in

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qualitatively different times? Is making do with the present situation as experientially fruitful and beneficial in biographical and artistic terms when a visual or performing artist has to work as a bartender to make ends meet? Could a sixth archetype be formulated regarding the economic, organizational, spatial, social and cultural learning outputs of the exiled artist? Further research is necessary in order to answer these questions.

Conclusions and suggestions for further research Further research is fundamental to reconsider the doubts raised during this brief reflection and in order to reassess mobility’s benefits and Life Long Learning opportunities in times of systemic crisis. The Artists’ Moving and Learning research project did not include a profile on Greece, which has been one of the European countries most stricken by the economic crisis. Given the lack of data on the mobility practices of Greek artists, and its special interest as a case study, this research would have been a starting point for further investigation in the field. On the other hand, extending the research to other European states that were not included at that time would have provided a rich corpus of material concerning the mobility of artists in Europe, and comparative research a few years later would have given answers to questions related to how the altered socio-economic situation can affect artistic mobility and learning in different countries. In any case, the fragile and changing nature of the mobile artist urgently needs empirically grounded and theoretically innovative research in order to address its transformations in an economically, socially and politically conflicted Europe.

CHAPTER II: DEBATES

THE ROBERTO CIMETTA FUND’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE MOBILITY OF ARTISTS AND CULTURAL OPERATORS BETWEEN EUROPE AND THE ARAB WORLD ANGIE COTTE

The Roberto Cimetta Fund runs a mobility programme for artists and cultural operators travelling in and around the Euro-Arab region. Since 1999, the Fund has supported over 1,400 individual round-trip travel grants that contribute to capacity-building, exchanges and art production both in the host and home countries. We are also the co-partner of the Istikshaf platform, a group of regional arts and culture organisations that have identified mobility as a key necessity for youth in the Arab region. This platform, funded by the European Union, coordinates the advocacy policy of the members and builds a policy agenda to mobilise institutional actors..

How do artists envisage mobile work and the circulation of artworks? Following two recent mobility impact assessments carried out by the RCF’s office, we have been able to determine, more specifically, some key characteristics of artistic mobility. Clearly, the artistic travellers consider that the most important role of cultural and artistic mobility is to develop an understanding of the world and globalisation and to promote understanding between different cultures. Their personal motivation to travel is related to the concrete productive artistic outcome of their trip and a better integration into their professional circuits. They realise the impact of their trip very quickly and are able to qualify it as an experience that they want to pursue through further mobility and by keeping contact with the people they have met. Not only has the experience been generally positive but it has helped them contextualise the issues in a given region. This experience invariably

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widens their perception, giving them new insight into their home locality when they come back, and enables them to see other possibilities that they hadn’t seen before. Perception of cultural differences between home and host help them to break down certain mental barriers related to aesthetics, ideologies or politics, developing new ideas and approaches that open up a certain freedom of thought and movement that is beneficial to their work. Often, by meeting other artists from a variety of nationalities, mobile artists can envisage their projects developing with many different people in different ways, so that the co-production or exchange can be envisaged multilaterally..

How can we appreciate the impact of this mobility to build cultural policies that address this issue? This is a key question related to the work of the RCF. On the basis of our recent studies as depicted above, the wider social, cultural, political and economic implications of cultural or artistic mobility can be more clearly defined along the following lines: -

the concrete art production resulting from the mobility of artists clearly impacts on local development in the home and host countries and creates a chain of positive effects, linking local production to a more international pool of entrepreneurs and activists; - the mobility that the RCF supports enables face-to-face meetings which are the condition of trustworthy, long term partnerships that can develop in a multilateral way; - mobility is a “two-way” phenomenon that should be supported as such, since by exporting well, a country can also receive better and therefore export more – as a chain of collective benefits. Indirectly, these mutual benefits encourage reciprocity and mutual respect; - building cultural policies around mobility helps to define geographical directions of artistic production, linking artistic hubs which are not necessarily in major urban areas, but often linked at the inter-regional or inter-local levels. Generating this type of production circuit contributes to renewed and sustainable models of alternative cooperation, diversifying cultural and arts productions and going against the distribution and production monopolies that the arts world (and culture in general) is currently suffering from.

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Mobility and the circulation of works is very much about meeting people face-to-face and building up sufficient confidence and affinities to enable collaboration or even co-created networks of co-production – interconnecting local actors at an international level. Aesthetics and artistic work develop as a process of experimentation in which each partner’s own interculturality is the central working tool. The results of these coproductions are often interdisciplinary, or flexible in form, varying in relation to the audience to be reached (i.e. “national” or “local” audiences). An Italian theatre director can produce a performance following a workshop with local artists in Palestine and show the performance in two different forms to the local audience and to the audience back in Italy. Mobility can also entail an absence of hierarchy in the structure of the joint project. This absence of hierarchy, due to the experimental form of the joint adventure often develops forms of small collaborations, involving a relatively small number of collaborators. These micro-groups also develop because they are working on micro-funding models, which must be small and flexible to survive in the absence of proper international funding mechanisms..

How can mobile artists define a new framework of references to work with? A new framework of references should first of all consider that mobility is not the aim itself. The main goal is equal access and facilities, with regard to mobility as a way of developing arts and culture in the four corners of the globe. The aim is also to increase the autonomy and emergence of artists and their producers. Mobility is a global policy issue. As such, it is a cultural policy issue for Europe, for member states and for local governments. In this context, we aim for mobility to be understood as a round trip concept, directly linked to local development at the starting point. One-way trips from one corner of the world to another are a human rights issue more than a cultural policy/development issue, even if this issue is a central pillar of democracy building. We must acknowledge the geographical imbalances at work between the rural and the urban, between the North and South, the directional imbalances that are directly related to colonial heritage. There is an urgent need for a more reciprocal and respectful exchange between Europe, its

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neighbours and the world at large, particularly the so called emerging countries. This exchange must also take stock of the need to rebalance artistic needs such as infrastructures, training and human resources. Artistic imbalances are not linked to talent and artistic capacities being higher in some parts of the world than in others: artistic potential exists in anyone of us, everywhere. Potential to overcome artistic imbalances depends on the setting up of policies related to given sectors that respond to the operators and artists working at the local level. Building up democratic platforms to address the needs and ideas and transforming them into concrete policies in various sectors of artistic activity remains a key issue in Arab countries as well as on the European continent. Are we ready to think in terms of an artistic community without frontiers, which exists through encounters, works through experimentation, and is productive through the interaction of a multiplicity of actors – not only from different nationalities but also working at different levels (artists, managers, critics, programmers)?.

What are the tools that artists need to be mobile? Being mobile and productive would not be possible without intermediaries or relays (i.e. organisations that already exist and help artist to find other contacts in other countries). Intermediaries can also be networks of operators that organise meetings so that the sector can interact at a European or international level (such as the Istikshaf or IETM networks, for example). They can also be platforms of exchange in which operators come together at a given moment on a given topic to build up a framework for action, for project-building, or to advocate for their needs. Translation is also a necessary tool for mobility to further the capacities of artists to communicate and translate their own works (see also the work done by Transeuropéennes). Information needs to circulate to all actors so that opportunities, financial resources, events, regulations, studies, and so on, are available in all countries to all actors wherever they may be (such as the network On the Move). Representation of the cultural and arts sectors is vital to federate their needs, and advocate or relay policy issues at a wider level (such as the platform Culture Action Europe). Strengthening of capacities in the sector through training at the international level is also required.

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What kind of dynamic and ethics should be encouraged? The universal declaration of human rights starts by stating that we are all equal in dignity and rights. So the basis of the ethic should be that there is no dominant culture. We should advocate for fair culture which is related to fair trade, in which the mobility conditions of artists and cultural operators from emerging countries should be respected and where a sustainable approach to partnership building is promoted. We should advocate for liberty of artistic expression in all parts of the globe and for the independence of the producer, the maker, and the creator of art or art works, wherever he or she may be. The role of culture in conflict resolution and reconciliation should be recognised and supported as such. .

MOBILITY RESTRICTIONS AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE SLOWER DEVELOPMENT OF MEDITERRANEAN CULTURAL COLLABORATION, NETWORK AND ARTISTIC EXCHANGES SLAVIKA ILIESKA

Introduction This research has the intention of developing a deeper field and theoretical dimension with regard to a mobility issue, which the team of the cultural network of the project Trans-Cultural Dialogues faced over the last year. With this as a starting point, the analysis will comprise of sharing different experiences between the core team of the project, with restrictions on cultural and educational mobility and its effects. Furthermore, the research will use the bigger network of contributors under the umbrella of the Cultural Innovators Network (Goethe Institute Programme), with a final target group including NGOs, institutions, foundations, artists, and cultural professionals in relation to the network. The main analysis will focus on the four different cultural relations in the Mediterranean, and the specifics of each origin and destination restriction (South-North, North-South, South-South, and North-North). Finally, the research will develop a summary of best practices for overcoming or lessening the mobility restrictions and directions for future steps in relation to necessary reactions to policy measures that are identified as key issues negatively affecting mobility in the Mediterranean.

Cultural Mobility – General Indications In the first part of the research, we will briefly elaborate on the strategies that the European Union is using in terms of ensuring mobility, while examining if this example can be used and adapted to a more local level in the Mediterranean region.

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In a study undertaken by the ERICarts Institute, named Mobility Matters: Programmes and Schemes to Support the Mobility of Artists and Cultural Professionals in Europe, the concept of mobility is viewed as a long term process with which the artist engages in order to gain intercultural experience and further develop his professional career. Namely, the recommendations focus on the necessity to involve more funding opportunities for artistic and cultural mobility, as well as the expansion of funding among practitioners, as a continuous practice aiming at professional development and intellectual growth. The ERICarts study recognises mobility not simply as occasional movements across national borders that may be useful to gain professional experience required for career advancement, as well as advance artistic endeavour, but more as an integral part of the regular work life of artists and other cultural professionals. The study recommends maintaining the plurality of actors and funding sources for cultural mobility. It also calls for the adoption of a developmental approach that recognises mobility not simply as an ad hoc activity or as a one-off experience but as a longer term investment in a process leading to specific outcomes (not outputs) over a period of time, e.g. in the course of a career.1

On the other side, regarding the obstacles to mobility, another study done in 2010 by the 4 Arts Mobility Pilot Projects, Recommendation on Cultural Mobility, focuses on priorities and recommendations in relation to specific measures that can be undertaken in order to ensure the reduction of problems raised by administration, borders crossing and evaluation under the current set of rules. One of the important issues that they tackle in the study is that there is an ongoing need to train the national administrations and staff working directly with issuing visas, residence and work permits, as well as social benefits, to work closely with the cultural sector, which is in fact considered to be very mobile. The initiatives which they recommend in their work include adaptation to the specific circumstances with which the artists and cultural professionals are faced with. On the one hand, concerning mobility, they are faced with late notices with regard to engagement, workshops, and residency. In terms of guaranties, they are rarely beneficiaries of indefinite work contracts, and may be subject to irregular working engagements which cannot be shown as a permanent source of financial income; all in all, putting them in a negative starting position where eligibility for a certain visa is concerned.

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ERICarts Institute; Mobility Matters: Programmes and Schemes to Support the Mobility of Artists and Cultural Professionals in Europe; October 2008. Online: http://www.mobility-matters.eu/web/index.php

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On the other hand, where residence and working permits in a certain country are concerned, the starting conditions such as the status of being self-employed or a freelancer, on a short-term contract or one-time project, which generally are not generous in terms of income, leave them in the position of being ineligible to gain longer term residency. In cases like these, the hosting and sending cultural organizations have these limitations in mind and make sure to limit the time periods to the ones which are easier to administrate (e.g. less than three months, volunteering agreements, and so on). Concretely, the priorities of the action plan that the Arts Mobility Pilot Projects are proposing refer to the following: -

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The EU, Member States and their administrations must provide clear, accurate information about all applicable rules and procedures to mobile culture professionals. EU Member States must ensure that applicable regulations are applied uniformly at national and local levels. The EU and Member States, in close cooperation with the sector, must carefully monitor and evaluate currently applicable rules (EU and national) with the goal of further adapting them to the specificities of the cultural sector where necessary. The sector has the responsibility to more efficiently report shortcomings in current rules and in their application. The EU and Member States must commit to implementing specific targeted measures such as training and capacity building for national administrations dealing with visas, taxation, customs and social security coordination for very mobile sectors, such as the culture sector. National administrations and their staff need to better understand the specific difficulties and needs of the mobile culture sector (complex labour situations characterized by a diversity of nationalities and employment status, short-term contracts, last-minute artistic changes, etc.). This needs to be done in close cooperation with professional organisations in the culture sector.2

Focus on the Mediterranean Another point which is important for this study is to focus on the Mediterranean countries and question if the best practices and lessons

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From the 4 Arts Mobility Pilot Projects; Recommendation on Cultural Mobility; March 2010

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learned from the EU examples are adaptable to the local level in the countries which are considered to be south of the Mediterranean, as well as European but non-EU countries, and bordering the Mediterranean. In relation to this, an important study has been done on the subject of Exploring Mobility around the Mediterranean, as part of the Istikshaf Symposium in 2011. In comparison to the recommendations described previously, we can see a similar pattern in the ones which refer to the Mediterranean region too. The funding of mobility is a major issue, and what is promising is the underlining of an increase in demand for mobility grants, meaning that artists and cultural professionals are increasingly seeing the positive effects of mobility. In terms of the Arab countries, what is noted in the study is that there are several directions of mobility that need to be encouraged, not only in terms of South-North mobility, but South-South as well, since there are not enough cultural exchanges even between neighboring countries. Another recommendation refers to the level of transparency of the grant funds and officers, which is an issue when it comes to funding from Arab as well as European-Arab mobility links. The level of transparency affects the reputation of the grant givers, and enriches or downgrades the quality and the versatility of the chosen artists’ work. The open system of evaluation, as well as the well determined criteria for awarding mobility grants, is one of the key aspects that ensures a positive outreach of the cultural programme. -

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There is a need to radically augment and increase the funding of mobility in the light of an increasing demand which is met by less than 25%. As for the Arab world, (Arab–Arab) mobility funds are of special importance as an independent venue for non-mainstream artists to gain further exposure and learning opportunities and to regenerate the growth of local culture in the region. There is a need to standardize the process of “administrating mobility”: that is the selection criteria, committee selection and spelling out the expected long-term impact, in order to establish “transparent” systems.3

Furthermore, concerning the Mediterranean Region, even in a preparatory document promoted by the European Commission in 2009, which aims at creating a Strategy for Culture for the Mediterranean Region, there is a strong focus on encouraging mobility, which involves countries within the

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Exploring Mobility around the Mediterranean; Istikshaf Symposium; June 2011

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region as well as neighboring ones. The regional aspect of creating cultural networks is a strong focal point that has the intention of further encouraging projects which have become successful beyond borders and promoting them as success stories, creating a cultural impact with rewarding outreach which can be used to disseminate the best practices among neighboring regions which are still in a lower phase of cultural development. -

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Encourage initiatives involving partners from different countries, including Eastern European and Balkan countries and those beyond the Union for the Mediterranean, especially from the Gulf countries and sub-Saharan Africa. The Mediterranean festival programme: support the inclusion of a special Mediterranean section in the programmes of existing festivals in the Mediterranean region. Identify successful projects and programmes that can have regional relevance and support extending their reach at the regional level. This could be coined as promoting “Mediterranean Artistic Centres of Excellence”.4

Beyond the policy documents and recommendations by official institutions working on cultural mobility, the reality in recent years shows a conflicting trajectory of mobility constraints, effecting the movements of African artists towards Europe especially. With regard to this issue, in his article “The Mobility of African Artists: a politically-oriented issue”, the author François Bouda even elaborates on certain elements of inhuman and humiliating treatment when African artists apply for a visa relating to a cultural mobility visit to European countries. Bouda notes that related to the flows of illegal immigration, artists very often pay the price of equal treatment, explaining examples of artists being obliged to play instruments or dance on the actual borders in order to prove that they are indeed on a cultural mobility visit, and not misusing reasons for travel with intention of illegal immigration. Despite the measures noted above, which exemplify a clear political intent to permit goods and people to travel easily, the practices at work, mainly in the artistic and cultural domain, constrict the mobility of African artists to a tight airlock. With the increase in power of migratory flows on the part of Africans who toy with the idea of making their fortune in the



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Mobility Restrictions and its Effects Western El Dorado, African artists are frequently treated as presumed illegal immigrants. This can be seen, for example, in French consulates where people asking for visas are reserved inhuman and humiliating treatments. While visa appointments considerably take time, visa requests are sometimes refused with no motivated reason and the experience has revealed many African artists who were forced to play their instruments or to dance before passing the border.5

Finally, he refers to a grassroots attempt by the network Zone Franche to act upon the mistreatment of artists when applying for visas related to cultural mobility, by setting up a committee with the name Visas Artistes with the aim of helping artists fulfill their intentions of artistic exchange, through advice about document preparation and following procedures, but also through direct pushes aimed at the official institutions in order to enforce evaluated decisions. To be precise, Bouda notes that the committee’s actions give “advice to professionals of performing arts as [to] their visa applications and lays pressure over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in case of freezing”.

The role of mobility promoters across the Mediterranean Keeping in mind that in every study regarding cultural mobility, funding is mentioned as a major issue, in this part of the research, we will analyze specifically the travel grants which are available for travel across the Mediterranean, aimed at lessening one of the key restrictions to mobility. The price of the tickets can be viewed as one of the central factors which constrain many cultural organizations in creating long term partnerships beyond borders, in providing continuous training and intercultural exchange for its members, and in gaining regional or international impacts as a result of activities. This factor is very concrete, and therefore easily researched. Based on previous experience gained as part of the organization of the team of the project Trans-Cultural Dialogues, the organization of on-the-field meetings engaging several international members is a major cost. The price range of tickets for travelling from the North of the Mediterranean to the South, as well as vice versa, are usually twice the price if the journey is organized only between European

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Bouda, François; “The Mobility of African Artists: a politically-oriented issue”. In: Bashiron Mendolicchio, Herman (ed.), “Art and Mobility”, InterArtive, a Platform for Contemporary Art and Thought, no. 55. September 2013. Online: http://artmobility.interartive.org/

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countries. What is interesting in this research is that sometimes, travelling between neighboring or close distance countries in the South can be more expensive than if the journey started in the North. This is, in some cases, due to there being no direct airplane routes existing between southern neighboring countries, this means that an airplane journey from Beirut or Rabat to Algiers might take you on a transit to another continent, namely cities such as Paris or Rome. Therefore, in order to broaden our research into the practical measures lessening cultural mobility, we will compare and research the travel grants aimed at covering the Mediterranean region. In relation to this, we are underlining five different travel grants’ links, coming from foundations such as: Roberto Cimetta, European Cultural Foundation, Prince Claus Fund, Safar Fund and Mawa3eed. Namely, a general characteristic is that all these foundations have all-year round ticket grants schemes, with a different procedure on revision, quarterly or monthly. Considering disciplines, the mobility grants are aimed at artists and cultural professionals; and regarding the age limit, the usual minimum and maximum ranges from 15 to 35 years, but can also be extended to the first 10 years in a professional career. Other than these characteristics, which can be generalized for the foundations mentioned, there is an important difference regarding regional coverage. Namely, the Roberto Cimetta Fund supports artistic mobility in the Euro-Mediterranean zone; the European Cultural Foundation focuses on travel between the EU and countries bordering the EU; the Prince Claus Fund supports travel between developing countries, specifically the regions of Latin America, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, the non-EU Balkans and non-EU Eastern Europe; the Safar Fund aims at providing grants to applicants in the Arab countries only, as does the Mawa3eed. The aforementioned regional restrictions, combined with a limited number of travel support grants, translate to very few options for international teams operating in the region of the Mediterranean. The issue of visa restrictions is identified as the second biggest obstacle to cultural mobility across the Mediterranean. Here, we will briefly analyze the visa restrictions in terms of four mobility directions related to the Mediterranean – North-North, South-North, North-South and South-South – with a special focus on non-recognized countries and therefore on official travel documents.

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The North-North direction ensures the most liberal travelling characteristics as a result of the establishment of the Schengen Area, which unites the countries from the European Union (excluding Ireland and the United Kingdom, but including Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, and Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia as candidate states) and gives them the right of free movement. On the other side, the same Area that gives the countries in the North free movement restricts the countries from the South in their conduct of mobility, with the obligation of the Schengen visa. The only liberalization in these terms relates to the countries of the Western Balkans (Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina), which, since 2010, have had the right to free movement for three months in this Area. Considering the North-South mobility direction, there are several different trends. Namely, there are countries with a very restrictive visa policy, such as Algeria, for which nearly all countries are required to apply for a visa. Meanwhile, Lebanon, Egypt and Tunisia are known to have very liberal visa system regarding the Western European countries, either not requiring visas or issuing them at border centers. Finally, the South-South mobility direction is mainly considered to be liberal regarding visa issued for Arab countries. Egypt, Lebanon and Tunisia again are liberal or don’t require visas, while Algeria only doesn’t require visas for Moroccan and Tunisian nationals. Here, there are several issues that need to be mentioned. The issue with the Israeli stamp is that in countries such as Lebanon, Syria and Algeria, it is a legitimate reason for your visa application to be rejected. Another issue, concerning Lebanon is also a refusal to admit holders of passports issued by both Israel and Palestine. In contrast, Lebanon’s liberal visa policy allows applications for a specific artistic visa.6 What needs to be underlined regarding cultural mobility is the special case of unrecognized countries, meaning unrecognized travel documents; speaking in terms of the Mediterranean, Palestine and Kosovo. Since these countries are not recognized by all countries in the region of the Mediterranean, they are not eligible to enter certain countries with which they don’t have established diplomatic relations. This can be translated in the necessity to apply for a visa using a long and complicated process, or a simple inability to even apply for visa. Namely, last year, Palestine was ranked as the 90th least favored country of origin for its passport holders in reference to visa granting, while Kosovo was ranked 87th, based on research by the firm Henley and Partners, on the Visa Restrictions Index

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General Directorate of General Security, Lebanese Republic, website consulted on 28th February 2014, http://www.general-security.gov.lb/Entry_visa/sube18.aspx

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20137. The ranking means that the holders of these countries’ passport are granted visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to only 36/39 countries in the world, respectively.

Cultural Mobility Research Results As part of the Trans-Cultural Dialogues project, our short term aim is to research the current state of mobility issues affecting the Mediterranean countries, including Southern Mediterranean countries’ nationals travelling to Northern Mediterranean countries, Southern to Southern, as well as Northern European nationals travelling to Southern Mediterranean countries. The research itself aims to identify the most common issues which restrict mobility and to create a strategy to acting upon them. The long term aim is to indirectly affect policy makers, and in this case, group and individual decision makers in the respective embassies and consulates on both sides of the Mediterranean, to take considerate decisions when granting and refusing artists and cultural professionals access to a country for reasons of mobility residencies, short term conferences and workshops. A second long term aim is to suggest the introduction of an Artistic/Cultural Passport which would provide artists and cultural professionals with beneficial treatment when they are applying for temporary visas and residence permits, as part of the future potential development of the policies of the European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument. The Action Plan is determined as follows: 1st phase: gathering stories, experiences and interviews from the core team of Trans-Cultural Dialogues. 2nd phase: gathering stories, experiences and interviews from the members of the Cultural Innovators Network. 3rd phase: contacting extensive network of artists (friends, colleagues), NGOs, and organizations for gaining additional data, e.g. GI in different countries, and Amnesty International 4th phase: analysis of the research, including theoretical comparisons with other research; differences between a conference/business visa and a cultural visa; and best practices for overcoming obstacles.

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The Henley and Partners firm, Visa Restrictions Index 2013, website consulted on 28th February 2014, https://www.henleyglobal.com/about-the-firm/

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At the time of publishing this article, the action plan with regard to the Cultural Mobility Research is at the stage of initiating phase 3, aiming in addition to physically distribute the questionnaire at meetings taking place in the forthcoming months. Members of the public receiving the questionnaire, within this timeline, are identified as being among the Trans-Cultural Dialogues’ core team, as well as members of the broader network, Cultural Innovators Network, and so far, the received answers correspond to one quarter of the existing network. The methodology used is an open online questionnaire, distributed to the two specific groups of analysis, comprising of anonymous answers analyzed in the form of case studies. The distributed questionnaire is available for review as Annex 1. Some of the results received refer to the following conclusions: -

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Algeria can be referred to as a country with a very strict and complex procedure regarding the granting of visas to participants who come from European countries. One interviewee explains: “From my experience, it was just Algeria as an example of problematic procedures when it comes to [the] Mediterranean, concerning trips organized within my work and by [the] network of civil/NGO initiatives I’m cooperating with. The several interviews with the police proved that … NGO/civil mobility is hard and insecure, as well as very [much] under observation in Algeria. My [arrival in] Algiers was late for four days due to visa delay, regardless of [the] submitted plan of travel.” Another interviewee faced similar issues: “As [a] European, I have a privileged status for cultural mobility and stay. Travelling in Europe, I never faced obstacles. The only countries that I visited outside the European Community are Tunisia and Lebanon, where I did not face any problem [either] concerning documents. The only difficulty I found was when I was supposed to go to Algeria. The Algerian embassy requires a lot of documents from different institutes/offices and they are also very expensive. I also needed to show a bank account check with at least four thousands euros.” From the organizational part of the conference, a local confirms: “Actually, pretty [much] all occidental citizens are required to have a visa to enter Algeria, and the process is pretty difficult, and even ends up with a [refusal].” A practical fact also confirmed through this research is that SouthSouth mobility doesn’t function without mobility restrictions. For example, Palestinian nationals face problems when travelling to

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Arab countries. Namely, one respondent describes: “Well it’s known that going to EU countries is quite difficult, but I faced a problem going to Tunisia. All my papers were right, and I applied for the visa 35 days before the event, and I had to wait more until the cultural event started. My visa was not refused but they asked for more details about the visit and the event, so this thing postponed the issue of the visa for more 10 days.” Another survey participant notes that there is a limitation for Egyptians travelling to Lebanon, again putting the focus on Arab–Arab mobility. On the worst mobility experience and restrictions faced in the case of granting a visa at the airport, the participant explains: “For Egyptians it would be Lebanon. I was asked to have at least 2,000 USD in cash upon arrival. I had an infiltri related event in Beirut in 2013; all the team (coming from EU countries) went, but I wasn’t let [into] the country although I had [an] invitation, accommodation and a letter of support from [the] Goethe institute.” Concerning the support provided for administration issues in the cultural sector, the view is that it is seriously lacking. As a participant in the research explains: “In my opinion, there’s a lack of engagement by the representatives of each country when cultural activities are developed in a country. Not from an economical point of view, but in helping in administrative duties, as visa or other issues.” Regarding the developments concerning cultural mobility in their previous years in a professional career compared to now, a survey participant notes: “Thinking [about] my first projects in the EuroMediterranean space, in 2005-2006, these issues [have been] present since the beginning. Thinking [about] the Schengen zone, they are always strict with the [southern] citizens, and more and more, there are countries in the south applying the reciprocity to European citizens when traveling to the south.” On the contrary, another participant in the study notes that comparisons between time periods do not lead to the right conclusions: “Mobility restrictions are associated with the current political situation in each country – we cannot come up with a general conclusion based on a comparison between ‘then and now’. Each country, in different periods in time, applies or undergoes stricter mobility restrictions. However, an overall evaluation of the situation form the western side, is that Europe [has fortified] its control and

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-

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border patrol policies and applies stricter mobility and migration policies over the years.” On the ways in which cultural professionals are dealing with the strict conditions for residence permits, another interviewee explains: “These restrictions are not affecting our activities [that much], as long as we are shaping our activities to the situation. For example, the period of a residency (BCN>TNS) won’t be longer than three months, in order to avoid administrative processes.” Furthermore, faced with mobility issues, artists and cultural professionals come up with creative ways to respond to the restrictions, and they share their experiences with colleagues in order to save them energy and time in dealing with unnecessary administrative issues, or in a worst case scenario, denial from entering a country. A very important example of a respondent from Portugal notes, “Don’t mention you’re working for an NGO if you go to Egypt, especially as [a] research journalist”.

Other different issues are mentioned in the survey as negatively effecting cultural mobility in the Mediterranean: -

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There is a regional focus on promoting cultural mobility in the EU, rather than the Mediterranean Specific case to case studies mention several countries which are difficult to enter, such as Syria and Sudan, while keeping in mind their current political instability. On the other hand, neighboring countries which have unsolved political issues also might have closed borders. Here, the example of Turkey and Armenia was mentioned several times throughout the study. A term, “geographical availability”, was mentioned by a study participant, referring to a closed perception of trans-border collaboration, which is limited to the countries where one is allowed to travel. The restricted mobility is viewed by artists as a cause of negative energy and depression, while decreasing their motivation for work Even with all documents presented, including the hosting organization’s invitation letter, visas for Switzerland can be refused up to three times (without a logical reason) There are additional costs and efforts that need to be taken into consideration, in order to travel to the capital to apply for visas at the respective embassies/consulates

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The Schengen visa is granted with a limitation to only the dates of a conference, without providing an opportunity to explore the city in which it is taking place A lack of understanding by managers at work of the importance of cultural mobility for professional development and growth

Important lessons learned for best practices to be used in the future include: -

The visa procedure should start at least two months in advance, or more Having institutions (sponsored by the state) which issue invitation letters Prepare everything in advance Be annoying – make the embassy people do their job, if they haven’t posted the procedure online Do research about the procedure online and in-person Be prepared for the process to take time

These important findings will be further used to structure the research and develop it during the implementation of the next phases.

Conclusion Referring to the problems we are researching of whether mobility restrictions are affecting the slower development of Mediterranean cultural collaboration, networking and artistic exchanges, we can use the research study which has been conducted as a confirmation of the stated situation. Namely, trans-cultural collaborations and creating long term partnerships in the region are limited to virtual cooperation and face-to-face meetings which are conducted with the risk of several participants not being able to participate due to visa issues. The funding opportunities are few, considering that the Mediterranean region is comprised of more than 466 million in population, who have opportunities to apply for cultural mobility grants with only five very active funding links. The general recommendations towards future development, insisted on by policy makers as well as cultural practitioners, relate to close engagement between the respective institutions, the concrete decision makers, and the granting or refusing of applications with justified reasons. Furthermore, what is very important is to translate the encouraging policy to the actual borders and to enforce restrictions on humiliating treatment towards artists

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who request a basic right, in the form of cultural mobility to another country, for the purposes of learning and personal development.

References 1. ERICarts Institute; Mobility Matters: Programmes and Schemes to Support the Mobility of Artists and Cultural Professionals in Europe; October 2008. 2. From the 4 Arts Mobility Pilot Projects; Recommendation on Cultural Mobility; March 2010. 3. Exploring Mobility around the Mediterranean; Istikshaf Symposium; June 2011. 4. Towards A Strategy for Culture in the Mediterranean Region; EC Preparatory document; November 2009. 5. Bouda, François; “The Mobility of African Artists: a politicallyoriented issue”. In: Bashiron Mendolicchio, Herman (ed.), “Art and Mobility”, InterArtive, a Platform for Contemporary Art and Thought, no. 55. September 2013. Online: http://artmobility.interartive.org/ 6. General Directorate of General Security, Lebanese Republic, website as consulted on 28th of February 2014, http://www.general-security.gov.lb/Entry_visa/sube18.aspx 7. The Henley and Partners firm, Visa Restrictions Index 2013, website as consulted on 28th of February 2014, https://www.henleyglobal.com/about-the-firm/

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Annex 1 Questionnaire: Cultural Mobility Research Intro: The following questionnaire is distributed for the purposes of conducting research aiming to identify reoccurring obstacles which are related to cultural and artistic mobility in the Mediterranean region. PLEASE NOTE: The results of the study will be used in a research publication and presented at conferences and academic symposiums. However, private details and contact information will not be shared or mentioned publicly. Statistical information 1. Country of origin (if dual, as on passport used for travel): 2. Age: 3. Gender: 4. Profession: Cultural professional/artist/researcher/student Qualitative questions (please provide details and an explanatory story beside the short answer) 1. With the Mediterranean in mind, please indicate your direction of travel in which you are faced with the biggest or most reoccurring obstacles? South-North North-South South-South North-North 2. In your career as a cultural professional, can you provide us with details on a relation (country) that has the most difficult process of acquiring travel documents for the purpose of a cultural stay? 3. Please provide us with details regarding visa issues (of the specific country): -

Does the country require an entry visa?

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How many days prior your travel did you apply for visa?

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What type of visa were you applying for (tourist, cultural / short term, long term / one entry, multiple entries)

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Did you have an invitation letter, travel and accommodation settled when applying?

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Did the Consular section ask you for a financial guaranty? And if so, what was the amount (in Euros). In relation to the duration of your stay, is the amount required appropriate?

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How many days after applying for a visa did you receive an answer?

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If the outcome was negative, did the Embassy/Consulate provide you with information on the refusal to grant you a visa?

4. Have you ever been denied entry on the actual borders of the country you are travelling to? (Specifically, countries issuing visas upon arrival at passport control.) If so, were you given the reasons? Please briefly explain the concrete situation. 5. Please provide us with a brief personal story of the most difficult mobility experience you have had that prevented you from attending a workshop, conference, residency, etc. General questions 6. Can you briefly share with us your best practices, and dos and don’ts that you have developed during your career in order to prevent mobility obstacles? 7. In your opinion, during your professional career, have the mobility restrictions lessened compared to previous years, or have they become stricter? Please indicate the period. 8. Besides the abovementioned administrative and borders obstacles, which other factors do you see as obstacles to your cultural mobility? 9. When you experience restrictions in your mobility, how does that translate to your work?

THE MOBILITY OF AFRICAN ARTISTS: A POLITICALLY-ORIENTED ISSUE FRANÇOIS BOUDA

Introduction Globalization is commonly understood, along with regionalization, as an economic phenomenon that has hastened the decline of national economies through the creation of transnational spaces, the setup of regulations and economic policies across national boundaries and the mobility of production factors. Culturally speaking, it comes as a variablegeometry paradigm that standardizes ways of life and thoughts, and tends especially to consider cultural goods and services to be as economically profitable as typical commercial products. In response to this dynamic, France defends the concept of “cultural exception”, which seeks to maintain a non-commercial cadre for cultural production. However, globalization can also be understood as valorizing the recognition of cultural differences. The movement of artists and their work worldwide is an opportunity for them to share experience, enrich themselves mutually and renew their ideas. In this way, mobility becomes a key to the realization of cultural diversity. Travelling is an imperative for artists as it provides them with the opportunity to present their work and therefore to develop their professional careers. Yet African artists face a blockage with regard to their mobility because of increasingly harsh immigration policies on the part of Western countries. I would like to question here the political logics at work at the international and national levels that regulate the movement of goods and people in the broad sense of the term, the sometimes contradictory practices on the ground, and the reflection in which both political leaders and civil society in Europe are engaged in order to address the phenomenon.

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Movement spaces as evidence of a political will The plurality of institutions and regulations dedicated to mobility indisputably shows proof that political leaders are striving to promote the mobility of goods and people worldwide. International laws like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity state the right for people to come and go as freely as they please. At the regional level, organizations for integration set up a certain number of rules so as to facilitate the movement of nationals from member countries, like the Schengen space within the EU (European Union) and that within the Ecowas (Economic Community of West African States). Many a mobility tool has been put into place both at the multilateral and bilateral level. Examples include grants for training, residencies or creation, programs (Ateliers du Monde and Visas Pour la Création by Institut Français, the UE-ACP program “Crossing Borders – Connecting Cultures: traverser les frontières, connecter les cultures”, databases (Internet websites, On the Move – The performing arts traveller’s toolkit), agreements and organizations (Relais Culture Europe, Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), Office National de Diffusion Artistique (ONDA), Informal European Theatre Meeting (IETM), the Roberto Cimetta Fund, Arts Moves Africa (AMA), Arterial Network, Young Arab Theatre Fund (YATF), etc.). Despite the measures noted above, which exemplify a clear political intent to permit goods and people to travel easily, the practices at work, mainly in the artistic and cultural domain, constrict the mobility of African artists to a tight airlock. With the increase in power of migratory flows on the part of Africans who toy with the idea of making their fortune in the Western El Dorado, African artists are frequently treated as presumed illegal immigrants. This can be seen, for example, in French consulates where people asking for visas are reserved inhuman and humiliating treatments. While visa appointments considerably take time, visa requests are sometimes refused with no motivated reason and the experience has revealed many African artists who were forced to play their instruments or to dance before passing the border. Virginie Dupray, administrator for Studios Kabako, shared this testimony in 2010:

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“We have just been refused three visas for Great Britain where we are performing on the 9th October at festival Umbrella. We introduced in Kinshasa three previous applications which were accepted and the three following ones, including that of Faustin Linyekula, were refused [when] we submitted the same materials. […] The motive for the refusal is the absence of justifying documents for the announced incomes – that is, bank statements – while in Congo, less than 5% of the population [has] a bank account and in Kisangani, the first bank only opened a year ago. And it is the third city of the country! …”1

The French cultural magazine Les Inrockuptibles qualifies this immigration policy as both grotesque and Kafkaesque. “It is grotesque if we consider the systematic and arbitrary side behind the denial of visas to artists invited [to] France, the humiliating treatment they must endure, the cost of refused visas and lost air tickets, the time spent by artists and programmers to find another person likely to intervene in case of refusal. It is Kafkaesque in the sense that the documents to be provided are in the hands of consulates and change on a case-by-case basis, thus bringing artists and programmers to spend most of their time addressing visa issues.”2

The situation is all the more alarming since practices are irrational, as Marie-Agnès Sevestre, Director of Francophonies en Limousin, explained to journalist Fabienne Arvers in 2010: “We were obliged to send someone to Roissy with the work contracts to help out the company of Congolese choreographer Didier Ediho, as the border police suspected them of having fraudulently obtained their visas. Often, visas are given while almost [on] the plane, [at] the last minute, following a whole series of humiliations. We also invited Jean-Pierre Guingané, from Théâtre de la Fraternité in Ouagadougou, for a debate of African artists on the topic: the artists at the time of Independence. He is a sixty-year-old man who has taught generations of artists in Burkina Faso and who often comes to France on three-year multiple-entry visas. This time, the Consulate of France in Ouagadougou treated him like a sixteenyear-old kid who intends to flee and so he told me: ‘it is so humiliating that I won’t come’”.3

 1

Fabienne Arvers, « Refus de visas pour les artistes africains: une situation ubuesque », Les Inrocks, Septembre 25, 2010 2 Fabienne Arvers, Idem 3 Fabienne Arvers, Idem

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Are there reasons to mix African artists with illegal immigrants? There are facts which seem to legitimate suspicion on the part of European immigration officers. In fact, there are shady individuals who make a profit of travel opportunities that are made available to artists and take to their heels once in Europe. The well-known Papa Wemba case seemed to confirm French and Belgian authorities in their position and justified the mixing between the mobility of artists and immigration policies. Indeed, Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba, his real name, was suspected of having helped at least 300 Congolese people to illegally enter France and Belgium as musicians of his band Viva la Musica. He was then sentenced on the 16th of November 2004 by the Court of Bobigny to thirty months of imprisonment and a fine of 10,000 Euros for providing help for the irregular stay of illegal people under the cover of his musical activities.4 Whether it is well-founded or not, the explanation given by Lilo Miango – initiator of the media for music in the Democratic Republic of Congo – brings to light another side of the issue. He believes, as far as he is concerned, that Papa Wemba was naïve to not denounce the touring agents or producers who forced him and other singers to illegally fly their artists with the sole purpose of avoiding fiscal and social charges.5

The pernicious effects of the mixing Yet, these examples of intentional fraud remain isolated and insignificant cases as compared to the great majority of artists engaged in a professional career. In the end, a tendency for European professionals to resign themselves to only schedule Europe-based artists is becoming apparent. The increasing difficulty of obtaining visas for African artists leads to a rise in the number of people staying in Europe illegally, since they are no longer sure of being given the opportunity to return and work in Europe. Addressing the topic, Christine Semba, Director of Zone Franche, a professional network for world music, tells this story of a female Cuban artist: “I know of this example […] of a Colombian band. One person of the group was Cuban and lived in Colombia. And this group toured several

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Afrik.com, « Papa Wemba sous les verrous », February 21, 2003 http://www.afrik.com/article5716.html 5 Afrik.com, Idem.

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times to Europe via Spain […]. And after two tours for which obtaining the visa for the Cuban artist was extremely, extremely, complicated, the third time, the manager of the group was really in need of engaging a lawyer. It is because he really engaged in the request of the visa that the person received the visa in the last minute. They toured to Europe; then they were to go back via Madrid. The day before the departure, this musician went to see the manager to tell him ‘look, you saw how difficult it was to get the visa; I know it is my last chance to stay in Europe. So, I 6 am sorry but I won’t go home. I am going illegal as of tomorrow’”.

The abdication of Africans In Europe and particularly in France, civil society has begun to debate over the increasing difficulty for artists to travel. In 2010, Zone Franche put in place a committee called Visas Artistes. This committee “gives advice to professionals of the performing arts with regard to their visa applications and puts pressure on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in case of freezing”.7 Since 2000, European governments – including France, the Netherlands and Norway – and the European Union itself have made efforts to address the mobility of artists. For example, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication and the European Parliament commissioned studies, works and reports, which give an insight into the constraints – rules, practices, methods and gaps – related to the mobility of artists as a whole.8 However, the apparent rising mistreatment of African artists cannot silence the piercing laxness of African artists themselves and of African political leaders. The artists fail to gather as a pressure group to demand that their local political leaders take action on their behalf. The State of Senegal gave the pitch by taking retaliative measures in January 2013 in such a way that starting from July 1st, visa seekers from countries which demand

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Florence Pacaud, « Des artistes mal venus », France Culture, November 25, 2011. Florence Pacaud, Idem. 8 Lukacs Anaïs, L’accueil en France des artistes étrangers du spectacle vivant : une possible amélioration des modalités ?, Mémoire de Master professionnel « Développement culturel et direction de projet », Université de Lyon 2 – Faculté d’anthropologie et de sociologie, 2007, 104 p. http://socio.univlyon2.fr/IMG/pdf/LUKACSAnais_Mem07.pdf Zone Franche, « La circulation des artistes : quelles solutions pour les professionnels ? », debate organized by the network for world music, Zone Franche, April 8, 2009 at Lavoir Moderne Parisien. 7

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a visa from Senegalese travelers will now need one to enter Senegal.9

Conclusion Eventually, it cannot be objected that the will of political leaders is to support the free movement of goods and people globally and regionally. Evidence is backed up by international laws and mobility tools. But, the practices on the ground somehow contradict this political will. With increasingly harsh immigration policies, Western countries have lost sight of the necessity for artists to travel easily in order to present their work. Thus, artists, and especially those from the African continent, have become the collateral victims of immigration policies.10 To address this matter, civil society, in Africa and in Europe, must play a key role in laying pressure on political powers to handle the mobility of artists from a cultural perspective and not as an immigration issue. In short, there must be “Visas for artists” as claims Burkinabe choreographer Seydou Boro in his one-reeler “Visas”, which he produced in 2004 in Cameroon.11

 9

Ndeye Khady Lo, « Visa : à partir de juillet 2013, le Sénégal appliquera la réciprocité », Slate Afrique, 2013 http://blog.slateafrique.com/nangadefsenegal/2012/12/04/visa-a-partir-de-juillet-2013-le-senegal-appliquera-lareciprocite/ Mehdi Ba, « Sénégal : réciprocité des visas, même tarif pour tous », Jeune Afrique, July 1, 2013. 10 Le Monde.fr, « VISA – Les artistes africains ont de plus en plus de mal à venir en France (« Les Inrockuptibles ») », September 27, 2010. http://bigbrowser.blog.lemonde.fr/2010/09/27/visa-les-artistes-africains-ont-deplus-en-plus-de-mal-a-venir-en-france-les-inrockuptibles/ 11 Seydou Boro, « Visas », one-reeler, 7 min 48 s, Zéli Production-Méka, 2004.

ART MOBILITY INITIATIVES FOR EMERGING THEATRE COMPANIES IN NIGERIA: PARADOXES AND MUTATIONS TAIWO OKUNOLA AFOLABI

Art mobility is a global issue that is of great significance considering the economic depression that is ravaging the world’s economy. Different initiatives in art mobility have been launched in Africa and the world at large. While these clarion calls and initiatives are still progressing, evaluating the impact of these various initiatives to know the coverage, the extent of inclusion and the impact on theatre practitioners and theatre companies is important. This research work centres on the impact of art mobility initiatives on emerging theatre in Nigeria; that is, how emerging theatre companies have benefitted from art mobility initiatives. It uses the research undertaken in Nigeria among emerging theatre art practitioners and companies to examine the effectiveness of the art mobility initiatives in Nigeria; to make public the state of such initiatives in Nigeria; and to make public the information for the success of these theatre companies. The objective of this study is to contribute to the tank of knowledge as regards art mobility, foster the creativity of artistes, initiate and encourage connection with fellow artists, boost more initiatives that will help emerging theatre companies in Nigeria, and further reveal the impact of these initiatives in Arab countries in order to help Nigerian theatre artistes, especially the emerging ones who presently have little or no access to these initiatives.

Introduction Over the years, art activities have received recognition and support, and have regained vibrancy due to various initiatives from different artists and theatre practitioners. These sets of young talented, energetic and passionate individuals and companies have embraced their cultural identity, established their own theatre practices, theatre companies and

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artistic ventures. These artists and their creative productivity continually revive the art. Such artistic efforts need to be given voices; made mobile for exhibition, to embrace intercultural dialogue and effective managerial approaches in order to project these forms of art, hence, the need for art mobility and freedom of movement. Since art thrives on contacts, crossborder exchange, cultural encounter and economic power, it is a basic necessity for artists to move from one place to another, although technology has turned the world into a global village. Artistic practices and creativity are directly, strongly and closely linked to mobility. A great part of the art and architecture, urban design, sociology, demography and cultural policies that we know today would not have existed if it weren’t for the urge to travel, explore and discover, the need to rise beyond the limits – territory and intellectual – of the known. It’s a daring adventure to make creative inputs public, and to manage creative products. Therefore, to investigate into mobility presently implies to broaden perspectives, and investigate the concepts of travel, discovery, displacement and migration. It calls for analysis of the political, economic and socio-cultural phenomena related to it. Mobility and Freedom of Movement in arts is necessary because its focus is to transform, advertise and multiply the reach of cultural ideas, perceptions and preconceptions, to add value and to strengthen the creative process as a conscious action towards enrichment and knowledge. It is a known fact that mobility presents and refers to multiple facets which directly address related issues of cultural diversity, exchange, experience, cross-cultural policies, visa intricacies, economic implications and intercultural dialogue. Also, this focus of discourse helps us to reflect on migration, exile and the obstacles faced when crossing borders. However, this research centres on art mobility initiatives, especially migration issues and the economic implications of mobility in art as it affects the emerging theatre companies and organizations in Nigeria. ‘Emerging theatre companies’ connotes nascent, developing, evolving, embryonic, young, growing, promising and up-and-coming theatre companies. This type of theatre has some characteristics of a developed or emerged theatre company, but it is not yet an emerged theatre. It is a form of theatre that is categorized based on its years of establishment, as well as the magnitude of its impact and other organization factors accrued to it. Such factors include personnel, the level of exposure, records of achievement, availability of access to funds, and other forms of partnerships and collaborations.

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Therefore, the movement of art should be free, with policies that will foster collaboration and art movements across borders to involve this category of theatre company. There should be art both beyond and without borders in order to connect, network and create more opportunities for these artistes in order for them to thrive in their various artistic endeavours. These initiatives, ranging from policies, regulations and finance, to mention a few, are meant to engineer freedom and mobility of art. For instance, there have different organizations that have introduced and established different forums, activities, policies and initiatives that advance and enhance the course of art mobility. Such organizations include the European Cultural Foundation, the Roberto Cimetta Fund, the Arab Education Forum, Art Moves Africa (AMA), IIE, IETM, the Mawred Organization, the Arterial Network, the Prince Claus Fund, Frieze Projects, the Danish Art Council, Kulturkontakt Nord, On the Move, and the British Council, to mention a few. Many, if not all of these initiatives, are rooted in and reside outside Nigeria and these initiatives are the product of international organizations’ collaborations and partnerships from different parts of the world. It is also important to note that these organizations and initiatives focus on different areas that enhance art mobility. While some focus on finance, others focus on sharing information, communication and engaging art organizations for artistic development. The scope of this research work is on art mobility initiatives – government policies, the obstacles to mobility, visa issues and the economics of mobility. The research centres on emerging theatre companies and organizations in Nigeria because theatre combines various components of art. Considering the large number of theatre companies in Nigeria, we decided to work on the emerging theatre companies because we discovered that this set of theatre companies needs access to art mobility initiatives and they have peculiar stories that will enrich this research work. Through this process, we make public various artistic endeavours and the artistic needs of the emerging theatre. Also, the selection of the research sample (that is, theatre companies) is random without any iota of favouritism. However, the creative addition of the virtual approach of administering a questionnaire is borne out of the financial constraints necessary for travelling across the nation. Hence, some of the theatre companies that are far away geographically are reached via the phone and internet, since the internet makes the world a global village.

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Objectives of the Study Apart from furthering research into this specialism of theatre and the arts, which is to add to the already existing tank of knowledge, the research seeks to examine how the creation of art mobility initiatives has fostered the artistic activities of emerging theatre companies in the country. The objectives of this research work also include reflection on the various stories and experiences of theatre art practitioners in Nigeria, especially those of the emerging theatre artistes and companies, to emphasize the necessity of advocating for art mobility. It centres on examining the impact of mobility initiatives both within and outside Nigeria. Using the various art mobility initiatives examples, such as those seen in the Arab nations, Europe, America and some other parts of Africa, the research seeks to open more discourse and encourage researchers and more initiatives that will be of benefit to the emerging artists in their continuous search for expression. This should initiate more mobility campaigns that will be implemented in the country and the continent as a whole. Theatre Emissary International, a socio-cultural based organization in Nigeria, uses arts and theatre to address social issues for transformation, mobilization and education. This research through reading, various sessions of interactions, interviews, conversations, discussions, and administering of questionnaires among some selected emerging theatre organizations in Nigeria examined the impact of various art mobility initiatives on the emerging artistes and theatre companies in the country. In addition to the various stories of these emerging Nigerian theatre companies, Theatre Emissary International uses its various international mobility experiences in theatrical, artistic and cultural outings in Sudan, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, the Republic of Benin, and Denmark, among others, to knit the stories, problems and solutions presented.

The Emerging Theatre Companies in Nigeria Historically, Nigerian theatre, borne out of cultural practices like any other society, went professional with the endeavours of the theatre guru Huber Ogunde and the likes. The Commercial Theatre and Educational Theatre are the two types of theatre that we see in Nigeria. While the former is strictly commercial, the latter is strictly for educational purposes, which is what we see in schools today. Hence, there is a symbiotic relationship between these two blocs of theatre in that the latter provides competent

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and capable hands for the former. The professional theatre practitioners at one point in time were under educational theatre and many prefer to stay in the education bloc because there is support and an audience, to a great extent, to support this type of theatre. At the state level, there are thirty-six state art councils including the Federal Capital Territory. Through these art councils, festivals such as the National Art Festival (NAFEST), and the Abuja Carnival, to mention a few, are organized every year. The origin of NAFEST dates back to 1970 when the federal government organized the All Nigeria Festival of Arts as a forum to unite the diverse ethnic groups of Nigeria after the civil war. There are other festivals and art carnivals in Nigeria that help to revitalize the practice of theatre, including the Calabar Carnival, Lagos Carnival, and Abuja Carnival, among others.1, 2, 3 According to a report released by the National Population Commission, as of 2006, Nigeria has a population of over 140 million4 and 54% of the Nigerian youth are unemployed5 as of 2012. Clearly from these statistics, the problem of unemployment has now become an alarming cause for concern for the emerging generation of Nigerian youths. Perhaps one of the most neglected group of individuals in this category are the Theatre Arts graduates who, after four years of theoretical and practical training in the higher institutions, are forced to seek out employment in other fields of specialization due to the insufficient number of theatre companies or organizations willing to employ, utilize and effectively develop their artistic skills while actualizing company goals. However in recent times, many young theatre graduates bursting with the life, strength and passion to contribute meaningfully to theatre practices in the country have been taking giant strides in establishing theatre companies. Theatre in Nigeria, whether professional or commercial, is either emerging or emerged. By definition, emerged theatre refers to theatre that have grown, survived and have been able to make great impact over the years via personal, local, national and international efforts; that is, theatre

 1

www.artsbayelsang.com/new/news/89-national-festival-of-arts-and-culture-nafest -2013-comes-to-bayelsa-state.html Retrieved 2014-02-02. 2 www.abujacarnivaloffice.com Retrieved 2014-18-02. 3 www.abuja-ng.com/abuja-carnival.html Retrieved 2014-28-02. 4 http://www.population.gov.ng Retrieved 2014-02-02. 5 http://www.informationng.com/tag/national-bureau-of-statisticsRetrieved 201401-03.

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companies in this category have progressed beyond their foundational years. At least, these theatres have been involved in one way or another in projects that are of either national or international relevance. For the emerging theatre, these theatre companies are just growing, young and new in the system and to the system. They are like babies that need to be cuddled and given support in every way. Since these artistes are vibrant, creative, and full of passion and love for their arts, their creative products are marketable with the potentials to make an impact. Examples of theatre companies in Nigeria that have emerged and come of age include the Arojah Theatre, Lafomania Troupe, The Black Heritage, Oracle Repertory Theatre, Terra-Kulture, and Jos Repertory Theatre, to mention a few. Theatres like Arts Renaissance Theatre, Mud House Entertainment, Highland Crystal Productions, Mobile Dance Academy, Vinnage Gold Theatre, Performing Arts and Workshop Studios, Wazobia Theatre, Inside Out Entertainment and Theatre Emissary International, among others, constitute emerging theatre. In perspective, these emerging theatre companies have been newly established and have existed for 1-10 years, i.e. the emerging theatre companies are in general less than 10 years old.

Art Mobility Initiatives among the Emerging Theatre Companies in Nigeria There are various art mobility initiatives that enhance freedom of movement within and outside the country. For instance, embassies of countries such as Britain, the USA, Spain, and the Czech Republic are involved in supporting art mobility initiatives to help the artistes and theatre companies with festivals and other cultural events. In fact, many artistes and theatre companies have benefitted immensely from these initiatives. Examples include Jos Repertory Theatre and Arojah Theatre, among others. Also, there are initiatives in and from countries like Germany, Denmark, Sweden, the Arab countries, the Netherlands, Sudan, Belgium, France and Britain, among others, which have been launched to support art mobility. These initiatives support festivals and cultural projects, aid and sponsor the movement of arts, and make available information that will be of help to artistes in Nigeria and Africa at large. From the previous experiences of some of the artistes, many countries assist artistes in securing visas and provide relevant information that will be of help to the artistes as far as migration issues are concerned. Corporate organizations in Nigeria support entertainment financially and support is majorly for comedy shows, music festivals and other types of

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show business, which most of the time excludes theatre practices, art mobility and freedom of arts. However, despite these aforementioned initiatives and endeavours, according to the research undertaken among some emerging artistes and theatre companies in Nigeria, there are certain factors that militate against artistes and theatre companies (both emerged and emerging) and the effectiveness of art mobility initiatives contrived by governments, embassies and organizations. The following are the major problems that affect freedom of movement in the arts and the intercultural exchange of artistic expressions in Nigeria: * Non-availability of funds for artistic projects. * Non-supportive governmental policies. * Dysfunctional association networks and inadequate contacts for intercultural relationships. * Lack of new and original creative ideas to expand performance options.

Funds While many art mobility initiatives seek to release funds for cultural and artistic projects, many artistes and theatre companies, both emerged and emerging, still have problems in this area. For instance, Mrs Bolanle Austen-Peters6 of Terra-Kulture, an art initiative that fosters collaboration and provides space for artistes in Lagos, lamented and emphasized in one of her interviews the inadequacy of funding for art projects and the lack of positive response from corporate organizations to sponsor such projects. In essence, non-availability of funds for artistic projects within the country is a major challenge, which is not particular to Nigeria. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the government has to focus on the basic needs of the people, even though every government does this. It is important to note that many of the respondents didn’t have a problem moving their art inside and outside Nigeria; rather, their problem concerns having the funds to move their art to festivals, and invitees cannot cater for all of their expenses. Art mobility has economic and financial implications. Regardless of the continent, the movement of art is important and the connection of artistes takes the production of art to the extent of making it a major source of

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www.allAfrica.com Retrieved 2014-28-02.

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income for many nations of the world, a means of attraction and tourism. In 1991, the National Endowment for the Art7 was constituted; however, its benefit cannot be ascertained or evaluated.

Government Policies and Initiatives Government policies can either create or remove obstacles for art mobility. These cultural policies affect artists, artistic and cultural activities; enhance bilateral agreements; and address issues that relate to freedom of movement such as migration, visa issues and other cultural indices, among others. Cultural Policy in Nigeria documented the 1996 archived cultural policies that pertain to Nigeria. This document contains codes of conduct and ethics that are meant to help artistic and cultural practices including art mobility and freedom of art, both within and outside the borders of Nigeria. For instance, there are sections such as the general directions of cultural policy; cultural industries of public or semi-public bodies; nongovernmental cultural institutions; instruments of cultural policy which consist of financing and planning cultural, cultural industries, cultural development and international cultural cooperation, among others.8 However, in 2013, the Executive Secretary of NICO presented a document containing the new cultural policy for Nigeria9 which according to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Orientation Chief, Edem Duke, is ready for approval by the government. With all this information, one cannot but understand why the emerged and the emerging artistes and theatre companies in Nigeria thrive on personal efforts and interventions from outside the country. The government initiatives are not inclusive of the emerging theatre. Personally, in 2011, I was faced with the challenge of funding my trip to China to participate in a master class and the ITI World Congress in Xiamen. I sent mail to different associations and organizations in Nigeria, seeking funds and other government opportunities that could support my artistic pursuit. Unfortunately, there was no positive response from any of the quarters I solicited funding from. Like the stories of different artistes, there is a need for government initiatives that will help artistes’ mobility in the country. While we seek funding for movement

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http://www.placng.org/lawsofnigeria/node/258 Retrieved 2014-28-02. Cultural Policy in Nigeria Prepared by Culturelink (1996) www.wwcd.org/clink/Nigeria.html Retrieved 2014-28-02. 9 http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/nigerias-new-cultural-policy-ready-for-fgsapproval/ Retrieved 2014-28-02. 8

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from organizations outside Nigeria, there should be initiatives from the Nigerian government, non-governmental institutions, individuals and organizations.

Dysfunctional Association and Relationship Problems Also, there is lack of understanding among artists, producers, cultural administrators, patrons and sponsors, among others, of the artistic and administrative functioning of theatre companies and events. Associations such as ASSITEJ, the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP), the Society of Nigerian Theatre Artists (SONTA), the International Theatre Institute (ITI), and the Radio, Television, Theatre and Art Workers Union in Nigeria (RATTAWU), among others, have been working tirelessly to support the arts. However, these associations can only thrive in their pursuit when there is a smooth relationship between societies and the cultural sector. The activities of organizations such as the National Theatre, and the National Institute for Cultural Orientation, among others, are aimed at government practitioners who are in the states’ art councils. Simply put, there are no policies or initiatives that aim to enhance art mobility and freedom of movement, especially for emerging artistes. It is agreed that there is free movement of art within the country, but such movement should also cross borders.

Lack of new and original creative ideas to expand performance options There are many reasons why there is a need for original and creative ideas to expand performance options. For instance, the fact that the video/film terrain has taken over or overshadowed the world of theatre, with people developing more of an interest in spending their leisure time on screen rather than on stage, is reason enough for these young practitioners to think of creative ideas to expand the movement and performance options of their art forms. Also, there is lack of free access and interrelationship between theatre companies within and outside the countries. In West Africa, for instance, countries such as the Republic of Benin, Togo, Cote d’Ivoire, and Burkina Faso, among others, hardly feature theatre companies from Nigeria in their festivals because of the language barrier; there is little or no connection or interaction between the countries. Furthermore, the movement of theatre artistes/performances requires a lot of financial commitment; theatre companies in festival and other theatre activities would rather stick to the theatre in their neighbourhood and

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maximize their returns/funds rather than invite theatre companies from other parts of the country or from outside, which would require a lot of funds.

Paradoxes and Mutations A paradox is a situation or statement that seems strange because it involves two different ideas or qualities.10 It is seemingly a contradictory or absurd statement that may not be true and yet might be true or well founded.11 In this case, one of the paradoxes is that the emerging theatre companies do not have access to funds and other mobility initiatives; hence, many theatre artistes fend for themselves, while the perception outside the borders of Nigeria is that the country is economically rich with a buoyant cultural heritage, hence, there are means to support the advancement of arts. However, the country still battles with providing the basic needs of the people amidst others vices such as corruptions and mismanagement of funds. The financial commitment that is meant to be given to culture and art-related fields is, rather, diverted into society in the name of development. The Nigerian government may have policies that support the arts movement but many artistes are not aware because these policies are not made public, and that is if there are policies to help the arts at all. For instance, the Danish government has a 50% reimbursement system when it comes to performance, and this policy is made public to all and sundry.12 There are both governmental and non-governmental organizations in the country that are meant to help emerging theatre, but many of these are not functioning as expected. Although there are festivals like NAFEST and the Abuja Carnival, among others, the mobility of states’ art councils is supported by the government, with funds disbursed yearly to ensure the continuity of cultural activities. Mutation is the action or process of changing something or of being changed. It is a situation where something becomes different from others of the same kind because of the change or modification in its qualities.13 In

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“Paradox”. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2013-08-30. “Paradox”. Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2013-01-22. 12 http://www.danskiti.dk/wp-content/uploads/Theatre-Emissary-InternationalDenmark-Research-Report.pdf - Retrieved 2014-02-02. 13 “Mutation”. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2013-08-30. 11

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this case, it is glaring that changes are occurring in that as a result of initiatives by individuals, even though hectic and adventurous with stories of failures, suffering and rising and failing to be told, art is thriving on the sweat and initiative of individuals. This change is obvious when we look at Hubert Ogunde14 and many of the forefathers of theatre in Nigeria who enjoyed little or no benefits from the government and other initiatives to support their endeavours, but some artistes in Nigeria enjoy art mobility initiatives. Hence, there are initiatives that can be put in place in order to help emerging artistes and theatre company in Nigeria, since they are plagued with obnoxious treatment from the government and organizations alike, except in the case of the few mobility initiatives that have been made available by organizations outside the country. The mutation or change that occurs when there is promotion of culture should not be a statement on a piece of paper called ‘a policy’. Hence, government policy should involve patronage, be inclusive and be implemented. There should be clear provision of information on entry, residency programs and employment of foreign artists, which can be achieved by creating directories of contacts for artistes, art organizations, and support organization and services for artistes. Creating forums for qualitative and intellectual discourse and launching advocacy for this will boost art mobility initiatives. Frequent examination and evaluation of the available initiatives to know how inclusive such initiatives are in their selection processes should be encouraged. Also, there should be partnership within and outside the continent, regardless of religion and location. Such partnership should include collaborations with individual and governmental organizations. Furthermore, specific initiatives should be introduced, developed and monitored for emerging artistes and cultural organizations with the sole aim of supporting their artistic expression. An ‘African Cultural Area’ should be created – embracing our culture and cultural differences, and closing up the spatial gap for cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and cultural collaboration. All of the African countries (East, South, North and West African countries), regardless of the language of barriers, should create a platform for the actualization of such a cultural identity. Artistes should travel beyond borders to share experiences, meet new audiences and broaden the scope of their horizons in order to achieve the ‘African Cultural Area’. The Nigerian government should embrace initiative structures and the concerns of the already



14 Clark, E., Hubert Ogunde: The Making of the Nigerian Theatre. Oxford University Press, 1979.

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existing nations of the world in order to create opportunities and platforms for artistes in both emerging and emerged theatre companies. Unhealthy rivalries and other vices among theatre companies and artistes should be set aside for there to be partnership and collaboration among these theatre companies, and information should be made public for artistes in order for them to benefit from such useful information rather than it being hoarded. Since during many of the festivals and cultural activities in Nigeria, there are theatre companies from different parts of the world that travel down to Nigeria to participate in the events, including companies from Trinidad and Tobago, and Brazil, among others, such initiatives should be replicated to help the emerging artistes and theatre companies.

Conclusion The research is based on thorough research, grassroots participation and findings among the emerging theatre companies in Nigeria. This advocacy examines, reflects on and evaluates the stories of some selected emerging theatre companies in the country. We believe that Nigeria should learn from these various aforementioned initiatives which have been made available to the arts by other international organizations and continents around the world, and the country should develop and implement mobility initiatives to help emerging artists. Furthermore, the continent of Africa should see the need to foster more collaboration and non-African organizations should introduce more initiatives that will unite the continent. Also, the aforementioned initiatives should consider emerging theatre companies deliberately, because as our research has shown, many of these art mobility initiatives’ beneficiaries aren’t emerging theatre companies. It is obvious that most emerging artistes thrive on self-effort to produce and ensure the continuity of their arts. Hence, both governmental and nongovernmental interventions are needed to help these artists. While mobility is a two-way endeavour, it means that emerging artistes in Nigeria have access to the mobility and freedom of art movement; the other side is other emerging artistes from other parts of the world have access to Nigeria and are able to come to the country to collaborate with Nigerian artistes. Therefore, it is important that some initiatives are put into place, including having a directory that contains information and contact details of artistes and theatre companies, both emerged and emerging, that will be easily available and accessible for artistes within and outside Nigeria.

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In terms of visa issues, it is rather unfortunate that many artistes have used the liberty of the arts to perpetuate certain evils in society, such as bringing illicit materials into countries. However, every application, artiste and art organization should be treated independently of these new and old happenings. Invitation letters and other official documents needed to secure visa should be issued promptly so that applicants can meet the requirements of the embassies because of the enormous number of applications that embassies attend to. For instance, the Theatre Emissary International experiences at the Danish and Sudan embassies were laudable because these embassies attended to us promptly once the necessary documents were verified and due processes were followed. Artistes should learn to follow due process and comply with the rules of the embassies and other migration concerns. Regardless of these challenges and proffered solutions, emerging artistes and theatre companies must also promptly and effectively utilize the power of the internet and virtual society, the opportunities, information, network and contacts that this essential global phenomenon provides. Artistes need to update themselves on information, and become members of social networks and associations, so that the opportunities available won’t elude them. In as much as there is a need for policies and interventions from external bodies, emerging artistes and theatre companies need to connect with emerged artistes and theatre companies, and not see them as threat. Also, artistes need to create methods and ways of generating funds in order to help their arts, so that they won’t be waiting for funds all the time. Hence, entrepreneurship skills should be developed and initiatives should be taken in order to help the arts. Furthermore, the economics of mobility is essential in ensuring art mobility and the freedom of the art movement. Hence, in order to cut down expenses, artistes should employ the knowledge of economies of scale in their various artistic ventures so that the movement of their art can be easy and affordable. This research work concludes on a call to and support for advocacy and campaigns for the mobility of arts movement; for a readiness to partner with international and national organizations to support the emerging artistes in the country and the continent at large, and to encourage government involvement and forums for communication, connection and networking; as well as the creation of a directory and archive to document information about artistes and theatre companies for easy accessibility. Also, we call for working relationships among artistes, theatre companies

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and organizations, both locally and internationally; provision of working space between and among artistes in the country, and other initiatives that will support these needs so that Nigerian artistes and African artistes of all the blocs in the continent can meet up with their counterparts in the rest of the world.

MOBILE, THEREFORE FREE? MOBILITY PARADOXES OF NOWADAYS SOCIETIES CRISTINA FARINHA

Mobility is an opportunity to cross borders of various sorts: geographical, but also social, political, and cultural. It is a means to meet, interact, discuss, reflect on, learn, share, and work in between these boundaries. It is therefore a powerful tool for inspiration and emancipation, incorporating several hopes and dreams, notably that of a global citizenship. For all of us, and particularly for artists and cultural professionals, it constitutes a potential that many are eager to explore. Mobility, however, is a very transversal and controversial issue as it contains many fears and paradoxes, too. Several obstacles, old and new, material and mental, hinder access and the circulation of persons across the globe. For those holding the right resources and status, mobility can be an ordinary, acquired, and laidback routine; for others, though, it represents an extraordinary, risky, and burdensome enterprise. In contemporary societies, as mobility has become essential to access not only goods and services but also social relations, education, and work opportunities, it needs to be rephrased in terms of equity and social justice. Mobility is a great resource but it also requires specific capital—financial, social, educational, and cultural—and imposes challenges and barriers.

Migrations become circular and communities transnational Nowadays, human movements are gradually changing. New faces take the lead, directions get diversified, migrations become circular and temporary, and purposes overcome traditional economic and political motivations. Within these new trends, we find:

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women alongside men, young students, and retired elderly, highly qualified and manual workers, all taking their chances alone or with their families in new lands movements towards less common destinations; even though mobility remains unbalanced, as many more still head west and/or north flows in search of sun, new sceneries, freedoms, relationships, and/or inspirations, along with others who move to study and receive specific training in order to simply get a job a growing number of people circulating and living between several homes for short-term periods and/or at irregular intervals, side by side with all those who leave their countries to settle in another land on a permanent basis individuals making use of information and communication technologies (ICT), hopping from one community to another, staying in touch and connected to their homeland and living within multiple, transnational, and digital groups and identities.

Mobility trends going in opposite directions Growing economic globalisation, developments in transports and communications, and the internationalisation of some political institutions have diminished distances and allowed for immediacy in the circulation of capital, goods, persons, and ideas, as well as making social life more interdependent across borders. The development of the European Union (EU) is a unique process, especially where mobility is concerned. The EU promotes its citizens’ and workers’ internal mobility in view of the creation of the common market and further advancement of its integration course. Free circulation is precisely one of the basic pillars of the EU project as set in the Treaty of Rome (1957). Intra-European migrations, however, have stayed rather insignificant since its foundation—though figures have started to rise slowly in the present decade—given that for most of those entitled to free movement, the nation-state remains the predominant way of organising their social and political lives. Paradoxically, on the other side of the EU borders, and despite increasingly heavier restrictions on immigration, a growing number are willing to move in. As a matter of fact, the European population is ageing, and authorities are assuming the need to welcome immigrants to fill in the demographic gap

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and supply job markets with an adequate labour force. Still, in the various countries, regulations are getting tighter and public opinion is becoming more and more concerned and divided, instead of reflecting and taking this concern seriously. In addition, at the same time that cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue are being celebrated officially, and cultural cooperation is slowly becoming a part of the diplomatic agenda, the fear of the stranger and the other has been growing within the very heart of European societies, and nationalistic movements are on the rise. Yet other paradoxes related to further dimensions of mobility are being nurtured in European societies and worldwide. Actually, side by side with legal, political, and economic frameworks that contribute to facilitating mobility and aim at its promotion, there are also parallel trends that push in opposite directions. The growth of the risk society, increasingly preoccupied with safety, is hardening travel security measures and making it more complex and lengthy to move. Growing environmental concerns are questioning current ways and means of travelling and trying to impose restrictions on carbon emissions while creating alternatives that will necessarily slow down the pace. Climate change and other unexpected natural incidents are putting our acquired schedules into question and making us remember that we cannot control all factors. In the same way, social movements and contestations, such as strikes, are also showing how mutually interdependent and connected all these mobility systems are.

The case of artistic mobility: Between choice and need Within this intricate and paradoxical thread, artists and cultural operators may have a very specific story to tell. They are seen as examples of mobile professionals and carriers of an intercultural dialogue message, yet in reality they face the same obstacles as any other worker/citizen on top of their already fragile social condition. Artists were pioneers of mobility long before labour markets became global and ICT turned into a commodity. Artistic professions are subject to very little regulation by national and/or organisational frameworks and are thus more flexible and adaptable to various work contexts and partners. In addition, artists are quantitatively few and generally highly qualified, so are not usually considered a problem or a threat to their host societies.

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Yet in the arts, too, along with increasing mobility expectations and the channelling of funds towards mobility and international collaborations, are changing artistic practices and professional profiles, and questioning the role of art and artists in contemporary societies. Artists’ proclaimed dynamism and mobility are ideal for developing experimental productions and allowing creativity to increase. Yet on the other side, it constitutes a risk for artists as workers and for the sake of diversity and freedom of expression and creation. Flexibility implies several costs as it is up to each artist to assume the responsibility of being permanently on the scene. If nationally, in most countries, artistic professions do not benefit from a specific social status when moving on to the international stage, their social and working conditions become even more complex and fragile. For all those professionals who live in regions where economic and political conditions are not favourable to artistic creation, however, mobility seems the only way out. As for those from the Mediterranean basin, the lack of social status, inappropriate working infrastructures, (possible) absence of freedom of expression, and an incipient international scene push artists away. They leave in search of better conditions and adequate means for career development. Above all, as free movement remains an EU citizen’s privilege, the need for visas and work permits considerably hinders circulation, and mobility frequently means a one-way ticket. Financial and legal obstacles make travelling and international cooperation expensive and burdensome. The vulnerability of these professionals and their already fragile and atomised condition becomes amplified, thus very few can make it successfully. I argue, therefore, that mobility should be addressed in terms of accessibility. Mobility—or the ability to work internationally—is a potential composed of aspirations and competences, and both are conditioned by individual backgrounds and qualifications as well as institutional and sectorial circumstances. Mobility is a strong learning and working tool, yet it also demands previous financial and educational resources, notably strategic, managerial, and communication skills. In this scenario, mobility comes out as a resource accessible to those who are already resourceful and in possession of the adequate capital. The capacity to access and manage information and the ability to speak foreign languages, to cite two examples, are crucial competences that have

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a determinant impact not only on the decision to move but also on the actual success and benefit taken from mobility experiences. In the absence of these capacities, most people are not even able to aspire to and nurture dreams of an international career. Others, in their quest for a better life and a better art, try out their chances despite fears and obstacles and end up learning by doing at their own costs and risks.

Building up an international community Civil society, personified in sector organisations, can and is already playing a fundamental role in supporting the mobility of artists and culture professionals. Digital means and the international agenda are gradually allowing the field to organise socially and politically. Individual professionals recognise their lack of scale in being able to cope with the vast dimension and extreme competitiveness of the international market. In this mission, formal and informal international cultural networks have been key to aggregating and giving unity to a sector that is traditionally scattered and not very collectively orientated. Networks offer informal settings for getting together and sharing experiences, and provide a stage on which to learn from each other and to inspire common enterprises. Many run mobility funds, provide information and guidance, promote research and reflection, organise training sessions, and put forward advocacy initiatives to defend the sector’s right to move and its specific social needs. By channelling information and knowledge to the sector in view of its capacity building, these organisations are feeding mobility aspirations and the competences of professionals. In effect, competence gaps and lack of resources are being diminished by sharing know-how and joining efforts via economies of scale. The international market also stimulates professionals to meet and share artistic processes by engaging in joint creations, co-productions, and networking. While artists are coming together to meet, discuss, create, and perform across languages and professional profiles, geographical frontiers as well as disciplines’ boundaries and cultural hierarchies are becoming blurred. Ultimately, international mobility and interaction with different territories and cultures are also contributing to strengthening political awareness in the arts sector. In this process, artists are recognising their belonging and

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need to engage with economic and political frameworks, and are starting to dialogue with other sectors of society and various communities. Notwithstanding, to maximise network sharing and to keep up international contacts, relational and cross-cultural skills are required in the first place. Efficient communication competences can reduce the lack of time and trust that characterise long-distance, multilingual, and transdisciplinary interactions. Involvement in artistic projects with a social and/or political target demands a good articulation of artistic, strategic, and social abilities as well as fine-tuning individual and collective interests. On the other hand, participating and benefiting from these international networks are also dependent on the possession of economic capital that conditions the concrete access to organisations, and the capacity to pay fees and travel to events in order to maintain connections. Again, mobility may accentuate economic and geographical inequalities as professionals from less developed or peripheral countries have additional costs in order to participate in these international circuits. Digital means may be of great help—for all those who can actually access and master them—and face-to-face meetings continue to mark the difference between those who can (afford to) travel and those who haven’t got the adequate resources.

Towards a global citizenship The development of a global citizenship, in which mobility would be a clear cultural right, might be uncertain at this stage in face of all the paradoxes and opposite trends taking shape. Alongside civil society, public authorities as well as the private sector ought to provide individuals/societies with the effective material, legal, and educational means and a favourable environment to be mobile so that they may contribute to fair development and enable it to become an enjoyable choice. Firstly, arts and culture operators would need to see stronger support for their social and financial conditions, capacity building, and joint interaction. This recognition would contribute to strengthening the sector’s own sustainability, enabling a diversity of exchanges and art works which are freer from market constraints. Structural support would give its initiatives a longer-term vision as well as allowing a more stable ground

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for a steadier development of artistic careers. Only in this way can arts and artists fully assume their social role and be carriers of a message of cultural understanding. Another important step would be to contribute to re-balancing mobility flows that remain highly uneven. Most art professionals’ linkages cross borders and relate to territories and initiatives internationally, regardless of administrative and political frames. States worldwide would need to work together—notably within the framework of the UNESCO Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions—on facilitating the circulation of artists and art works across frontiers, making the visa and work-permit procedures for these professionals more flexible, transparent, and homogeneous. Rather than demanding a distinct status for artists, this claim could be shared with all other intellectual and creative professionals, including researchers, as nowadays these profiles and working conditions are becoming similar. In reality, the building up of a global artistic community and citizenship is dependent on an increasing dialogue across all fields of society.

CHALLENGES OF INTERACTION BETWEEN HOST AND GUEST THROUGH ARTISTIC MOBILITY ISIN ONOL

“The history of human migration was shaped by what we call ‘natural frontiers’ (rivers, oceans, mountain ranges). These frontiers haunted the imagination as humanity colonized the continents. The first frontier was the horizon. Originating in voyages of discovery, a mysterious Orient, a boundless overseas or a far west, there has always been a frontier to occupy the western imagination”.1

Today, parallel to the circulation of funds within the international market, and information through networks of communication, art objects are also very much in global circulation. While various forms of enforced and voluntary migration and travel – motivated by business, research or tourism – expands mobilization around the globe, motives of artistic and cultural meetings promote another form of mobility. As the number of international art and culture events rapidly increases, actors in these fields are required to be constantly mobile. This fact obviously creates significant opportunities for encounters and the exchange of knowledge among like-minded individuals in large groups, as well as on a personal basis, which is crucial to taking steps towards constructing transnational platforms for the examination of global issues collectively. However there are certain challenges, and perhaps responsibilities, concerning interconnection between the visiting and hosting art actors, in terms of their superficial, but currently unavoidable status as national representatives. To focus on issues pertaining to the Mediterranean region is to analyse the power struggles of the globe on a condensed scale. Being the meeting point of Europe, Asia and Africa, the Mediterranean region contains the

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Augé, Marc, 1995, Non-Places: An Introduction to Supermodernity, London: Verso, p. XIV.

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dichotomies of the West and the Middle East, South and North, colonised and coloniser, black and white, Christianity and Islam, Judaism and Islam, Christianity and Judaism, as well as a few recently-solved and several lasting conflicts involving the former Yugoslavia, Lebanon, Palestine and Israel, and issues pertaining to Cyprus, Turkey and Greece. Despite these ongoing concerns, the word “Mediterranean” has been rather romantically identified with tourism, natural beauty and cuisine. However, struggles pertaining to democracy, national identity, racism, ethnic nationalism, several kinds of terrorism, sexism, gender, immigration, poverty, corruption and degeneration increasingly persist in each Mediterranean country; not detached from the rest of the globe, but rather as a small microcosm of the overall picture. Although there have been seemingly well-intentioned efforts to create dialogue between these nations, statebased attempts are not convincing to their respective communities due of the lack of democracy. With respect to our contemporary societies, the notion of democracy is apparently seen as ubiquitously problematic, and the practice of representative democracy is simply reduced to oligarchy. Consequently, the citizens of nations are not, in fact, able to be fully involved with the legislative, executive and judiciary processes of their legal systems, not to mention the actions of their shadow states. For this reason, visualizing the Mediterranean region as a condensed version of the global power struggle is crucial for art actors, who are subsequently able to examine the possibilities of going beyond governmental and official versions of history and comprehend concepts on a transnational platform. For mobile actors of art and culture to be able to function sincerely in locations they visit, political awareness and an historical understanding of the local issues in relation to global affairs is crucial. Considering the international cultural events that are organised out of the usual hubs, one recognises the neo-orientalist appetite of the visiting researcher for exotic, but not too local art to be found at these outer places. Organisers do visit the working spaces of many artists besides mainstream art events; however, their expectations of individual artistic approaches seem to be based primarily on global artistic values, disregarding local art practices that do not correspond to global trends. Contradictorily, artistic concerns should be as local as possible to be meaningful and gain global acceptance. In order to be selected by visiting organisers and consequently gain international recognition, artists try hard to fulfil these expectations by distancing themselves from local aesthetic values while boldly stressing the expected local concerns, in a form of “self-orientalisation”, a term used by Edward Said.

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Said presented his critical view of Western perception and representation of non-western cultures in 1978 with his well-known book Orientalism and subsequent articles. Said perceived orientalism as a constellation of false assumptions underlying Western attitudes towards the East.2 With the book Orientalism, the already existing term “orientalism” gained further meaning. While it previously indicated Western study of the East, through Said’s critical approach, it came to be understood as an ideological concern about Western hegemony over, and vision of, the Orient. Although Western perception and misperception of the East throughout Oriental studies seemed to be his main focus, it was only a venue for Said to describe the concept of “otherness” and prejudice formed about the “other”. He showed how misleading information can become “real” itself and how further misinformation and misperception can be built upon it and perpetuated throughout history. Said often argued that political self-justification, in the discursive construction of the Orient, was too strong even to convince the other, where “the modern Orient participates in its own Orientalising.”3 The selforientalisation of the Orient became one of the most significant issues addressed by post-colonial theory which does not only concern the Middle East but considers the issue in a larger context. This issue is related to the social, political, economic and cultural domination of the colonized, which perceives itself as the other through the perspective of the colonizing power. Said’s contribution is significant today as he goes further and analyses the current American involvement within the Middle East. He reviews the myth of Arabic and Islamic culture as “other”, created by the United States in the twentieth century, and compares it to the colonial approach of Franco-British involvement in Egypt, Africa, India and other regions in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In subsequent years, he focused more and more on the foreign policies of the United States toward the Middle East and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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Said, Edward W. 2003, Orientalism, London: Penguin Books (reprinted with a new preface), pp. 329-354. 3 Ibid, p. 325.

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Expanding Said’s argument, in Orientalism and the Exhibitionary Order,4 Timothy Mitchell reviews the history of exhibitions in the nineteenth century and describes the normalisation of colonialism. He argues that “the global hegemony of the West, economically and politically, can be connected not just to the imaginary of Orientalism but to all the new machinery for rendering up and laying out the meaning of the world”5 through the exhibitionary order and knowledge production. In this article, Mitchell widely interprets the birth of museums and international exhibitions as “the new apparatus of representation” that “gave a central place to the representation of the non-Western world” and played an important role in the “construction of otherness to the manufacture of national identity and imperial purpose”.6 He looks at colonial exhibitions to analyse the ways in which the ideology of colonialism was promoted through visual culture, then goes further and explores the issue through the accounts of non-Western visitors to nineteenth-century Europe. He examines the connection between the “world-as-exhibition” and Orientalism, “through a rereading of European travel accounts of the nineteenth century Middle East.” Mitchell analyses the writings of the members of the Egyptian delegation to the Eighth International Congress of Orientalists, which was held on the occasion of Exposition Universelle in 1889, organised for the onehundredth anniversary of the French Revolution. This exhibition covered a 0.96 square kilometre area, and was visited by 32 million people. The main symbol of the fair was the Eiffel Tower, which was completed in the same year. The main attraction of the exhibition was the “Negro Village” where 400 indigenous African people were displayed. The event aimed to show the power of French colonialism and imperialism. By looking at the accounts of Arabic scholars, where they described their experiences during their stay in Europe, Mitchell uses the opportunity to examine not only how the West represents the East, but also how the West structures itself as an exhibition. As well as the Exposition Universelle of 1889, Mitchell focuses on other examples of colonial exhibitions that use the same method of creating representations of the other that he calls “European mischief”. For him,

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Mitchell, Timothy, “Orientalism and the Exhibitionary Order,” reprinted in Preziosi (ed.), The Art of Art History: A Critical Anthology, New York: Oxford University Press Inc., pp. 455-472. 5 Ibid, p. 455. 6 Ibid, pp. 455-456.

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what matters is that “such a notion of real, such a system of truth, continues to convince us.”7 As Said’s thesis of otherness is valid under the social, political and economic conditions of today, systems of truth are continuously being constructed by current institutions. Mitchell concludes: “Orientalism is not just a nineteenth-century instance of some general historical problem of how one culture portrays another, not just an aspect of colonial domination, but part of a method of order and truth essential to the peculiar nature of the modern world.”8

The beginning of Orientalist studies starts with Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt in 1798. From that point until the 1940s, the colonial act was something to be proud of. Many events, conferences and publications took place, exhibiting this sense of pride. As well as the Orientalist writings that were widely analysed by Said, Orientalist art of the nineteenth century played a great role in constructing an image of the other by artists who either visited the East, or only fantasised about and depicted the imaginary Orient. International exhibitions went further. Rather than exhibiting images of the other, they directly exhibited the other itself, together with artefacts of their production, culture and art, as Mitchell discusses in his essay, constructing artificial cities, architecture and market spaces of human size. Following the French Industrial Exhibition in 1844 and London’s Great Exhibition in 1851, the first Paris Universelle took place in 1855 according to the will of Napoleon, and returned through many other versions until the start of first Paris Biennale. The Paris Colonial Exhibition took place in 1931, selling 33 million tickets. As well as France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Portugal also staged colonial exhibitions. From 1866 to 1948 there were more than 20 colonial exhibitions, some of which not only exhibited products, culture, art and objects, but also people from the colonized countries, in the form of a human zoo. After the Paris Colonial Exhibition of 1931, an anti-colonial counter-exhibition was organised, entitled “Truth on the Colonies” by the French Communist Party. In her essay “Self Orientalize: Iran Inside Out”9 published recently in Manifesta Journal, Yulia Tikhonova gives a critical account of “Middle Eastern and geographically bound exhibitions” that show “art from

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Ibid, p. 472. Ibid, p. 472. 9 Tikhonova, Yulia, “Self Orientalize: Iran Inside Out”, Manifesta Journal: Journal of Contemporary Curatorship, No. 8, 2009/2010. 8

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‘exotic’ locales marketed for Western Society”. Quoting from the essay by Brian Wallis, “Selling Nations: International Exhibitions and Cultural Diplomacy”, Yulia Tikhonova claims that the strategies of exoticising visual codes have been deployed in the practices of both artists and curators. She argues that “self-orientalisation is not about cultural empowerment, but rather economic gain.”10 Her text is a critical review of a very recent exhibition taking place at the Chelsea Art Museum in New York,11 which is just one example among many exhibitions claiming to represent a particular culture or a nation. Yulia Tikhonova is exceptionally critical about this very populist approach that fulfils the expectations of both market and museums by appropriating Western clichés and local references. She criticises the artists for this market-oriented production, as well as the curators who “deliver art that reflects the ways the West imagines the Orient.”12 Tikhonova describes this act with the term “ethnic marketing” and critiques the structure of “geographically-bound” exhibitions, reinforcing Western clichés, serving geographically oriented market discoveries, providing “platforms for practices of self-exoticising, and self-orientalising, in other words, using forms of self-impersonation to play the market game.”13 For the self-orientalising approach, the problem is not simply about being absorbed by the consequences of power struggles and naively accepting oneself as the other, but going further and using the opportunity given by the market economy to supply what it demands. Any exhibition aiming to represent a country, a culture, a nation, or identity falls into the politics of orientalisation and self-orientalisation, or serves to construct the idea of otherness. The notion of otherness is still relevant in the cultural, political, economic, intellectual and consequently artistic climate of today, and the Mediterranean region provides a clear frame to focus on this issue. This argument, although also criticised widely in terms of its failures, opened up a great field for post-colonialist, post-modernist and feminist thinkers to address in re-reading and re-writing history. The violence between nations and the foreign policies of countries has been constructed on this

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Ibid, p. 88. Iran Inside Out: Influences of Homeland and Diaspora on the Artistic Language of 56 Contemporary Iranian Artists, Curated by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath, Chelsea Art Museum, New York, 26 June – 5 September, 2009. 12 Tikhonova, op. cit. p. 90. 13 Ibid, p. 91. 11

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ideology of otherness, which is constantly expanded, cultivated, and, through the wide range of media, normalised and justified. The international exhibitions and other cultural events of today are playing a great role, either in revealing or in supporting these normalisations and justifications. As soon as an exhibition is organised in relation to national identities and cultural differences, it positions itself within these power struggle patterns. Without being fully aware of post-colonial theory and the history of international exhibitions, curators and artists, as well as such other cultural producers as the hosts or guests of international events, fall into the trap of taking part in the construction of “systems of truth” and misleading knowledge production. The mobility created by the mainstream art market and alternative international art events provides a significant opportunity for various forms of encounters for the actors of art and culture, and therefore should be supported and expanded. However, without the efforts of creating alternative and effective platforms, these events will only serve existing knowledge-production systems, functioning as a continuum of misleading historical facts. Encounters on an individual basis between the hosts and guests of such organisations are crucial for avoiding the superficiality of the idea of national representation and its reflection through art appreciation.

FREEDIMENSIONAL @ 10 – A DECADE OF LOOKING BOTH WAYS: ARTIST MOBILITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS

MARY ANN DEVLIEG AND TODD LESTER

Artists, as a highly educated workforce, are generally considered the least visible group of migrants and those who are neither unwelcome nor seen as a problem by the host society. They are quantitatively few, though often important as gatekeepers for other migrants, and usually engage in gradual transitions; from intermittent stays at various intervals to permanent settlement. —From Performing Europe: Conditions for Artists in the Scope of Mobility, Cristina Farinha (2006) Historically, those intent on eliminating opposition and suppressing popular dissent have made a priority of quickly eliminating creators and thinkers from their midsts … if you scratch the surface of a human disaster you will find creators responding to the most difficult of circumstances, making art to live, to eat, to kindle the human spirit, to bring peace or to resolve conflict. —From Art and Upheaval: Artists on the World’s Frontlines, Bill Cleveland (2008)

*** On the occasion of the 2nd Istikshaf Symposium on the theme of Mobility and Freedom of Movement, Advocating Mobility on the Frontline, freeDimensional wishes to share its learning and practice from the past decade, as well as what we feel is yet needed to activate mobility in the service of artist safety. In our first decade of service, we have observed that when the rule of law has been eroded, when social services are lacking and there is no free press, the artist often takes on the role of government critic, people’s advocate, community organizer, human rights defender and/or movement leader. While we can learn from other sectors, we assert that the arts community itself has a natural responsibility to support,

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defend and protect artists and cultural workers. This paper will outline fD’s approach in support of artists seeking to continue their artistic practices and contribute to cultural life, either from a temporary shelter, in exile or at home, given the correct support. It will demonstrate how local, informal, cross sector groupings that bring together arts associations with, for example, human rights, journalist groups and other NGOs, legal or medical services, and social and educational resources, can be activated to provide ‘artists’ safety nets’ when needed. They can also fill the geographical and art-discipline gaps that notably favor writers over other types of artists, and can provide support and advice more quickly and closer to home. I. INTRODUCING FREEDIMENSIONAL II. BENEFITING FROM A GROWING UNDERSTANDING OF ARTIST MOBILITY III. GENERAL CONSEQUENCES IV. THE PUSH AND PULL OF BIG CITIES V. OTHER FACTORS AND OBSERVATIONS VI. VISAS VII. CHARACTERISTICS OF AN ART FORM: SUPPORT TO WRITERS VIII. LESSONS LEARNED AND HOW WE DISSEMINATE THE FD MODEL IX. AUTHORS

I. Introducing freeDimensional freeDimensional (fD) is a very small but internationally networked organization that links artists in danger with vacant spaces in artists’ residencies around the world. Since 2005, fD has supported 200 artists from 35 countries in various ways. These cases include a cartoonist from Cameroon, a sculptor from Zimbabwe, a photographer from Uzbekistan, a journalist from the Gambia, a playwright from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a painter from the Druze community, a VJay from Afghanistan, an environmental defender from Mexico, street artists from Brazil, and many more. fD’s premise is that artists often play a role in society similar to activists or human rights defenders, yet neither define themselves as such nor are they aware of the protection or techniques that support ‘professional’ activists. Thus an artist may find her or himself in danger without an extensive circle of support, and without advice on options and pathways to choose. While there is no exact equation for

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danger, combinations of the following variables may help explain the motivations of those who harass and threaten artists – class, age, gender, orientation, citizenship, ethnicity, political affiliation, media / art form, issue that is engaged, location (urban / rural, country, state, region), religion, etc. fD believes that such artists should be hosted within an artistic context while they are fleeing danger, so that they can continue to do their important artistic work while considering their options – for example: returning home to work with their communities locally, continuing their work within a diaspora community abroad, and/or permanently relocating to a new country. During and after temporary or permanent relocation, holistic integration is important: a process by which the individual’s needs are assessed and a strategy to access necessary resources and services is devised, together with the individual. fD develops training, self-help and capacity-building sessions for artists, arts spaces, the community, human rights and other affinity groups and organizations. These sessions aim to strengthen the ability to help themselves or their colleagues, to assess specific needs and to undertake ‘community mapping’ to find resources and services that are needed such as: medical, psychosocial and legal services; education, employment and professional development; community engagement and emergency financial support. fD also co-organizes regional consultation-workshop processes. Here, organizations from different sectors convene to discuss the issues and contexts that may lead to the repression of artists and culture workers. They then share perspectives on resources, tactics and mechanisms of support that can be useful in emergency situations. These groups become formal or informal regional artists’ safety networks that can be activated to mobilize resources to support artists at risk. fD always works in partnership with existing organizations and initiatives on the ground, mutually learning and integrating our knowledge base with local expertise and experience. fD operates at the intersection of arts and human rights. It works in collaboration with a wide range of organizations and networks, which can take efficient and effective action when the human rights of an artist or culture worker are, or are in danger of, being violated.

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II. Benefiting from a Growing Understanding of Artist Mobility freeDimensional acknowledges the well-known benefits of artists’ mobility that Istikshaf has fought for over the last few years, and believes that a general mobility platform is the best place from which to augment mobility-as-vocational-option with mobility-as-safety-measure, the latter of which is becoming ever more common today as artists do the work of activists and human rights defenders. In pioneering the ‘safety approach’ over the last decade, we believe our practice touches all four policy areas relevant to the Istikshaf Symposium – national agenda, financing mobility, crossing borders, mobilizing communities – in one way or another. While the ‘safety approach’ is not yet a functionally resourced sub-sector of artist mobility, there are positive developments and signs that its awareness and purchase are growing among policymakers and influence brokers. Cases in point are The right to freedom of artistic expression and creativity (2013) report1 by Farida Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur for Cultural Rights, and response videos2 by Arts Rights Justice (ARJ), Mapping of temporary shelter initiatives for Human Rights Defenders in danger in and outside the EU (2012) and a range of new funds such as the International Institute of Education’s (IIE) Scholar Rescue Fund for Threatened Art Scholars; Stichting In den Vreemde (Trust fund for the benefit of artists under duress); Support for Syrian refugees in Lebanon (Heinrich Böll Stiftung); British Council Grants for Syrian Artists Scheme; and discussions like ArteEast’s Arts and Culture in Transformative Times: Expanding the Philanthropic Dialogue on the Middle East and North Africa (October 2013) and the Lark’s In The Same Room: Middle Eastern Women in Theater (March 2014), both in New York, and the Research Atelier of the Arab Cultural Policy Group in Berlin (February 2014) by Al Mawrad Al Thaqafy and the University of Hildesheim. The term ‘artist mobility’ usually relates to positive opportunities for artists to travel for professional purposes in order to enrich their work through a productive interaction with other geographies, cultures, experiences, studies, art histories, and people. At times, reference is made to ‘enforced mobility’ to describe instances when the artist is obliged to

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http://www.cdc-ccd.org/IMG/pdf/The_right_to_freedom_of_artistic_expression_ and_creativity.pdf 2 https://www.dropbox.com/sh/n0wgzvhtosbgxcc/M1WqPg8rW_

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move due to economic or security pressures. This paper looks at mobility undertaken in order to provide temporary or permanent safety for artists, cultural producers and creative communicators whose work speaks the truth of power and upholds social justice values, and in return are isolated, harassed, threatened, deprived of rights, physically or mentally harmed or imprisoned by repressive forces – e.g. governments, gangs, religious organisations, businesses, and non-state actors – in her or his society. This type of mobility lies somewhere between desired and enforced. It can produce positive effects (obviously safety being the first result) including professional enrichment but it can also produce negative effects.

III. General Consequences In attempting to support these artists by leveraging resources on their behalf, we have realized the many difficulties of doing so remotely. When artists from the Global South find themselves in dangerous situations, the default is to relocate them to countries in the Global North, generally Western Europe, Scandinavia or North America. The problem with this process is three-fold: 1) The process of relocating an artist far from their country of origin is complicated and expensive, and requires significant human and financial resources if it is to be done properly; 2) Drastic relocating (e.g. Uganda to Norway) has profound psychosocial effects on the displaced artist stemming from culture shock, residual trauma from their experience of persecution, and the uncertain future; and 3) Routinely relocating artists to the Global North reinforces existing binaries that define the North as inherently free and safe and the South as inherently repressive and dangerous, not taking into account the role that colonizing forces have historically, and till today played in the destabilization of countries in the developing world. As such, fD has realized the absolute and urgent need for stronger local and regional networks of support that would reduce the human and financial resources required to respond to situations of danger, to make the process of relocation more gradual so as to reduce the psychosocial impact of displacement, and to challenge the notion that Europe and North America are the only options for safe relocation while exploring the possibilities of relocating artists within the Global South.

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What became immediately apparent was the need to engage with local and regional actors to understand clearly what mechanisms and systems of support were already in place, and those that needed to be developed.

IV. The Push and Pull of Big Cities When an artist, culture worker or cultural producer seeks safety in a big city where media outlets and advocacy organizations are based, the artist may become popular on the speaking (conference) circuits that work in tandem with those media and advocacy concerns. Examples range from performing at cultural, musical or literary festivals to giving testimony at high-level (UN or EU) meetings for which the artist’s distress/dangerous situation serves as an example in a broader policy manoeuvre (concerning a particular country, region, issue, or pertaining to mobility or free expression themselves). While the artist is often inclined to speak out and use these cultural moments and ‘bully pulpits’ to get back to work (performing/making art) and to speak out on the conditions that forced their exile, we have seen cases in which the intense/immediate popularity has been counterproductive. Here are some things to keep in mind: Ǧ Ǧ Ǧ Ǧ

Ǧ

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Is the artist being paid a fair wage comparable to the payment of other speakers? Are the people who are meeting/inviting the artist people (themselves, or representative of organizations) from whom the artist needs some service, information, or advocacy support? Is the artist in a sound psycho-social state to be engaging in a public forum? Depression is a common side effect of living in exile, and while public speaking/performance can be exciting and help the individual to meet new people and feel alive, those moments cannot counter severe cases of depression and can sometimes make it worse when public engagement is not sustained. And since the conveners/inviters are often from different organizations, it is not likely that they are able to see the need to help provide psycho-social support in a concerted, long-term fashion. This is where having an advocate to ask a local mental healthcare specialist for pro-bono services, or to introduce the artist to a local trauma center, and/or to simply liaise with the inviter/convener to

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clarify the current needs of the artist and how they might help to create a situation of middle- to long-term support for the artist in exchange for their speaking and in addition to their payment. Regardless of the conditions that drive artists and culture workers out of their communities, big cities attract them as spaces of refuge and sanctuary, as well as places where they are ‘networked’ and have contact with watchdog or advocacy organizations that work vocationally (e.g. Committee to Protect Journalists for journalism) or regionally, such as country desks at large human rights organizations (e.g. Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International). These may be in the closest big city (or capital) but often they are the world’s major cities, far away from the source of danger/distress for the artist. While each of the cases we have learned about are somehow ‘unlikely scenarios’ – e.g. a veteran journalist from Indonesia depending on the Committee to Protect Journalists while temporarily receiving (housing) support from the Indonesian ambassador; a Jamaican cultural producer using a transit visa to come to New York City from Jamaica after his radio broadcast brought imminent danger (in the form of a car bomb) to the doorstep of his family’s home, and then receiving support from the Rory Peck Trust for his journalism and housing support from an art space partner of freeDimensional; a Pakistani comedian taking his six family members to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (a non-signatory of the Refugee Convention); and an Uzbekistani photographer hosted in Bilbao when the daughter of that country’s president was the sitting ambassador to Spain.

V. Other Factors and Observations Studies on artists’ mobility (e.g. fD’s survey data from its stakeholders) point out that artists forced to relocate often find it difficult or impossible to continue their artistic work. They may lose their ‘audience’ who have followed their professional evolution and who understand the context for their work. They may not have the necessary credentials or language skills – or may not know the artistic styles that are in fashion in the new country – to find teaching or other related work that could provide income to support their artistic creations, not to mention the right kind of visa with which to plan long-term. They may have trauma (and related health issues), guilt, or frustration due to the isolation from their own cultures, languages, climates, homes, and creative milieus. Artists who are engaged in social and activist practices – that can range from abstract to agitprop – may grieve the loss of their capacity to play a role in the struggle that

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brought them into danger, which may still be endangering their friends and families. While overt artistic actions that challenge the status quo and regimes of power (however they are locally structured) can bring immediate attention and scrutiny to the artist’s doorstep, it is often the case that micro-political ‘agents’, or cogs in the power regime, can interpret even abstract forms of art in ways that adversely affect artists with public currency. For example, do people gather around the artist as a leader or to seek analysis on local and/or current societal conditions? Does the artist have latent political power?

VI. Visas On the issue of visas, there are visas (with different conditions and durations) that are afforded to artists and scholars for short-term stays. These same visas are often sought when an artist needs to leave her or his home urgently. There is both common awareness of these visas and inviting organizations often have relationships with the government agencies that issue them. We often see these normal mobility visas used tactically in emergency situations, and have helped arrange their extension in cases when the artist would be in danger upon return. There are often provisions for extensions, and after these are used, the artist is required to look at other options to stay away from home. One such option is filing for political asylum. Requesting political asylum is an option which is often avoided by artists in danger because they intuit (rightly) that such an action could exacerbate their problems, making it difficult to return home and levying undesired attention on the artist’s family back home. Regional human rights mechanisms may determine guidelines and even monitor political asylum trends and decision-making, such as the Dublin Regulation3 for the European Union.

VII. Characteristics of an Art Form: Support to Writers When a fatwƗ was issued against Salman Rushdie by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran, on 14 February 1989, a municipal movement of safe cities was sparked in Europe and North America. While resources are yet limited, writers can receive support from a few more sources than visual and performing artists, such as academia (e.g. Scholars

 3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublin_Regulation

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at Risk, Scholar Rescue Fund), literary groups (e.g. PEN, International Cities of Refuge Network), and journalism (e.g. Reporters sans frontiers, Committee to Protect Journalists, the Rory Peck Trust). And, even while cartoon journalists may reach broader publics (that can vary in literacy rates), few journalism watchdog groups work to provide equal support to cartoonists as they do for print, radio and TV reporters. This has given rise to groups such as The Cartoon Movement (Netherlands) and Cartoonists Rights Network International (US).

VIII. Lessons Learned and how we Disseminate the fD Model Process freeDimensional uses grassroots methods to bring local partners together who have a natural complementarity yet may not normally work together, to form a cross-sector support network for endangered artists and cultural workers. Starting with a series of in-depth local research visits and meetings, key actors are identified including: arts collectives, individual artists and communicators, activist groups, human rights defenders, social justice funders, free speech NGOs or social movements. In addition to mirroring and circulating their concerns (highlighted in individual interviews and group discussions), fD collaborates with a wide range of these actors (and others) to jointly organize a regional consultative platform. The platform is designed to bring diverse organizations and individuals together around the same table to locate their specific strengths and knowledge bases, and to identify mechanisms of support that exist or that need to be developed and the steps/actions necessary to do so. Taking into consideration the compounded effects of varying forms of repression on identity groups such as LGBT, women, indigenous peoples, youth or others, the regional consultations highlight the issues, topics and themes relevant to the local situation and create a space for participants to brainstorm local/regional options, possibilities and safety mechanisms. This inclusive process aims to connect and catalyze a regional network inclusive of artists, culture workers, journalists, human rights defenders, social justice movements, indigenous communicators, and arts educators, etc. that can be mobilized to deliver holistic support to those who need it.

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At the end of the process, a tangible deliverable will be a version of fD’s Creative Safe Haven Advo-Kit (self-help support manual)4 adapted and re-worked to directly address culture worker safety and readiness in relation to local and regional contexts. The purpose of the Advo-Kit is to concretely share what freeDimensional promotes. Some of its content is geared toward a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) approach to taking care of yourself and your fellow artists/culture workers during difficult times, as well as finding necessary resources and information (e.g. legal, housing/shelter, financial and emergency distress grants, vocational, visa information and mobility support, health and psycho-social assistance, thematic groups and forms of solidarity) offered by other organizations and online. The other focus is on the services that freeDimensional currently offers, which are Culture Worker Readiness and Safety Workshops (by country, region, discipline, and/or exchange across sectors within country or region), and consultations for developing Regional Artist Safety Networks, which typically happen in the aforementioned workshop setting. Lastly, the Advo-Kit includes the model and methodology that freeDimensional originally forged for using art spaces with residency programs as sites of sanctuary and refuge; essentially as safe havens. We called this Creative Safe Haven and similar to our overall ethos of DIY, we encourage and support art spaces to use this model and modify it to their local conditions and needs. By first focusing on art spaces, it was our intention to acknowledge independent community spaces that engender/host/empower local creativity and thus uphold a principle of free expression. We see these spaces as already providing the ‘connective tissue’ that is needed for a creative community to flourish and natural ‘points’ of refuge for artists in distress – natural ‘first responders’ using their vacant bedrooms and apartments (as well as meeting and production facilities) to host artists who have been forced to leave their own communities. These art spaces are typically artist-run (or run by a founder or collective) and thus have a nurturing sensibility that can be built upon to provide safety at times of danger and hardship.

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Link to a menu for delivery methods – http://artfuladministrator.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/fd_toolsservices.pdf

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fD has begun a series of regional ‘artist safety and solidarity’ workshops. The first one was in Mexico City (November 2013) and included representatives from throughout Mesoamerica. Here is how we implemented the workshop.

Methodology Phase 1: Discovery - through on-going case management work, case volume/instances of persecution, and via partner networks and organizations which identify target regions that are dealing with issues related to free expression and cultural rights that exhibit great need but are underrepresented in the field. - make initial contact with key actors to get a preliminary analysis of issues of free expression and cultural rights in local, national and regional contexts. - create a plan for the development of regional safety and readiness initiatives based on available resources, structures and existing support via partner networks and organizations.

First Level: Awareness Raising This workshop covers basic human rights legislation that covers all people, but focuses in on those rights that are often abused when artists and cultural communicators use their creativity for social change, political engagement, democratic values and social justice. It looks at what is permitted and safeguarded under current international conventions and what is prohibited; which international organizations exist to help and how they do so. It examines situations that artists and cultural actors can find themselves in, why artists are different to ‘professional’ activists or human rights defenders, and thus why they need a special type of support.

Phase 2: Research and Assessment -

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research and identify different forms of persecution against culture workers, moving beyond just those faced by writers and playwrights mapping of evolving reality of culture work in the local context mapping of new legal regimes, structures and mechanisms of

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repression identify and address sensitivities around participants’ involvement (e.g. safety, security, etc.) identify and contact existing organizations and individuals who are already actively working around issues of free expression, censorship and cultural rights in the region generate a list by sector of organizations which are involved in work that intersects with issues of free expression and cultural rights conduct survey research involving all aforementioned individuals and organizations to categorize issues by relevance and understand nuances of different forms of repression as they affect different sectors and communities distil to fewer than ten overarching themes as they relate to issues affecting culture workers in the region identify key participants who will also act as coordinators, connectors and facilitators for a consultation meeting identify host spaces and organizational co-sponsors for a consultation meeting, decide the meeting capacity and draft a full budget, including in-kind contributions from participant organizations using a contact list, propose individuals and organizations for different thematic groups and confirm their interest in actively participating.

Second Level: Needs Analysis and Community Mapping This workshop uses fD’s needs analysis model to analyze the risk and danger level faced by an artist who is seeking support. It combines risk analysis with a method of community mapping to identify a wide range of local social service providers and available pro bono services. It also looks at steps that an artist can take to anticipate potentially controversial initiatives and prepare for the possible consequences. Providing examples of real cases, it is intended to support individual artists to help themselves or be empowered to help colleagues. This workshop also supports arts spaces and organizations which can offer resources such as living and work spaces, exhibitions, talks and other professional opportunities that play a central role in supporting the artists’ overall rehabilitation. Phase 3: Regional Platform (Consultations)

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In this phase of the initiative, fD continues to play a coordinating role, attending to logistics in partnership with the hosting organization(s)/ institution(s). Participants are invited to attend the consultation, both through a formal invitation from the local host, sponsor partners and fD as well as by participants themselves upon request. At the same time, fD will step back to allow local and regional actors to take the lead in framing and leading discussions and working sessions, while taking on an observer role, to document and analyze information and ideas generated through consultation. Based on work completed successfully towards other regional initiatives, fD will provide a structure with a content breakdown and will work with two to three primary facilitators (identified in Phase 2) to adapt the plan based on the range of participants, concentration of specific fields and priority issues for discussion. Each thematic discussion is facilitated by participants with expertise in that specific field. All participants will have a chance to present their own work both in a large group setting as well as in small group discussions. Those participants, who are also funders, often opt to support the participation of their grantees in the region, who they feel would benefit from the consultations. For each small discussion, a participant will volunteer to take comprehensive minutes to be compiled at the end of the meeting, while a primary facilitator will capture the larger group sessions. fD staff will present the full Advo-Kit together with the support of a primary facilitator. Subsequently, each primary facilitator will lead a working session focused on the adaptation of the Advo-Kit. The facilitators would already be very familiar with the document, its purpose and the objectives of the process towards a regional version with maximum utility. With regards to the formation of a ‘regional safety network’, while this is an ultimate goal of the multi-phase initiative, fD does not impose the necessity of its formation during this (or any) phase. Rather, the questions posed are: What formal and informal networks already exist? What do they look like and how do they function? How can they be interlinked and strengthened? Do participants feel the need for the formation of a formal network of support? How do they envision this and what are the practical steps to not only its formation but its sustainability beyond the consultation phase? As with other regional initiatives, if participants agree that a regional safety network is something that is needed, fD will provide

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recommendations and act as a container for its development and sustained impact.

Third Level: Artists’ Safety Net and Development of an Advo-Kit This is a process normally involving a period of local research to identify the organizations and resources from different sectors in a community or territory that could be mobilized to share resources and form an artists’ safety net. Following one or two research and interview visits, potential key players are invited to gather together to share their perspectives on risk and describe the resources they could offer to an artist in distress. fD’s ‘Advo-Kit’ is a manual comprising chapters on contexts, considerations, definitions, checklists and a workbook module. It synthesizes fD’s eight years of international experience. The group will be inspired and supported to create its own localized version of the Advo-Kit – in its own language(s) and with regard to its own contexts – that can serve as a manual for the community. In most cases, the group decides on a specific follow-up and freeDimensional can offer on-going advice and support.

LINKING INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEERISM TO MOBILITY IN THE EURO-MEDITERRANEAN REGION CHRISTOFOROS PAVLAKIS

1. Introduction Discussions on the post-2015 Development Framework repeatedly call for people to be placed in the centre of development. Currently, there is a gap in research and policy discussions on the impact of volunteering on governance and contributions to peace, growth and sustainable development. There has been limited exploration of volunteerism1 despite its strong assets of empowerment, social cohesion and sustainability. Research on participatory governance2 generally focuses on social capital, civil society, and civic engagement, which may or may not include voluntary action. For the first time, the 2014 State of World’s Volunteerism Report (SWVR)3 will consider the contribution of volunteerism to governance. Volunteerism, as a model of active citizenship, is an increasingly popular concept that seeks to deal with the current challenges by challenging the fundamental assumptions of today’s status quo and creating a new model

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The UN defines volunteerism as performed with free will, for the benefit of the community, and not primarily for financial gain (UN General Assembly 56/38, 5 December 2001, Annex I.1). 2 UNDP defines governance as the exercise of political, economic and administrative authority in the management of a country’s affairs at all levels. Governance is a neutral concept compromising the complex mechanisms, processes, relationships and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their rights and obligations and mediate their differences (mirror.undp.org/magnet/polcy/glossary.htm). 3 Expected to be presented in the Special Session on Volunteering and Governance, 2014 ISTR Conference, Muenster, Germany, July 2014.

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of governance based on an acknowledgement of systems thinking, and inclusive and deliberative processes. This paper discusses the potential of cross-border volunteerism on regional governance in the Euro-Mediterranean region. Current socio-economic conditions strongly advocate for international volunteerism, as an example of mobility which is used and considered as an “add-on” to a stress-free education and career training and a closer relationship between the two concepts must therefore be forged. By using the language of mobility, international volunteerism establishes strong bonds between North and South communities and unleashes the potential for creative solutions in tackling pressing issues. Finally, it offers a framework that resonates with citizens in the region and can be used to stimulate public debate on important political matters in a time of growing political disillusionment.

2. The value of international volunteering in regional development As integral parts of social and community life in all parts of the world, volunteering and voluntary action are also affected by and respond to wider shifts and developments. Increased globalization, for example, is heightening the scale and importance of international volunteering, leading to the development of international and global networks and structures. In many parts of the world, growing anger and frustration with political decisions are leading to more political activity through civil society organizations outside political parties, often in the form of protest, campaigning and demonstrations. The high incidence of man-made and natural disasters is generating a corresponding volunteer response in help and preventive action. Increasing poverty in some communities creates a need to mobilize human resources, but the resources to underpin action are lacking. Through the Millennium Development Goals articulated in 2000, the United Nations built a framework for combined action to tackle the greatest threats and challenges, and build new opportunities for progress. Volunteering and civil society have been recognized as key actors. Kaplan4 sees development as a continuous, multi-dimensional process that empowers individuals, organizations and communities to tackle socioeconomic shortcomings, take control of their future and realize their full

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Kaplan, A (2000), Understanding Development as a Living Process, Kumarian Press

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potential. Contributing to development requires a commitment to learning, humility and respect. Every development context is unique. Kaplan maintains that development is about ‘enabling people to become more conscious, to understand themselves and their context so they are better able to take control of their own futures’. Kaplan sees development as ‘facilitating resourcefulness’ and outlines how an effective development practice ‘accompanies’ partners through their developmental changes. According to this understanding, the term international development describes the power of all members of the global community to support the aspirations of less developed communities, and the contribution of volunteering to international development is very distinctive, namely: •

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The creative power of shared endeavour. Working in a crosscultural partnership towards a common goal generates new learning and solutions. Bringing about positive change often requires a considerable amount of time, so it is necessary to establish close links with local partner organizations with similar values. These links provide a greater chance of continuity, consistency and sustainability. Reciprocity generates cultural understanding and trust. The reciprocal nature of volunteering is particularly valuable. Living and working within communities over an extended period of time encourages sensitive and appropriate responses, and a sense of equality that increases the likelihood of a successful outcome. The placement period allows for volunteers’ roles to evolve and ideas to be tested and adapted to changing circumstances and demands. Participation is key. Sustainable development requires participation, leading to ownership by the communities involved. By practice, volunteering incorporates participatory approaches in many facets of community work through volunteers. Whereas technical cooperation may be viewed as a ‘top down’ approach, volunteering can be recipient led. Volunteers can be effective agents of change in diverse settings. The range of placements undertaken by international volunteerism schemes means that volunteers – together with their interpersonal skills and capabilities – can work and communicate with people at a range of levels in society, including government (national and regional level), community-based groups, civil society organizations

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and geographically isolated communities. Volunteers’ activity at all these levels puts them in a unique position to support networking and work collaboratively with different partners to influence development strategies. The collective experience and insights of volunteers and their colleagues can inform decision-makers and contribute to long-term planning by national governments. Volunteers can be successful advocates. Volunteers appreciate first-hand the aspirations of communities and the constraints that are placed on them. They can strengthen the voice of their local colleagues, both during their placement and, crucially, on their return. Both civil society organizations and individual volunteers use the experience of volunteers and colleagues to inform development learning, action and policy change. For example, there are examples of participating in advocacy-based coalitions where local and international NGOs work together. International volunteers support the growth of civil society. Civil society engages people in social action and gives them a practical stake in their own communities. It therefore has an important role in sustainable development. Volunteering is the foundation stone upon which much civil society is developed worldwide. A strong civil society is recognised as being essential for good governance and for tackling poverty. More than half of international volunteers5 work directly with civil society organisations, helping to strengthen them (for example, through IT or fundraising support) and delivering services (for example, in NGO schools and hospitals). Many others support civil society organisations as part of their roles in government bodies. These actions lead consequently to the development of local and national volunteering in partner countries. Across the different hosting countries, people offer their services to their extended families and communities in ways true to the spirit of what the North terms ‘volunteering’. Indigenous volunteering initiatives often build on these less formal, longstanding approaches to community activity. Volunteers are strong proponents of global education. Volunteers gain a better understanding of their role within the global community as they directly experience the connections between international policy agendas and life at the grassroots level. This motivates many volunteers to increase public knowledge of development issues and challenge aspects of their own societies,

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UN Report on International Volunteerism 2013.

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which help to maintain inequality because of conditions such as inequitable systems of trade. This is particularly relevant in the present climate of suspicion and fear surrounding people from different countries and cultures. Volunteers also bring back skills and experience, which contribute to developing corporate social responsibility. There is still space for more active support serving returned volunteers to establish networks between communities, schools, organisations and individuals to reinforce the wider global community. .

3. The social and cultural dimension in the EuroMediterranean governance and the place of international volunteerism There are numerous research studies aiming to identify multilateral, bilateral and domestic institutional design and management strategies to further the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership’s (EMP) governance objectives6. The EMP has been extensively analyzed since its launch in Barcelona in 1995. Any analysis should interpret it as a negotiated framework upon which to build future negotiations. Within this negotiation framework, key policy fields were identified: increasing macroeconomic interdependence between the EU and the MPCs, security cooperation, and the social, cultural and human dimension. The Barcelona Process’ social, cultural and human basket has been deliberately designed by member governments to contribute to their political and economic objectives. The socio-cultural basket aimed to build trust, support economic reform, and to play a role in the long-term process of preference shaping in European and Mediterranean partner countries. Windows of opportunity opened for deepening socio-cultural cooperation through institution-building, especially in the field of education and research.

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The Barcelona Process conveyed two distinct advantages to its member governments: first, it facilitated the coordination of policy reform efforts among Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPCs) and Europe, providing a stable environment within which governments and other actors can negotiate with each other. Second, dialogue and exchange in the context of the process helped create windows of opportunity for mutually beneficial agreements, particularly as changes in political or market circumstances influence government preferences.

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Financial means were allocated to bringing stakeholders together from both sides of the Mediterranean by fostering civil society contacts and broader capacity-building, to encouraging media and communication, and facilitating cultural events and exchanges. Actions also intended to target the next generation of leaders with the promotion of youth dialogue and exchange7. Broader social interaction has been expected to reinforce regional stability by increasing the number and scope of contacts between European and Mediterranean countries at various levels, thereby helping to build trust. This kind of socialization was considered important for trade and investment as well as for political and security cooperation, as it intends to build confidence during negotiations by providing better information and reducing uncertainty. This task has not been easy, because of the region’s rich cultural diversity represented in its linguistic, religious, socio-cultural, and historical traditions. From an economic perspective, activities conducted within the sociocultural basket’s aegis help to develop human capital accumulation and to buttress the catch-up process. Education8, health, knowledge and culture are not developed only for their intrinsic benefits, but because they are central areas for the enhancement of domestic development, bilateral and multilateral cooperation and partnerships (Baudassé and Driouchi 2007). This aspect of the social and cultural partnership appears to be highly promising for institution building, both from the demand side and from a political feasibility perspective (Baudassé and Driouchi 2007). This underlines the importance of research cooperation for two reasons: first, it creates ties and common understanding between the EU and MPCs; and second, because this has an impact on the development of human capital.

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In May and June 2007, Berlin hosted the first rounds of the Euro-Med Youth Parliament, a civil-society initiative aimed at fostering understanding of democratic governance and legislative proceedings among young people from the Euro-Mediterranean area. 8 In the education sector, national governments from both sides expressed a strong interest in encouraging their citizens to study at schools and universities abroad for the future economic benefits that this brings to their countries, either through remittances or when highly skilled people return home.

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Governmental organizations from different countries in Europe continue to work mostly bilaterally with individual MPCs on programs that include, besides the traditional areas, education, research and the promotion of cultural interaction. The development agencies of France, Spain, Germany and other countries continue to support development actions in North African and Middle Eastern countries. This has created clear windows of opportunity for developing this cooperation further, particularly in terms of multilateral initiatives which will require institutional coordination, for example in cooperation with competent civil society actors such as the Anna Lindh Foundation (Baudassé and Driouchi 2007). One central feature of the socio-cultural basket has been its ‘preference shaping’ role on both sides of the Mediterranean. There are many aspects of Euro-Mediterranean interdependence that are not well understood by European and MPC citizens, and fear of ‘the other’ can affect government policymaking. Changing these entrenched societal mores will take many generations. The concept of enhanced regional mobility and freedom of movement has been at the very top of the political agenda since the 1970s, based on the recognition that we need to prepare people to live and act in a multicultural society. Therefore, certain skills in terms of knowledge, abilities and attitudes are required. Several actors have already been involved in multilateral steamer training for international exchanges targeting mainly youth, and before the official start of the great European mobility programs in 1987, Youth for Europe, Arion, and Erasmus launched initially within the European Union and then extended to the neighboring countries of the Mediterranean basin9. Back then, economic interests were on the top of the political agenda, but not seen as a limitation for educational and intercultural mobility enhancing learning processes. In one of the first official documents on

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Scholars admit this was something really new back then, causing enthusiasm and inspiring dedication. In retrospective, there was a kind of euphoric optimism with some idealistic ideas nourished by new emphases of relative policies. The political commitment to offer an everyday experience for citizens, in which people get to know each other, are mobile, and appreciate cultural differences as well as a common identity, is to develop through an affirmation of shared values and gained ground.

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mobility10, “the Council has affirmed that young people need to be prepared adequately for adult and working life.” Today, the so-called employability claims are represented much more aggressively. This field of action coupled with pedagogical assumptions follows recommendations of the significant meaning of non-formal and educational processes abroad for the lives of children and young people11. Action research and its results can be used to legitimize a sustainable promotion of international mobility and find an increasingly balancing act between the two objectives. Dealing with the reluctance of European voters is an important function of the socio-cultural basket as governments deal with the process of integrating migrants into Europe. Popular opposition to migrants on social and cultural grounds can influence government preferences in this area despite the economic demand for migrant labor as Europe’s population ages. There are some 5 million MPC migrants resident in the EU, and there is demand for more foreign labor and liberal immigration policies in order to prevent the overall EU population declining by 10%, to 447 million inhabitants by 205212. Replacement migration is needed but the levels of migration needed to prevent population ageing (i.e. to maintain the potential support ratio, defined as the population aged 15-64 in proportion to the population aged 65 and over) are extremely large (Boboc et al 2007). The difficulty of managing the transition period means that few European governments would be re-elected on a platform of encouraging the level of migration necessary to ease the fiscal challenge posed by an aging population. In the MPCs, opposition to Western political and economic models among the general population has helped to reinforce the social contract between semi-rentier governments and the general population. This is a sensitive area for MPC societies and for the EU, as it raises the specter of Western cultural imperialism and memories of the pre-independence struggles against colonial rule. In sum, the socio-cultural basket has been designed with specific objectives in mind that contribute to the EMP negotiating

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Youth for Europe program, European Communities, 1988 “The Council aims to simplify access to international mobility and to highly profile international youth work as a non-formal education. Especially for young people with fewer opportunities, international experiences can provide new impacts”, Erasmus+, European Commission Communication, 2013. 12 Eurostat Annual Demographic Report, EC 2012. 11

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framework. By increasing the number and level of contacts through which issues are discussed, the socio-cultural basket brings more stakeholders into the process. The socio-cultural basket is also intended to reduce uncertainty by improving the wider visibility of the regional governance. These features are meant to contribute to the EMP’s stability and the ability of its member governments to cope with shocks when they occur.

4. Cross-border volunteering as a tool to create new youth alliances Recent years have witnessed renewed forms of protest amongst the young, in North Africa and southern Europe in particular. This has been depicted by some as ‘an audacious reclamation of autonomy by the young’; the Occupy movement and the indignados have seized the popular imagination. Notwithstanding political proclamations about finding resolutions and solutions to the various connected crises – fiscal contractions, sluggish economic growth, broken transitions – it is young people who have continued to bear the brunt of their consequences, in terms of unemployment, loss of hope, undesired migrations and much more. A further impact on the young has been a loss of faith and trust in contemporary political leadership. One year after the death of Stéphane Hessel at the age of 95, the French resistance fighter, concentration camp survivor, diplomat and writer inspired new social youth-led movements with his 2010 pamphlet Indignez-Vous! (Time for Outrage!) Drawn from his wartime experiences, commitment to human rights and to public welfare systems, it sold an estimated 4 million copies. Shortly before his death, Hessel made the following observation: This is not an ideological revolution. It is driven by an authentic desire to get what you need. From this point of view, the present generation is not asking governments to disappear but to change the way they deal with people’s needs (The Guardian 28.2.13).

Though there are incessant debates about the relationships between the ‘initiative and creativity’ of young people and their transferability to ‘enterprise and entrepreneurship’, particularly – though not exclusively – in the labor market, few would dispute that measures that can support and strengthen mobility and the often self-initiated spontaneity, innovation and

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imagination of young people are critical for the future health and wellbeing of the Euro-Mediterranean region. Education (formal and non- formal alike) and youth participation are, arguably, central means of doing so – addressing social exclusion, contributing to employability and personal development, and fostering active citizenship. We are at a time when the political establishment appears to be increasingly framed more by administrative technocrats driving forward top-down measures and new players trading on the disillusionment of many voters than by penetrative, persuasive political analysis and debate; hence the allusion to the populists. At the same time, in the labor market, whatever warm words are uttered about knowledge societies, critical thinking and soft skills, there is growing awareness that mass employment in the service economy is limited. In fact, it is imperative for policy making to explore all ways according to which the competences and capabilities of individuals can be permitted to flourish in the interests of both personal and social benefits – or, to follow the words that are typically used in rhetorical expressions, to enable young people to realize their full potential. Therefore, we need to consider how the multiple crises might produce different responses in young people, including potentially new alliances between the classically socially disadvantaged and the newly ‘intellectually disaffected’. It needs also to draw attention to the horrendous scale of contemporary youth unemployment, within a broader analysis of the social condition of the younger generations. Today, it is not only human capital (qualifications) but also social capital (networks) and identity capital (self-presentation skills) that confer the best advantages on young people and the greatest protection against risk. Those who are deprived are extremely vulnerable to exclusion and marginality, as the ‘youth divide’ between the North and South and within each country becomes even more extreme in the Mediterranean basin. Cross-border volunteering offers space for realignment, where newly shared experiences bring together young people in ways that cannot yet be

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anticipated. There is considerable speculation about possible new economic, social and political arrangements forged by the young, including innovative networks developed through technological creativity, the re-configuration of public services, and a generally new approach through more inclusive and deliberate processes. Such visions are useful counterpoints to the apparent attempts to rebuild economic, political and social models that seem strikingly (and uncomfortably) similar to those that prevailed before the crisis; as the keynote speaker at the recent Council of Europe conference of ministers responsible for youth asked, ‘where is the safe haven for human capital?’, meaning not qualifications but the human resources within our modern Europe – young people (Melkert 2012). There is no room for complacency, making the assumption that more acceptable structures within a democratic framework will be established. Indeed, there are those who argue that democracy itself is in retreat, as flexible labor markets and globalization contribute to rising inequalities, a growing resistance to ‘solidarity transfers’, and more self-assured regional nationalisms. Hence the call, by academic and political luminaries Ulrich Beck and Daniel Cohn-Bendit respectively, for a new platform for civic engagement called ‘We are Europe’. In a similar vein, this conference for Mobility and Freedom of Movement throughout the Mediterranean Region should be considering how international volunteerism strategies may be considered a useful tool to step beyond conventional orthodoxies, take on the social contract between the generations, challenge the neutering of democracy, and reflect on how mobility policy may support the emergence of constructive new alliances amongst the young.

References Baudassé and Driouchi (2007), Mobility spaces – Learning spaces, Collective report by the Council of Europe. Boboc et al. (2007), Towards a Euro-Mediterranean civil society. Erasmus+, European Commission Communication, 2013. Eurostat Annual Demographic Report, EC 2012. Friesenhahn G. (2009), Barcelona Process: An overview of the negotiating framework with focus on the social, cultural and human basket, Prof. Günther Friesenhanh, Koblenz University press, 2009. Interview with Stéphane Hessel, The Guardian, 28 February 2013. Kaplan, A. (2000), Understanding Development as a Living Process, Kumarian Press.

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Melkert (2012), Mapping out the youth policy context in the Mediterranean region. UN General Assembly 56/38, 5 December 2001, Annex I. UN Report on international Volunteerism 2013. Youth for Europe program, European Communities, 1988.

CHAPTER III: PRACTICES

IN PLACE OF WAR: RESEARCHING, EMPOWERING AND CONNECTING ARTISTS WORKING IN SITES OF WAR, REVOLUTION AND CONFLICT INÉS SORIA-DONLAN

We think of wars as cruel, inhuman, dangerous and ugly; places where it is impossible to live with dignity. But people from sites of war, conflict or humanitarian disaster do continue to live their lives, bring up their families, going to school, travelling to work – and often, if they are artists, they continue to create and frequently respond to the situations in which they find themselves. For artists working and living in sites of war, revolution and conflict, the challenges of journeying across boundaries – national, cultural and political – to develop creative identity, knowledge and dialogue are vast. In addition to the constraints placed on cross-border mobility, crackdowns on free media and international dialogue limit the information available from the outside world and, at the same time, dampen their own voice from being heard both locally and internationally. Whilst the fragile nature of their locality restricts others from coming in, the very real danger of physical harm can limits artists to the confines of their country, their region, and sometimes even their home. Subsequently, artists can feel both physically and ideologically isolated, their voices lost in the tidal wave of political propaganda and mainstream media responses to what ‘life in places of conflict’ is like. Over the past ten years, In Place of War (IPOW), a project based within the University of Manchester that began as a research project investigating creativity in sites of armed conflict, has helped mobilise these voices by developing extensive international networks of artists and creative practitioners making theatre, street art, music, spoken word and more in

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response to war. Directed by Professor James Thompson, Associate Dean for External Relations and Professor of Applied and Social Theatre at the University of Manchester, and Ruth Daniel, creative music entrepreneur, and founder of grassroots music organisation Un-Convention and international creative change organisation Agencia, the project seeks to mobilise, empower and connect artists through a range of action research and a series of digital and physical networks and opportunities. IPOW’s work is about (i) promoting the work of artists who have minimal access to international audiences; (ii) demonstrating the significance of the arts to wider society; and (iii) demonstrating the value of arts research to public debates on the key issues of the day. Key to this work is IPOW’s digital platform – www.inplaceofwar.net – a space where artists can share their responses to war, unrest and conflict, and view and learn from the work of others. From street artists in Libya to theatre makers in DR Congo to musicians in Sierra Leone and dance groups in Sri Lanka, the platform seeks to create a politically neutral space where artists can share and connect with each other and their work. The platform is also for bloggers, activists, NGOs, academics, students, film makers, photographers and citizen journalists who want to learn about an unseen part of the experience of war and suffering – and simultaneously connect with others across the world. As the IPOW platform completes its first beta year and moves into a second stage of development, this paper provides an overview of In Place of War’s work and objectives, and considers how the IPOW platform is being developed and used as a tool to empower artists working in areas of conflict to connect with creative networks and new audiences internationally. IPOW’s work began in Northern Sri Lanka in 2004, when Professor James Thompson was invited to train artists, community workers and teachers to use theatre with young people affected by the war in that region. One of the things that most impressed Thompson whilst in Sri Lanka was the large number of different theatre organisations, visual artists, playwrights and children’s theatre workers he found working within this war zone (Thompson 2013, 150). Contrary to what Thompson had drawn from the little previous research that had been conducted in this particular region regarding art in places of conflict, he discovered that culture was very much thriving and an intrinsic part of everyday life in this turbulent region: “It immediately suggested that, rather than going back into the history of British theatre-making to discover how artists should respond to new wars,

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In Place of War we should learn from the wealth of knowledge internationally about how artists are responding to war”. (Thompson 2013, 150)

Subsequently, rather than searching for answers historically, In Place of War started to explore these responses geographically, looking at how artists in contemporary war settings were themselves responding. As Thompson had discovered: “[…] there are incredible artists working in war zones who very rarely have an opportunity to meet with each other and share their expertise […] one of the aims of IPOW is to bring those artists together”. (Thompson 2013, 150)

From 2004-2012, this was done in a variety of ways. IPOW arranged seminars and workshops in Manchester, and also conducted a range of events internationally in the DRC, Kosovo and beyond. One of our first activities during this research phase was to undertake a mapping exercise where project researchers contacted over 380 theatre and arts organisations in warzones and 50 refugee arts projects in the UK. We then constructed an associated website and database of theatre practitioners, digitised thousands of items of data for an online archive, organised seminars and conferences and published a range of outputs including the major project monograph Performance in Place of War (Thompson, Hughes and Balfour 2009). This was followed with further research grants from the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Leverhulme Trust, resulting in the monographs Performance Affects (Thompson 2011), Theatre and Nationalism (Thompson and Neziraj 2011), Performance in a Time of Terror (Hughes 2011) and Refugees, Theatre and Crisis (Jeffers 2011). A major finding from the first project in 2009 was how artistic practices changed according to their spatial and temporal relations with a particular conflict, from those practices happening in the ‘here and now’ of war, to those that worked with communities displaced as a result of conflict both during and after acts of war. This allowed IPOW to track the differences between, for example, work with children during war against reconciliation initiatives between communities during fragile peace. These changing approaches to practice became the framework for the debates between artists involved in the international network and a common language around which groups could share their perspectives and experiences. A further aim of the network has been to facilitate learning and contact by using the network partners as satellites through which other practitioners in a partners’ regional context could link up to the network. Sustained

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engagement through the course of this early stage of the project and the subsequent networks that were formed helped IPOW to develop a more responsive, ethical and critically informed practice.

Developing the Platform In 2012, IPOW received further funding from the AHRC to develop a digital platform and living archive that would amalgamate three existing online resources – the website, archive, and social network site – into one platform, adaptable to mobile formats and accessible in contexts with restricted internet access. In doing so, we hoped to develop a platform that would be widely used by artists and creative commentators from places of conflict internationally as a means to share content and interact with each other. The creation of the IPOW platform sought to develop new understandings of the impact of war and violence, by making the responses of creative individuals and artists from international conflict zones widely available to artists, social commentators, journalists, artists and the wider public. The aim was also to empower IPOW and its community to inform public debate on the capacity of culture to mitigate the worst aspects of violence and the role played by artists at times of war. For artists viewing the site, the platform aims to provide an inspiration for new practices and encourage engagement with issues of conflict and war. For social commentators, journalists and a broader public, it seeks to stimulate a more nuanced understanding of conflict that contributes to an appreciation of the role of the arts in responding to violence and at times supporting the search for peace. As well as amalgamating the research and networks previously developed, the creation of the IPOW platform was also a conscious response to the increasing presence of social media as a tool of communication, creativity and protest. The interaction of new media, the arts and social conflict in the Arab Spring, for example, has been striking (see the 2013 publications, Ali and Fahmy, Shilton, and Kimball). The combination of social media, increased access to mobile online resources and a growing international interest in user-generated response to conflict has become a fresh source of inspiration that highlights new forms of citizen journalism, arts activism and conflict response, re-categorising the continuously shifting relations between the arts, technology and violence. Meanwhile, in Latin America, grassroots organisation and music collective Fora do Eixo (http://foradoeixo.org.br/ and http://p2pfoundation.net/Fora

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_do_Eixo) were developing innovative online networks as a way to instigate new communities and opportunities for creatives in a challenging regional context. Fora do Eixo’s ‘Circuito’ network was created in 2005 by cultural producers from across Brazil, and began with the collaboration of producers from Cuiaba (Mato Grosso), Rio Branco (Acre), Uberlandia (Minas Gerais) and Londrina (Paraná). The network seeks to develop a sustainable independent music and performing arts sector by stimulating the circulation, distribution and exchange of musical projects and production technology across the country, using the Internet to connect, organise, and develop projects together. This has resulted in some incredible results, including a plethora of independent music festivals and events organized through the platform, and the Fora do Eixo Card – a system of complementary currency revolving around cultural services. The In Place of War platform is inspired by this use of media. It was launched in March 2013 at Aim Shams University, Cairo, at a workshop funded by the CBRL-BRISMES Research Network called ‘Women, culture and the 25 January 2011 Egyptian revolution’. Whilst in Cairo, we also met with and interviewed a number of Egyptian artists involved with the revolution, including artist, lecturer and activist, Heba Helmi, and songwriter Ramy Essam, ‘the voice of the revolution’, resulting in a double page feature in UK newspaper The Guardian (http://www. theguardian.com/world/2013/may/05/egypt-artists-in-place-of-war-feature). Since the launch, the platform community has continued to grow, and now features work from 38 countries, some 300 organisations and over 280 artists. Recent statistics show that over 700 different users a month, located in almost 70 different countries, visit the platform. The variety of work and artists featured on the platform is vast. Our visit to Cairo introduced us to filmmakers such as Amal Ramsis, an award-winning documentary maker whose film Mamnou (“Forbidden”) asked the question ‘What isn’t forbidden in Egypt?’ during the rule of Mubarak (http://inplaceofwar.net/users/193). East of Egypt, in Palestine, Freedom Theatre co-founder Ben Rivers provides an overview of The Freedom Bus initiative using video, photography and text. The Freedom Bus is a travelling bus developed by Freedom Theatre to “engage Palestinians and people from abroad in cultural and political acts of resistance” related to “Israel’s practice of settler colonialism, military occupation and structural apartheid” in villages, towns, refugee camps and Bedouin communities throughout historic Palestine (http://inplaceofwar.net/the-freedom-bus). In the UK, choreographer Rosie Kay offers an insight into her work, 5 Soldiers, a contemporary dance piece that explores the life of a soldier in

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modern times, and how the human body is essential to, and used in, warfare (http://inplaceofwar.net/rosie-kay). Meanwhile, in Buenaventura, Colombia, a group of young people of African heritage, better known as the music collective Marcando Territorios (“Marking Territory”), use music and hip hop within their community as a way not only to feel, but to better understand and cope with reality and the daily struggle to survive (http://inplaceofwar.net/marcando-territorio). A selection of their videos and a short documentary can be found on the platform. In addition to showcasing artists’ work, the IPOW platform also has within its archives a range of articles, blogs, project videos and live streams of key events from across the world. These range from a film report on the ‘Youth Diaspora Conference’, an initiative that focused on the experiences of young diaspora communities hailing from Haiti, Iraq, Nigeria and Sri Lanka now living in Washington DC, USA (http://inplaceofwar.net/youth-diaspora-voicesleaders- of-today-full-film), to a collection of newspaper articles regarding the ban of music in Mali in 2013 (http://inplaceofwar.net/artefacts?q=mali). As more work is uploaded to the site and more artists join the IPOW network, the platform is taking on a number of identities that are reflected in the ongoing development of its users’ journeys. Firstly, it acts as a living archive. The platform currently houses over 200 ‘artefacts’ from across the world, covering visual art, dance, theatre, music, journalism and film. Searchable by person, geographical location, or theme, the platform allows artists to create a permanent legacy of their work, much of which – for example, graffiti or live performance – is often very ephemeral. Using the IPOW interactive map and theme tags, artists can also see their work in a wider context, identifying new groups as well as shared (and different) points of perspective with artists from across the globe. This not only allows artists to explore their work in new and constantly changing contexts – through a living archive that explores unassumed and sometimes unprecedented connections between art in different contexts – but also creates a platform for wider audiences to learn from and respond to conflict and war. In developing such an archive for public sharing, this project hopes to contribute to a translation of the traditional practice of sending artists to war zones for the social media age. Instead of artists being commissioned in the west to capture life in conflict elsewhere, the platform enables artists living in conflict zones to exhibit, document, and display their work themselves.

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Secondly, and building on this previous point, the IPOW platform is an opportunity for artists to promote their work and expand audience reach. As a public, open archive, the platform creates opportunities for artists to share their work internationally, raising awareness of their work and voice outside of their immediate communities and the over-saturated mainstream media environment. We felt this was particularly important for those artists living and working in isolated contexts, and the platform has been designed to be accessible in less technologically enabled environments, where web technologies can be used to help overcome isolation through creating and sharing artist responses to war. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the IPOW platform is a tool for connecting and collaboration. Our earlier research and mapping of artists working in such regions demonstrated that artists were often working in extreme physical, ideological and media isolation. As a digital platform, the IPOW platform is a space where collaboration can take place in a virtual world free of regional and political borders. The platform allows a range of online interaction for artists such as private messaging, opportunities to ‘like’ and comment on work on the platform, and the possibility of following and creating collections of work and artists that inspire you. In addition to these more traditional interaction tools, the platform also encourages members to connect with each other’s work in more creative ways. The exhibition function, for example, allows users to curate digital exhibitions using work currently on the platform around a particular topic, question, or method of practice that interests them, encouraging artists to consider how their work sits within a wider international context of art and war, and what new practices they can both share with and learn from others. Crucially, through such digital interaction, the IPOW platform also seeks to offer opportunities for collaboration and cross-border mobility for member artists in a more physical sense. In 2013, for example, IPOW conducted the ‘International Revolution Artists and UK Festivals Project’. A project aimed at sharing IPOW’s highly commended work through creating new and bespoke content at four leading UK arts and music festivals (Bestival, Shambala and Festival No.6) during summer 2013. Working with a range of UK artists and international artists drawn from the IPOW network, the project developed cross-cultural partnerships by bringing artists to the UK to develop the highest quality collaborative work, sharing their outcomes in a truly publically engaging way via the UK festival scene. Artists included Sarangi player Kiran Nepali (Nepal),

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blues and beatbox group Heymoonshaker (UK), Irish hip-hop and spoken word artist Jun Tzu (UK), leading percussionist player Vivek Rajagopalan (India), hip-hop and Afrobeats group OQuadro from Bahia Brazil, and lead singer and frontman of Reverend & The Makers, Jon McClure (UK). The project resulted in nine live performances of collaborations between musicians and generated over 100 hours of film footage, as well as offering a range of unique collaborative experiences for the artists involved: “As a solo performer and multi-instrumentalist, I haven’t played with other musicians for quite some time, so when Ruth Daniel suggested … the idea to record with musicians from foreign shores, I jumped at the chance to be involved in something different. The experience of recording with my new friends from Brazil was incredible. I was blown away by their musicianship and their warmth of personality. All the people involved come from different backgrounds, speak different languages, and have seen the world through different eyes; however, the power of music transcends all these boundaries as I hope you will hear when you listen to the track”. —Mark Wilson, musician

The festivals project was also an opportunity for IPOW to connect its academic research with festival audiences in order to inform wider public debate around arts and conflict. Subsequently, as part of this project, a number of academics gave talks to festival audiences around IPOW and the role of creativity in conflict settings: “Transforming my In Place of War lecture for a festival was a unique experience – it forced me to engage with the audience more and translate the ideas about arts and conflict so they became more immediate. This was an excellent opportunity and showed that artist, academic and festival collaboration is an important means of developing debate about the role of arts in society.” —Professor James Thompson

Thompson’s quote reinforces the dynamic nature of IPOW’s reach. The festivals project has again been funded by Arts Council England in 2014 and will be taking place at a range of festival sites across the UK.

2014 and the future of the IPOW platform As In Place of War enters its tenth year, the project continues to grow, to generate new and innovative ideas, and to develop a wider understanding

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of the complexities and challenges involved in working with – and sharing – creativity in sites of armed conflict. Following the 2013 festivals project, In Place of War, in collaboration with independent grassroots music organisations Un-Convention (UK), Nomadic Wax (USA), Fora do Eixo (Brazil) and Tiuna el Fuerte (Venezuela), released a digital album of some of the most important and politicized music being made in the world today. For the first time, 33RPM: Voices of the Revolution brings together 33 artists that span the globe (http://33rpmvoices.wordpress.com). The music ranges from African Hip Hop to Afghanistan indie rock to New Zealand reggae to Chilean folk sung by artists as diverse as the Northern Irish rapper Jun Tzu, former African child soldier Emmanuel Jal and the Venezuelan revolutionaries Bituaya. The album is an example of the increase of creative production by In Place of War as collaborative opportunities for artists on the platform – 2014 will see a repeat of the International Revolution Artists and UK Festivals Project, and plans are currently in development for a live graffiti exhibition in a major UK museum in 2015 using artists sourced from the platform. 2014 has seen the publication of the outcomes of In Place of War’s most recent research project, Humanitarianism 2.0. The project built upon the work of In Place of War in conflict communities, utilising its networks and expanding upon its nascent exploration of the power of new media, to bring together a multidisciplinary team of artists, researchers and media partners, exploring the role that digital resources and massively networked communities can play in social and political interactions. In addition to developing creative outputs from the platform, IPOW will also continue to host a range of events and workshops, bringing together diverse partners to share practice, explore the challenges in producing creative work in sites of conflict, and inform new project proposals, devised in organic conversation between academic and non-academic partners. From 23 – 28 June 2014, IPOW hosted EMERGƜNCIA, a weeklong experimental culture lab in collaboration with the Anna Lindh Foundation and Imperial War Museum North, and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). This event, which saw 14 of the worlds’ most cutting edge cultural producers come to Manchester and work with each other and a range of UK artists, activists and academics, formed part of a series of Network Global Meetings founded by Brazilian cultural producer network Fora do Eixo called EMERGƜNCIA. The series considers ‘Emergency’ in both meanings of the word: The urgency, for the need of immediate action in the face of a

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systemic crisis, and the emergent uprising of a new context – social, political, economic and cultural – from the network society and the information age. A major output from this event has been the development of IPOW’s innovative Cultural Entrepreneurial programme, EducationIPOW, due to be piloted in January 2015 across five African countries. EducationIPOW builds on the idea that the world’s most creative people are located in the world’s most challenging and under-resourced contexts. There is a gap between the core creative skills and the ability to develop those skills into sustainable enterprises. Drawing on our unique and revolutionary networks and practice, we are developing a creative entrepreneurial programme with the University of Manchester to help empower people in these communities to create better futures. As a unique educational tool that represents the new and cutting edge ideas around alternative economic models and ways to organise arts organisations, the IPOW platform and the networks that have developed from this digital tool are key to the success of this new venture. To date we have received contributions by thought leaders, artists, activists and organisations spanning 40 countries. For the IPOW platform, 2014 marks the first year anniversary of the site and provides an opportunity to reflect and build upon the experiences of the artists involved in the journey thus far, and develop new concepts and initiatives (EMERGƜNCIA, EducationIPOW) that respond to their needs and values. As the platform grows and expands, our understanding of the works and of their makers – and the complexities in faithfully portraying such accessible yet enigmatic pieces online – will continue to develop a more comprehensive, open, and engaging digital platform for this unique artist community. This article could not have been possible without the support of the IPOW team; Professor James Thompson, Ruth Daniel and Sam Rodger. In Place of War are grateful for support and funding from the AHRC, the ESRC, Arts Council England, Leverhulme Trust and the University of Manchester.

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References Ali, S. R., & Fahmy, S. (2013). Gatekeeping and citizen journalism: The use of social media during the recent uprisings in Iran, Egypt, and Libya. Media, War & Conflict, 6(1), pp. 55-69. Hughes, J. (2011). Performance in a Time of Terror: Critical Mimesis and the Age of Uncertainty, Manchester: Manchester University Press. Jeffers, A (20110). Refugees, Theatre and Crisis: Performing Global Identities, Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. Kimball, S. R. (2013). ‘Rapping the Arab Spring’ World Policy Journal 30(79), pp. 79-86. Shilton, S. (2013). ‘Art and the ‘Arab Spring’: Aesthetics of revolution in contemporary Tunisia’ French Cultural Studies 24(129), pp. 129-145. Thompson, J. and Jeton Neziraj. ed. (2011). Theatre and Nationalism, Kosova: Qendra Multimedia / IPOW (In Place of War) at University of Manchester. Thompson, J. (2009). Performance Affects: Applied Theatre and the End of Effect, London: Palgrave Macmillan. Thompson, J., Hughes, J. and Balfour, M. (2009). Performance in Place of War, Calcutta: Seagull Press / University of Chicago Press. Thompson, J. (2013). ‘Questions on performances: In Place of War?’ Applied Theatre Research 1(2), pp. 149–156.

Web Links In Place of War. http://www.inplaceofwar.net In Place of war: Egypt’s artists after the Arab Spring. The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/05/egypt-artists-inplace-of-war-feature Fora do Eixo http://foradoeixo.org.br/ P2P Foundation – Fora do Eixo http://p2pfoundation.net/Fora_do_Eixo 33RPM: Voice of the Revolution. Wordpress. http://33rpmvoices.wordpress.com

ARAB LEARNING AND CONVIVIAL CITIES: AMMAN JEERA AS AN EXAMPLE SERENE HULEILEH AND MAIS IRQSUSI

Introduction The idea to explore learning and convivial cities emerged from the experiences of the Safar youth mobility initiative (www.safarfund.org) in supporting the mobility of young Arab social entrepreneurs and artists. After reflecting on our experience, we recognized that there is an inherent richness in our cities that we do not recognize until we host someone from another country, only to discover places and people we never knew before. The travel from the home town turned into a need to travel within and towards our own cities in search of all the inspiring learning opportunities that exist close to home. The concept of “learning cities” was not new, and in our initial online search, we found some experiences in the context of exchanging knowledge and lifelong learning for cities. We also went through different literature published by the UNESCO institute for lifelong learning, the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) and the Learning Cities network. All reports pointed to experiences in economically rich countries in Europe and America where the concept of learning cities was implemented, and to our disappointment, we found out that this idea had never been implemented in an Arab city before! We decided to search for an experience in similar circumstances to our own to help us start the process, and we found that one of our partner organizations in India, Shikshantar: The Peoples’ Institute for Rethinking Education and Development in Udaipur city, had launched the “Udaipur as a learning city” initiative several years ago. We spoke to them and investigated their experience further, asking for guidance and about lessons learnt. This was an important phase in our learning journey, but we had to redefine the initiative to reflect the values of the Arab Education Forum (AEF) and the citizens of Amman, using the concepts of

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“Learning” and “Conviviality” as cornerstones of the Jeera initiative. We chose the city of Amman as a starting point because the AEF office is located in Amman, and because initially the cultural department in the Greater Amman Municipality was responsive to our idea. In fact, they had been studying the changing behaviors of Amman’s residents based on the changes in the cultural policies and activities provided by the city. Amman also embraces many learning spaces and possibilities of partnerships with public organizations and NGOs. We are not assuming that the way we chose to implement the initiative is perfect; however, we felt it was consistent with our city and its values. We strongly believe that the residents of each city are responsible for creating their own initiatives to develop their cities and interact with it as regards culture, learning and conviviality in accordance with its own values and people. We started the initiative without any pre-defined plan; we simply wanted to take the lead, as citizens of Amman, and dream of the city that we want. At the beginning, we agreed on our common values, and then we started developing a plan and creating an identity based on these basic values. Subsequently, the mechanism was about the people of Amman planning for their own learning initiatives, and we based our strategy on trial and error: someone proposes an idea, we follow through; if it works, we continue and if it doesn’t, we reflect on it and change our course accordingly. Because this was also a learning experience for us, two researchers accompanied our journey to document it, and after two years, the co-founders of this initiative took the documentation one step further and transformed it into an in-depth reflection and vision of this initiative.

Why the City? We have three basic convictions about cities: 1. Society is one entity: young and old, men and women, governmental and non-governmental organizations, public and private sectors; what unites us is something bigger than what separates us. 2. Although a municipality may act like a semi-governmental entity, it is the largest and most important civic “association” because it

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represents the residents of the city, it defends their interests and it assures a safe and prosperous life for them; bearing in mind that the citizens contribute to its budget and programs. 3. The spirit of a city will not change, even if borderlines or political regimes change. There are many examples of cities that were part of a certain country, and due to political changes, occupations and divisions, it became a part of another country; yet their people, heritage and culture persisted, despite the change of political frame. Accordingly, we consider municipalities as strategic partners, not only for us but for all civil society organizations that aim to influence change in society towards development and prosperity.

What do we mean by Learning? What we mean by learning is the process through which an individual grows and his/her knowledge of self and society as well as their understanding of life flourishes. The Arab Education Forum clearly differentiates between learning and education, with a clear bias towards the former as the essence of life and its spirit; learning is synonymous with life. Based on that, we view school or university education as only one means/space that allows the process of learning to happen. There are two things that emanate from that: Education shouldn’t have a monopoly on learning, and if education doesn’t embody learning, then its existence no longer becomes justified. Therefore, one of the core questions that we ask at the AEF and believe that every person should ask of him/herself is: What does learning mean to me? And how do I embody it in my work? The AEF views people’s reflections on their lives and experiences and expressing those reflections as two main components of learning. Other components include: dialogue, discussions, the ability to access primary information, developing a vision, and working in small groups that focus on building the internal world of humans and the social, intellectual, cultural and economic fabric. This perception of learning considers people as builders of their own entities, of their society, of meaning and knowledge. It also ensures diversity and dialogue, which constitute the basis for the growth and prosperity of individuals and societies. Without reflection and expression, people may lose their integrity and engagement. Without working in small

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groups, people would grow without understanding what it means to be part of a collective. The ethos of Amman as a learning city is that knowledge and learning are assets that are owned by the city’s inhabitants and are transformed in every interaction that takes place in Amman. Nonetheless, this ongoing learning and vibrancy is dramatically undermined by those who have it, since it is perceived as insignificant outside the hegemony of formal education. It is further devalued by the absence of any sharing platforms/projects that can reclaim its significance as part of lifelong learning. Acknowledging, the fact that such learning and knowledge are systematically marginalized by formal learning is a major challenge for any initiative that addresses and views all of the inhabitants of the city as being teachers and learners at the same time. Moreover, recognizing that interaction with the city’s spaces’ “internal mobility” is a major learning experience that can provide further perspective to its multifaceted identity.

Why Conviviality? Conviviality is based on the generosity of one side and the acceptance of the other side. It is about giving and taking; giving without expectations of getting something in return. And because conviviality and hospitality are two of the most important deep-rooted Arab traditions that are still being interpolated into our daily behavior, and because the core concept of education and learning is all about conviviality and hospitality (generosity in offering one’s knowledge and personal experience, and generosity in accepting the experience and knowledge of others), the concept of Learning and Convivial Arab Cities developed into an initiative with hospitality at its core: Giving the opportunity to engage in learning experiences through visiting inspiring individuals or initiatives or organizations that generously open their doors to visitors, recognizing the positive impact that this convivial atmosphere will leave on the host and the guest at the same time. Like any other hosting process, learning requires that the guest and host open their hearts; the host should open his/her heart to the guest and accept him/her without prejudice. And the guest should open his/her heart and mind in order to learn from the host and to build, on the basis of his/her personal knowledge, the appropriate learning experience. Generosity

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doesn’t imply the absence of rules, but it means turning them into values and customs that both sides respect. Conviviality/Hospitality gives a chance for the host and guest to rethink their experiences and opinions. It is a social act of learning; it is not an individual act because it won’t happen unless there is a host and at least one guest.

The Story of “Jeera – Amman Learning and Convivial City” The beginning of the dream… In June 2011, the Arab Education Forum organized a symposium entitled “Exploring Mobility in the Arab World and around the Mediterranean” in Amman, Jordan. The symposium was attended by over 50 participants from different Arab and European countries, one of whom was the representative of the Arab Town Organization.1 That meeting was the start of a deepening in the concept of the role of Arab cities in culture and mobility. One of the most important recommendations of the meeting was to promote the role of the city and to reinforce communication between cultural and youth organizations with their respective cities for a greater impact and the dissemination of success stories. The meeting led to a mutual understanding between the AEF and the Arab town organization about the necessity of exploring the possibility of cooperation with the Amman Municipality, and the need to start with a model learning city in order to learn from the experience and implement it in other cities later. As a result, the Arab Education Forum officially addressed the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) on the 28th June 2011, with an invitation to start a cooperation to promote mobility in Amman. With the approval of GAM, the partnership between AEF and the cultural Department in GAM started. We call it a “partnership” because the nature of this relationship is different from any other relationship between an NGO and a public organization, which is usually service-oriented.

 1

Ghassan Samman, director of external relations at the ATO.

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This partnership – which feels more like an apprenticeship or mujawara2 – was the first manifestation of the concept of Jeera (Jeera literally means neighboring in Arabic), as both sides exchanged experiences and staff to work on this initiative. It was also a chance to redefine this kind of relationships through dialogue and consultation between the two sides during all phases of the initiative, starting from discussions about the roles at the beginning up to monitoring and changing those roles as the initiative grew, in addition to joint brainstorming to find solutions for obstacles.

The first steps… The philosophy of “Amman Learning and Convivial City” is, and will always be, that learning is the most important asset that the residents of the city own, and that knowledge and expertise can be transmitted through interaction between the components of the city; most importantly, its people. However, this idea is undermined by the conviction that learning does not happen except inside the confines of official institutions (schools and universities). The absence of platforms and projects that promote this kind of learning further deepens people’s convictions that the knowledge they inherently have is useless. Acknowledging the existence and legitimacy of this kind of learning is the main challenge that this initiative faces, an initiative based on the idea that the residents of the city are all teachers and learners simultaneously. Engendering the conviction that learning within the city is an important learning experience will enhance people’s awareness of their multiple identities and their sense of belonging to each and every one of them. The idea is very simple: it is an exchange of knowledge between whosoever owns it and whosoever wants to learn it, through available resources and spaces from one of these two sides, or a third party that shows interest in being a part of this learning process. This might look easy, but in fact it needs a network of initiatives, interested associations/institutions, active volunteers and generous participants who are willing to share their knowledge and interaction. It also requires that the people of the city get to know each other and the expertise and skills that they might like to exchange. Moreover this process requires a partner



2 Tajawor is similar to apprenticeship, whereby an individual already practicing a certain skill/field of knowledge organizes to yatajawor with someone older and/or with more experience in the same field whom he/she wishes to learn from; not just the technical part of the skill, but also the “human” part, the connection between character, values, and lifestyle to the work itself.

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such as the municipality which usually manages the learning spaces and resources in the city (public parks, libraries and cultural centers.) On the 19th December 2011, the AEF and GAM sent invitation letters to 24 people to join the founding meeting for the “Amman Learning and Convivial City” initiative, and 19 out of 24 attended the meeting. The goal of that meeting was to explore the ways in which Amman as a learning city could meet the learning demands of its citizens through expanding community partnerships and opening a dialogue about the idea of listening to suggestions about mechanisms of implementation, in addition to cothinking between the individuals and organizations that are interested in adding the concept of learning to their activities and lives as a starting point. During that meeting, it became clear that the initiative would grow organically through consultation, daily interaction and ongoing evaluation based on the values that govern it and a vision that motivates the people who are working on this initiative, and who then start engaging with the field work and setting up the plan after the pilot phase is concluded. The participants concentrated on the challenges that the city faces and the most important challenges were class differences, mobility within the city, globalization, environmental issues, the local system of values and the emergence of new cultural and social patterns because of globalization and the hegemony of mainstream media. Three main issues emerged during that meeting: 1. The need to define the basic values of the project; 2. Suggested initiatives that reflect individual and collective learning; 3. Suggested ideas to implement the “Amman Learning and Convivial City” project. It was clear that the approach we took was unfamiliar: we are used to drawing plans rather than starting with experimentation first before developing the plan. Some people said they would have preferred to join the initiative at a later stage, when the plan was clear and the roles were identified. Twelve participants accepted our methodology and agreed to attend the bi-monthly meetings, and they formed the first core team.

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Important milestones * Building and enhancing the partnership between an NGO and the Amman Municipality The starting up of Jeera through a partnership between AEF and GAM was a crucial milestone in the formation of the initiative. The relationship between NGOs and GAM has always been service-oriented, hinging on the premise that the municipality offers services, spaces or means of transportation to the NGOs. For the purposes of Jeera, we had to construct this partnership on a different foundation: it required a continuous and open flow of communication to develop a common vision for the city: a vision that simultaneously meets the GAM cultural department’s goals of activating spaces and empowering librarians and staff, and the AEF’s vision of creating a bond between residents and their neighborhood/city, and reclaiming the meaning of learning and discovering people as rich resources for the city. * Forming the core team The team consisted of individuals and organizations that showed interest in the idea. Forming this team was a substantial step in developing the vision and strategy of Jeera during many discussions and meetings, despite the difficulty of managing the overall process due to the diversity of backgrounds among the members, especially given the gap in the perception of learning and the strategies of implementation. Soon enough, in addition to the core team, a sub-core team had to be created, consisting of the co-founders of the initiative: AEF and GAM. Even though from the outset, the idea was to have one core-team of 12–15 individuals, the subcore team became necessary to undertake the administrative and executive tasks. After several months the sub-core team decided that the administrative structure would consist of two teams: a core team that would meet periodically to develop the vision and goals along with monitoring and evaluation, and would consist of the sub-core team in addition to the individuals involved in direct implementation and/or management of the initiative. The second team would be the operational team that implements activities and meets monthly to evaluate the process. It was also agreed that the AEF would coordinate the work of the operational team for six months, for example, and then another organization would take over, and the AEF could work on building a new team, and so on.

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Inspired by the word “Jeera” which can have different meanings just by altering the place of the dot on the letter “Jeem” that starts the word, three teams were appointed as follows: 1. The Heera ΓήϴΣ Team, or the inquisitive team: this is the sub-core team consisting of leaders of the AEF and GAM, which meets at least once every three months to follow up, ask the major questions, monitor and evaluate, and be in charge of emergency planning. 2. The Kheera ΓήϴΧ Team, or the good doers team: meets once or twice a month. Consists of individuals who are willing to be involved in the development of the idea and the follow up of the implementation process. 3. The Jeera ΓήϴΟ Team, or the neighboring team: organizations, initiatives and groups that are operating in the field. This might take the shape of official or non-official teams that work on a certain issue or interest. The members can also be members of Kheera. By the end of 2012, GAM agreed to appoint one person, on a part time basis if full time was not possible, to support the communication process between the 72 libraries under the umbrella of the municipality. This step had a positive impact on facilitating communication with the network of public libraries and cultural centers in GAM and deepening the cooperation between them and the initiative. * Meeting with the librarians of GAM Based on the concept of partnership that aims to activate the cultural centers, including 72 libraries which are located in different areas in the city of Amman, the first practical step that the initiative took was to introduce the concept of the initiative to the librarians in GAM libraries. A one-day workshop was conducted to introduce the concept and to take a closer look at the libraries and learn more about their activities. The meeting included a storytelling session with the Raneen initiative, and a “ta’zeeleh” or unlearning session that brought out the richness and skills amongst the participants. The librarians introduced themselves and the work they do in their neighborhoods, and a dialogue ensued about how resources could be shared and disseminated within the concept of “Jeera”. After the meeting, several follow-up-visits were made to the libraries by a Jeera coordinator in order to follow up and coordinate collective visits to the different neighborhoods and the center, as well as individual activities with people interested in working in specific locales. Later on, we found

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out that this was an important step because libraries and organizations became the key activators of the initiative. * Meeting of Cultural Centers During our meetings with GAM we discussed the idea of introducing Jeera to the cultural centers and inviting them to participate in the initiative in accordance with their visions and goals. On 3rd November 2012, fifty-three people representing 32 cultural organizations met and we organized an unlearning (ta’zeeleh) session, followed by a presentation of Jeera. Organizations were invited to offer learning opportunities through Jeera and those opportunities were documented for future follow up. That meeting led to several “Jeeras” between individuals and organizations. Since many of the participating organizations focused on aspects of reading promotion, other meetings were organized at a later stage to discuss ways in which the municipality libraries could connect with these initiatives in order to promote reading in their communities. * The concept of Mobility within Jeera As we grappled with the transition from the planning to the collective work phase, which was the only way to build momentum, we started to organize periodic meetings with the different groups and sub-groups that we had already met and whom we felt would be central players in the initiative. After several meetings organized at the AEF and the Amman municipality, one of the members suggested that she host the next meeting at her cultural center in a district in the outskirts of Amman (Sahab). During that meeting, the team agreed that instead of having regular meetings where a small group exchanges information and ideas, we should become a model of what “Jeera” is about, and meetings should be in the form of a “trip” to a certain district/locale where the group visits different initiatives, and a learning and unlearning session is organized. This was the first step into changing the map of the city from mere neighborhoods and streets into one of learning spaces, resources and inspiring people. The first trip was organized to Sahab on 9th February 2013, and it was a turning point in the journey of the initiative, for the team realized that such trips were important to expand the network of Jeera and to get to know the initiatives that are interested in adding the concept of learning to their work. These trips were also important for us to learn more about places and neighborhoods in Amman that we had never visited or known about before, and getting to know the people, their initiatives and resources. That

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first trip, for example, changed the participants’ perception of Sahab from being a remote industrial area into an area full of inspiring initiatives and people with whom other areas should also connect. From that point, the concept of Jeera became associated with the concept of inter-city mobility, and Jeera returned to its point of origin: Safar/Istikshaf – I weave my journey to expand my vision. The concept of “Jeera mobility” was defined as the action whereby the residents of a certain neighborhood host residents of other Ammani neighborhoods (and their initiatives and NGOs) in their area through a planned series of visits that include a learning/unlearning session. The visit itself becomes a learning opportunity (to learn a specific skill/concept that the neighborhood wants to transmit to others) in addition to getting to know the area. The participants in this trip are usually the Jeera team with an open invitation posted on their Facebook page as well as emails to all those who have been involved with Jeera at any point, and those who expressed interest during the different visits. The group moves from one place to the other, on foot or by bus, to meet and interact with the residents. This “inter-city mobility” replaced the initial idea of an impersonal “database” of learning opportunities and spaces in the city to be posted online, even though the latter idea might still be an option for the future. Instead of providing data and information, the initiative started with “modeling” the “Jeera” or neighboring on the ground. Inter-city mobility contributed to expand the network of this initiative exponentially, with an average of 25 participants on each trip, 15 of whom were participating for the first time. During the period between February 2013 and February 2014, more than 15 trips were organized and over 90 individuals and organizations registered on the Jeera database. As for initiatives, 60 of them were introduced through those visits, sometimes in the hosting location and as guests at other times. The number of initiatives that signed the commitment form reached 28 by June 2013. * Ta’zeeleh (the unlearning session) The ta’zeeleh (unlearning session) is at the epicenter of all Jeera sessions, especially during the visits to different neighborhoods. Ta’zeeleh in local dialect refers to what in English is usually called “spring cleaning”, where

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everything in the house is removed from closets and cupboards and thoroughly cleaned and dusted. It is also the occasion where we sort out the things we own and mend what needs mending, throw away what can be discarded and put everything back in order. The use of this term implies that each one of us should not only think about what we want to learn, but we should also consider letting go of some of the perceptions that we have previously learnt. For example, to delve into learning, one needs to stop thinking of the teacher as the school or university teacher, and to stop thinking that the learning process ends up with graduation. To begin the ta’zeeleh (unlearning) session, we start with re-defining the teacher as the one we want to learn from and the learner as the one with a passion for learning, and their roles as being interchangeable. What makes anyone a teacher is their life experience rather than any official certificate. The initiative also aims at redefining the concept of knowledge. Knowledge is not only the information and skills that we receive and develop during our studies at school or university; it might take other forms and shapes, like learning how to sew or how to be a farmer. Personal knowledge can be transmitted from one person to another without limitations; each citizen in Amman has a wealth of knowledge and wisdom that will enrich the people of Amman. This is why each ta’zeeleh session starts with a basic question: what do you want to learn and what is the most valuable piece of knowledge/skill you have that you want to transmit to others? This session is usually the most effective part of each trip because it stimulates the thinking process inside each one of the participants, who start by trying to reflect on his/her personal answer to these questions. It also brings back value to every type of skill or knowledge, especially the non-academic ones. Most people, it turns out, want to learn how to cook, farm, learn new languages, computer skills, and many other abilities. This session also facilitates communication and networking between the participants. It also reminds them that learning is an ongoing process; there are countless things that a person can start learning, regardless of age or academic level.

Jeera: The Values and Approach Questioning/Curiosity The idea here is that this initiative does not provide ready-made answers, but rather, it highlights questions and dreams for the people of the city to

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embody and achieve in their own ways. As we mentioned before, the initiative did not have a ready-made strategy, but kept the space open for the people of the city to form their questions and develop their own ways of networking and partnership on a trial and error basis.

Conviviality and Hospitality Conviviality and hospitality in Jeera mean that the people of Amman host each other’s learning journeys. This is manifested in learning opportunities organized by and for individuals and/or organizations, opening the doors wide open to all kinds of learning, and a plurality of learners/teachers in diverse settings.

Partnership between civil society and the city We don’t start from scratch; Jeera operates based on what is available and enhances commonalities through creating active networks between initiatives and active people to maximize benefits from available resources, such as spaces and expertise, to create learning opportunities. By building a relationship of mutuality and an exchange of resources and benefits between NGOs and the public sector, we can create more learning opportunities at the meeting point between the expertise of civil society organizations in field and grassroots work and the spaces, logistics and inkind support that the public sector can provide. One of the examples of this partnership is the coordinated visits to the libraries of GAM that are located in different areas around Amman, in order to make an inventory of their resources and include them in learning opportunities within Jeera.

Building knowledge based on what exists and inspires The concept of “building knowledge on what exists and inspires” is crucial to the spirit of this initiative, which hinges on avoiding a waste of resources and in investing in available resources in the city, keeping in mind that the vast majority of individuals involved in the initiative are volunteers who offer their expertise and knowledge, and in return they receive free education from other individuals like them.

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Learning doesn’t occur inside classes and closed rooms According to Jeera, a person chooses what he/she wants to learn and this choice might not be available in educational institutions, especially in schools. Any individual in the city can choose to present himself/herself as a teacher of any topic or skill that he/she has mastered, and it is not conditional to have previously acquired his knowledge through recognized educational institutions. Knowledge is not restricted to any one person, and each individual has his/her own knowledge and culture that will enrich the experience of Amman’s residents. The learning we aspire to in Jeera is not limited to learning a specific subject or skill, but rather on the transmission of experiences and expertise. The learning we are looking for does not have a single textbook, or grades and degrees; it is real-life learning. It is connected to the personal choice of what the individual wants to learn through exposure to the learning opportunities in one’s own environment, and the individual’s experience and understanding of that learning opportunity from the perspective of personal experience and wonder. Through this learning, the person develops his/her own glossary of meanings as an individual or a collective. Through this continuous process, the individual can accumulate experiences (personal and from others) to gain skills and wisdom. Jeera is our own apprenticeship The success of Jeera is measured by the degree to which it spreads within the city as a concept and methodology, and the adoption by the largest number of individuals and organizations of the idea of Jeera and the culture of lifelong learning and its applications in creative ways, so that learning becomes a thoughtful endeavor in all programs, and continuous learning becomes an indigenous Ammani practice. We will consider the Jeera initiative to have achieved success when the residents of Amman start to call Jeera their own. Create opportunities for inspiring initiatives to transfer their experiences and stories The dream of Jeera becomes closer to reality every time a person, family or organization join and enrich the initiative with their experiences, creativity and passion for learning. The inter-city mobility initiative which has become the cornerstone of Jeera is the most effective tool to create these opportunities and expand the network.

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Reaching out to individuals and initiatives in other circles As active volunteers in this initiative, we try to reach out to all areas of the capital to include both east and west Amman and remote areas that we know. The most difficult task that we always need to be aware of is to reach out to people beyond our immediate circles. One way to achieve that is through the monthly visits and trips, as well as through the municipality organs and offices. Volunteerism Since the beginning, the initiative was heavily dependent on volunteers: the core team and the members of all the ensuing teams were volunteers. Over the span of three years, the initiative had a full time coordinator for only 12 months. In addition to the concept of “conviviality”, volunteerism is considered to be one of the most important elements that the success of the initiative hinges on. Self-expression Many of the things that we wish to learn are not offered in school or university settings, and this limits learning options. This is why the initiative works, to remind individuals that each one of them can be a teacher and a learner. And since the learning process is life-long, the individual can learn other skills or life experiences from another person because learning here is not restricted to what people might have learned through official learning channels. “Jeera” enables the individual to design his/her learning experience according to what he/she feels they need to learn in terms of tools for expression or simply to fulfill a passion to learn. This choice is rooted in a pure desire to learn, even if the knowledge individuals seek to learn is unusual or unheard of by many.

Constraints of the initiative Since the beginning, several constraints have emerged due to our reliance on untraditional approaches in this initiative in a very traditional context where participatory decision making and planning is a rare event. The indirect result of participating in the “Jeera” initiative was to start “unlearning” and getting rid of the assumptions we had about project management that formed the basis of the knowledge of the founding team. Many members of that team expressed their wish on more than one occasion to have a “management committee” that would make decisions,

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develop a plan of action, and distribute tasks and roles to team members, and others expressed their wish to expedite the action on the ground instead of waiting for the idea to mature. For these reasons, some team members left the initiative five and seven months after its commencement.

Mechanisms of work One of the biggest challenges at the beginning of the project was to agree upon working mechanisms, given that the core team members had predefined ideas about how to develop a project, i.e. that a strategic plan is drawn up to be discussed with a team and the organization in charge makes all of the final decisions. Within Jeera, and in the context of the modus operandi of the AEF, the idea was that the initiative would be developed by the core team, which should remain open to different experiences. The main questions that this process raised were as follows: 1. A flexible or a structured project? Many voices in the core team called for a structured project, even though the AEF insisted that this was an open project because of it being a learning initiative without predefined outcomes, at least not in the foundation phase. On the other hand, and given that the Amman municipality usually deals with clearly structured projects and ideas, it was impressive that the GAM remained open to this flexible and learning journey during the planning and implementation phases. 2. Hierarchy or collectivity? There is a tradition and a prevalent belief that those who initiate a project own it, and that the one who initiates should be the one who decides. In the context of “Jeera”, it can be considered that the AEF and – to a lesser extent – the Amman Municipality are the co-owners of the project. However, both institutions from the beginning emphasized the collective community-ownership of the project as a key indicator of its success. 3. Results or Process? Learning is linked to process, yet traditional management requires clear results and outcomes. Using a management approach that is based on learning would necessarily hinder the achievement of clear and quick results, and would negatively affect how team members viewed the project’s development.

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4. Volunteers vs. staff? The need for a full time staff member to coordinate the relationship between the core team, the volunteers, and the libraries became evident after the first few months, and the realization that such a coordinator would expedite implementation. Even though the initiative hinged on the activism of Amman’s residents, often there was a need for someone to follow up and coordinate with external parties to organize events. 5. Novelty of the idea The idea of the Jeera initiative had never been implemented before in the Arab World, so it remains a relatively new idea, and accordingly, we have had to depend on trial and error until we are able to reach a clear picture of the whole project. 6. Partnership between NGOs and Greater Amman municipality While there are many positive aspects to the partnerships between NGOs and public sector institutions, such as the Amman municipality, this cooperation is filled with challenges and risks. For the most part, this kind of collaboration has been absent for a very long time, so much so that each party speaks a different language in terms of approach and management. The acceptance and openness of the executive director of the cultural department at the Amman municipality to the initiative and the joint development of the idea gave a big push to the work, to expand the idea and integrate it into various aspects of the life of the city and the work of the municipality. However, soon enough, it became evident that one person or even a small team that believes in the initiative and in an alternative methodology is not enough for the idea to grow and become a paradigm. Now, after three years of cooperation, the municipality does not view itself as a full partner, and the bureaucratic nature of municipal processes hinders the advancement of the work, keeping in mind that the GAM has and continues to play a crucial role in invigorating the initiative through the cultural department and the libraries, communicating with community initiatives, and providing spaces and transportation for meetings. However, there still remains an urgent need to involve all the departments of the municipality in this initiative. 7. Resources It should be noted that despite the initiative's great reliance on exchanging resources and working using what is available, the work cannot be done without a budget which is embodied in the form of in-kind resources and materials provided by each entity according to what has been agreed upon.

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Nevertheless, the initiative will eventually need some funds and seed money to hire at least one member of staff, develop the database and promote the initiative in Amman. 8. Monitoring and evaluation One of the biggest challenges is that the proliferation of a concept and its success are not always measurable. Jeera provides spaces for institutions and individuals to communicate, which results in the creation of many learning opportunities and partnerships at a simple level, like attending events; or at a higher level, such as accomplishing a triple partnership between three institutions: one of them offers the place, the other arranges the participants and the third provides a volunteer to teach a skill. But the involved parties do not inform us of this, even if they call the event “Jeera”. One of the causes of this challenge might be the absence of field teams of volunteers that are linked to the initiative and who would be responsible for activating it in their neighborhoods. Creating such teams may help in creating continuous communication. 9. Sustainability Because learning is an ongoing process, so is an initiative of this kind. The key element of its sustainability is to become a contagious idea, exactly like the dandelion that we chose for Jeera’s slogan. The idea of proliferation means that each individual, initiative or institution has the right to take the idea and use it to create their own learning space or to facilitate the learning of others. In order to have this kind of mushrooming, one needs to feel that the idea is his/her own; it demands that the individuals reclaim their right to learn as the starting point, and to think of creative ways to learn in order to transform the idea into action. The “ta’zeeleh” is one way to ensure sustainability, for people to ask themselves: what do they want to learn? And, what can they teach? These questions open a window and encourage them to think beyond it, to think of ways and mechanisms of learning based on what they have a passion for. The question of sustainability remains a big challenge to answer and it will be necessary to learn from experience. What makes an idea become contagious and what makes it spread on and on without resources? Even if the concept of learning is innate in every human being, and even if the concept of conviviality is culturally recognized, how can we make sure that the two will continue to be a practice and a choice?

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Evaluation and way forward In March 2014, a meeting was held for the Jeera core team (the current core team) where 18 individuals attended, facilitated by the consultant who was conducting an internal evaluation of AEF projects including Jeera. This one-day meeting focused on questioning the processes, results, and the way forward.

Looking forward – expectations for the coming three years – “A human hive”3 In the closing session of the meeting, participants were asked to envision Jeera three years from now and reflect individually on what they expect (realistic), would like (moderate ambition) and would love (unrestricted dream, ideal) to see, writing a short description of each on a separate colored card. The extent to which participants hopes for Jeera were similar was striking, and the shared vision and values embedded in their responses were clearly evident, in contrast to earlier discussions when the question of what Jeera players shared, which elicited no clear responses despite probing. Expectations focused largely on a continuation and expansion of current activities – visits between organizations and communities, and connecting groups and associations. Participants’ expectations for Jeera’s future outreach ranged from maintaining the involvement of the currently active players and adding new sectors or groups in the population, to geographic expansion of linkages to include most or all of Amman to all of Jordan and beyond. Participants’ articulation of what they would like to see generally took expectations one step further, either in broadening or deepening Jeera’s outreach. Some continued to focus on Jeera’s work within Amman, hoping that Jeera groups would be formed and active in neighborhoods throughout Amman, that the concept of Jeera would be known and reflected in organizations and associations throughout the city. Others saw expansion to other Jordanian cities and governorates within a vision of moderate ambition. More focus was also given at this level to expanding the diversity of Jeera activity in terms of the types of activity and the actors initiating them, as well as a multiplicity of locations from which

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This section is an excerpt from the report written by Sharry Lapp, the consultant who was responsible for evaluating the Istikshaf program in general and the Jeera initiative in particular.

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they originated, thus extending to people and communities “beyond borders, both physical and social.” Expansion at this level included achieving an effective database to facilitate effective cooperation between organisations, associations and agencies. “Amman becomes a city where everyone knows each other and what’s happening from a known, central source (website).” The ambition of restoring or reclaiming the communal understanding and practice of jeera and achieving a sense of sharing “one home” was widely shared. While the degree to which participants viewed this as possible varied (what one would like or love to see), the hope that jeera as “a way of life” which would take root and spread – across Amman, across Jordan, across the Arab World – was clearly articulated both individually and collectively by the group. Before closing, participants were each asked to identify one commitment they could make for the coming year and one specific request addressed to a specific Jeera player or set of players (whether in the room or beyond). Most commitments and requests related to specific activities and actions requiring varying degrees of initiative, from attending meetings and providing logistical support to establishing local Jeera teams across Amman. The two working lists might prove useful in informing realistic work plans for Jeera in the coming period, providing the start of a practical working list of both what human resources are committed and readily available and what actions are perceived as “actionable.”

Some observations on the meeting While not readily apparent at the start of the meeting, over the course of the three hours of conversation, it became clearly apparent that the group clearly shares a vision for Jeera and a corresponding discourse that puts reciprocity, initiative, mutual learning and shared responsibility at the core of the Jeera experience. As a culturally rooted notion, emerging from still familiar, if threatened, traditions, jeera resonates with both personal and communal experiences and memories and is thus readily understood. Also apparent was the extent to which the strengths or “success factors” identified were quite similar to participants’ descriptions of what Jeera is, suggesting that participants believe that Jeera’s strength lies in the fact that how Jeera works is a reflection of its objectives. As one person explained, you’ve got to “practice it, live it, explore where it’s happening.” It is both

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individually initiated and communally experienced, it is a personal practice undertaken in the community, and it is a shared way of life. In this sense, jeera is conceived of more as a cultural revolution, rather than as a project or initiative as such. As a counter-culture movement juxtaposed to the global dominant cultures of individualism, consumerism, hierarchy and externally directed and ready-made, one-size-fits-all, outputoriented notions of education and institutional frameworks, jeera advocates confront the question of how to support a process of un-learning and encourage initiative. Hence the notion of ta’zeeleh. Not surprisingly, many of the debates around organising such a movement are reminiscent of early challenges and debates within the Safar Fund regarding the extent to which AEF/Safar should create learning experiences for youth versus insisting that youth organise their own learning journeys even when youth themselves, already deeply bound by culture(s) which discourage initiative, were clamoring for more direction. Group discussions exposed a clear dissonance both within and between individuals: between embracing the values embedded within the culturally rooted notions of jeera and the hegemonic notions of “efficient” organising firmly embedded in institutional cultures, perhaps most visibly so in public institutions, as well as in development discourse and practice. Hence, sometimes sharp and seemingly contradictory views on how to organise and structure Jeera frequently peppered the discussions. While, confusing and frustrating at times, perhaps this is at least partly a reflection of learning as an open, dynamic process and a recognition that more than one road might be needed to engage peoples and communities across borders, and divisions both physical and social. In this sense, confusion can be seen as a healthy reflection of organic emergence, and the fluid, complementary and mutually reinforcing nature of the Jeera journey(s). Within this context, a number of key questions/issues of relevance emerge, as Jeera organises to mobilise forward, and are summarised below. ƒ ƒ

How can Jeera move from a shared vision to more clearly shared or at least complementary understandings regarding the fundamentals of how to organise themselves to get there? How can Jeera better organise to reclaim, revitalize, and nourish a culture of jeera in the face of a culture which is resistant or even hostile to it? In particular, how can we organise to overcome the

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challenges of the bureaucratic culture and institutional constraints entrenched in the public sector? Who keeps things alive and in motion? Why are some of the core group members organisers and initiators in their organisations but not assuming this role in Jeera? How can work be organised to combat the “everyone’s responsible – no one’s reliable” syndrome? How can reciprocity of the roles inherent in jeera be more effectively built into the organising of processes and structures of Jeera while maintaining co-motion, dynamism and outreach, and also ensuring that knowledge and understanding of what’s happening and what difference it’s making for Amman as a living, learning city is widely shared? How might the formation of working committees advance or undermine Jeera’s efforts? What role should AEF play in the coming period? Amman Municipality? How can their roles be shaped in a way which “shifts responsibility outward.” To what extent does coordination need to reside in a single institution? Might coordination be organised/distributed across multiple actors/locations, or is there a need for a known address for coordination, at least in the coming period? If there is still a need for a clear, coordinating address, would shifting this out of AEF help the process of decentralisation and encourage multiple spaces where action is initiated? Is there sufficient trust amongst core group members for AEF to transition out of its still-central role? If coordination shifts away from AEF to another group, how can the relationship of trust with Amman Municipality, built with AEF leadership, be ensured and further advanced? Could jeera provide an appropriate model for the rotating of management? Would a collective nomination and selection process for an alternative coordinating address/house (host for Jeera) provide for an adequate buy-in? How can Jeera organise itself more effectively while ensuring an open structure which embraces new individuals and groups? What are the current barriers to participation of new “recruits” and how might these be addressed?

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Which actors have the greatest power/influence to contribute to changes you seek? Is this a “cost-free” value-added process that can draw on existing resources to be found within participating individuals, groups and organisations? Are the shared/pooled resources of participating groups and organisations basically sufficient to build and sustain momentum? Who should take responsibility for mobilising and managing these? If not, where and how can the resources to maintain and expand activity and outreach be secured? Who should take responsibility for raising and managing these? Can Jeera rely totally on volunteerism and the Municipality’s delegated/seconded team? Does coordination need to be paid? If so, who pays? And who supervises?

THE LEGACY OF THE TRAIL NESMA AL-GUAILY

This chapter is a part of the book Legacy of the Story, which is the documentation of a year-long journey across several governorates in Egypt. The book was written in the form of letters. Each letter narrates a story of a place, a trail and a human. The following letter is from the Awad Island of Nubia, Upper Egypt. Awad is located between two dams on the Nile river: Aswan High Dam (known as the High Dam) and Aswan Low Dam. Dear Shahryar, I am aware that you haven’t been amused by my latest story … You couldn’t accept a female hero taking the place of Sinbad! “Sinbada”, the female form of Sinbad, went through seven or more journeys; you describe some of them as dangerous. I am not quite sure about what annoyed you … Were you afraid of the dangers of that road for her? Or was it the men that you feared? Or did her quiet bravery confuse you; and so you didn’t know where to perceive her inside you? My lord! I wish if I had known how to penetrate into you during narration; for half of the story is told by me and the other half is there inside you! I didn’t witness your past … I don’t know your strengths … I don’t know what makes you sad … You rarely tell personal stories … You only talk about affairs of state which exhaust you … You never lend me your eyes to see how you fell in love with your loved ones … and to see the betrayal of those who betrayed you … I want to see if you could perceive the world as a new thing that happened to you for the first time or if the heritage of the Kingdom forced you to antagonize everything beyond your Kingdom’s borders? Did those borders bear hostility against you, and for that reason you have carefully fortified it lest it might collapse and hurt whosoever is inside it?

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If it was for me, my lord … I would have sneaked you out and taken you to one of the stories that I tell about Sinbad or Sinbada! We would have gone out unattended by guards or any kind of magic that I used to tell you about in my stories … Magic is the expedient of the weak people who haven’t experienced the true magic that God has placed in our lives … If the magic in Sinbad’s story was a sort of detachment from reality, then the magic of Sinbada (female Sinbad) was the ability to choose which reality she wanted to experience through her life … The dictionary contains words such as Evil, Betrayal, Lying, Deception and Offensive … But at the same time it embraces Good, Love, Trust and Security … The dictionary is one entity, life is one entity as well and they both bear contradictions and what lies between them … and it goes on! Good and evil are both predetermined by God, and we are always walking between them. Faith gives your heart the power to believe that you are heading towards your destiny; whether it is sweet or bitter. As you walk through the trail, you acquire the wisdom which enables you to realize God’s mercy in every fate, even the bitter fates … Because only God knows what we have been created for … Only God knows how to take us towards it … Oh my lord, I used to understand fates as stations that we pass by on our way … a station that all roads lead to! I realized that the core of our freedom and reckoning is the path that we choose to take … and the process of choosing that path! We are bounded by the drape of tomorrow which is never revealed until it comes! God created mirage so that we realize that we might get fooled by a mirage, which makes us chase the myth of eternity and continuity … What we follow as “reality” stops happening at one point and changes into something else, and all what’s left is that moment of choice at which we selected our path; that is the moment that we will be asked about! Where were we intending to go? Why? And how? Oh my Joyful King! My wise King! I was informed that whenever Sinbada wanted to take a road, she used to pray for God to accompany her along that road … She knew that God loves travelers and that when God Almighty wanted his servants to draw near to him, he Almighty allowed giving charity to the passer-by … She never wanted to chase money … even if Sinbad’s travels enabled him to collect diamonds from the enchanted valleys … her travels were much simpler; she was only concerned about being blessed with the walking wisdom that God placed in travelling when he named it “Safar”, “Safar in

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Arabic means travel, and the word safar also implies the act of revealing things” … She wanted to feel God’s companionship which she misses when she is surrounded by her family, not because God would be absent but because getting used to things and taking people for granted creates a false sense of eternity within us … She travels to see God … To see God’s servants … So that she can stretch out to new shapes of life that she didn’t know anything about … she can calm down and settle afterwards. She didn’t know anyone from Awad my lord! Awad was a land in Aswan, nearby the banks of the Nile river; it was connected to the lands of Sudan and Egypt … And then by the magic of life, it turned into an island … It was not cursed by Jinn nor was it drowned by God … It was a land until kings built dams* around it … It was drowned by water and so it became an island … and by the magic of life, its people could walk on water! They built boats … and they were afraid of strangers and that’s why they didn’t allow anyone to pass onto their island, which was isolated between the two dams, unless the strangers asked for permission … Sinbada was on her way to Awad … she took the train and during her journey, she wondered and asked herself the same question that the whole world asked … the same question that you would ask my lord: “Aren’t you afraid that if anything should happen, you wouldn’t even be able to escape?” … She knew that a friend of hers had some relatives there and that he had asked them to take care of her; she wouldn’t have been able to pass without his recommendation in the first place … But she also knows that safety cannot be provided by a distant friend … Safety was created by God … If God wills, she will be blessed with safety among God’s servants … If God wanted to deprive her of it, she would not be safe … But God has never deprived her of good among his servants before … My King … Sometimes your expatriation is your grace! You become that stranger who arrived from beyond the dams … You lack the language of the place and look barehanded among its people … And hence, as you arrive, they promptly take you on a tour around the few houses on the island … You wonder within yourself, while you are the stranger who came up, loaded with the fears of the city, “how would anyone host a total stranger in his home?” … With frequent travelling, you realize that the city houses are fragile in terms of their expatriation from one another … you also realize that you always need to feel the power of

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belonging to your place and neighborhood in order to be able to open up your borders for other people to pass through … without feeling afraid of being robbed. On her first night there, she slept in the winter room … She knew that behind that door, the owners of the house were sleeping under the sky … the weather was unbearably hot inside the house … they offered her a place to sleep outside with them … but she kindly asked them to allow her to sleep in the room and lock the door. On her first night she was scared to turn the lights off … she left the candle lit through the night … she didn’t exactly know from what should that light protect her … but she was thinking about insects and she thought that the light might protect her from them … She was half asleep, she could figure out that when she woke up and found out that she hadn’t changed her position all night … As the light of dawn filled up the room and woke her up … she felt hungry … From outside, she could hear Hajja Safiyya calling her to drink tea with milk and eat some “Gargoosh” with it … The Gargoosh was dry, so she wetted it with tea … She was amused by Hajja Safiyya’s behaviour; whenever Sinbada felt hungry, Hajja Safiyya would call her to come and eat, and whenever Hajja Safiyya offered her some food, she would put it in front of her and leave her so that Sinbada wouldn’t feel shy to eat as a guest … She added that note to her notebook … Egyptians have many ways of generosity … her mother usually prepares a dining table full of various dishes, and then she makes sure to help each guest to fill up his/her dish, because she would be worried that the guests might be shy and wouldn’t do that on their own … The folks of Qalyubia do not serve food in separated dishes, food is served as one whole portion for all and everyone eats from it … The folks of Siwa put out an additional number of dishes, which exceed the number of guests, so that you might eat one more dish if you wanted to … When Sinbada visited Minya, it was the Holy Week time, and Christians were still fasting … She attended the “Soboo” ceremony at the house of uncle Hanna who she didn’t know, who was the father of Mariam, who she also didn’t know, the friend of Soula … although they were busy with the preparations of the ceremony, they slaughtered a chicken to feed the guest, because they realized that she hadn’t eaten any meat ever since she arrived at their country. In every station on her way, my lord … People were so generous to her and they were sincerely kind to her … God created a special kind of

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affection between the traveller and his road … On each first night for her at any new place … she used to leave the candle lit to get some comfort … and when she woke up she used to have tea and Gargoosha with Hajja Safiyya, or she would go to eat at uncle Hanna’s house … or she would go to prepare dinner at Jordan’s house … or she would go and have a chat with Um Rouhayyem … After that she felt safe and quiet … And then she would sleep her second night wrapped in the warmth of people, and so she could turn the light of her room off … When she woke up, she found out that she has changed her position several times while she was asleep … And when she comes back my lord … She will be loaded up for ever with the grace of the trail.

LOVE HELPS MAKE DISTANCES SHORTER RAOUF KARRAY

In this article, I will talk about my experience of travelling, which has preoccupied me ever since I was a child and which I consider to be a whole, wide-ranging culture and an important means of learning and intellectual blossoming. It helps us to discover the Other, and to acquire life experiences that being settled in one place might well not provide. I have never known why I was possessed by this persistent desire to travel and explore other worlds, far away from where I lived, and full of different cultures, traditions, social customs, and even histories. I never knew that travelling would change much of how I think and how I look at life, and would play an important role in making me grow up, determining my attitude towards things. But I did know that if there was anything in my personality that satisfied me, it was caused by a joyful experience that started at an early stage of my life. - I was very shy. With travel, I became courageous and respectfully naughty. - I used to feel a lot of pain inside for the wrong done to my mother in our masculine world. With travel, I became a vigorous fighter, standing up for women and the oppressed. - My father had planted in me a fear of everything. With travel, I became brave and fearless. - I did not know about sleeping in the rain—so I slept in the rain. - I did not know the taste of strawberries—so I tasted them. - I had never before visited a museum—so I visited them. - I did not know the meaning of self-reliance—so I relied on myself. - I did not know how widespread people’s ignorance of Africa and Arabs was—so I learned. - I did not know that healthy diets existed—so I became a vegetarian. - I did not know that challenges also offered the joy of discovery—so I chose to be challenged.

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- I did not know that dreaming is, on some level, a reality and a truth without borders— so I dreamed and I carried on. When I was a child, I used to stand by the side of the road in front of my grandfather Ibrahim’s house and watch the few people who travelled down that road using various means of transport. In those beautiful moments, I was filled with a strong desire to know where that transportation took them and whether there was an endpoint to their journey. Was there something beyond that endpoint? What was it? Over time, I grew up, and so did the desire to know where that road might take me if I followed it in the opposite direction, away from the city of Sfax. Would it accept me as a traveller, like that young man I had seen standing by the side of the road? I had watched with admiration and childish curiosity as he signaled to the few passing cars that were heading for Tunis, in the hope that they would stop and give him a lift. My first attempt to explore the worlds of that road was at age fourteen, when I decided to ride my new bike as far as I could. At sixteen, the desire to travel and explore the overseas worlds grew stronger in me, so I crossed the Mediterranean on a ship that carried me to the coast on other side of the water, facing Tunisia’s green shores, and dropped me in Marseilles, France. My first adventure with long and joyful travels had begun. I started hitchhiking on board the ship, and it was a successful beginning, and encouraged me to carry on travelling this way – as I have done ever since then, every time I pack up and leave, whether heading eastwards or westwards. During my travels, I did not draw drawings as such but wove the string of age into its most beautiful images, moment by moment, and shaped the dream of a reality rich in events and surprises. Travelling is, to me, the pulse of life and the source of unlimited pleasure. It symbolises freedom and liberation; a door open to the worlds of magic and beauty; the movement of body and spirit in different spaces without borders. It is a change from the boring sense of time and its cessation in a moment of feeling the pleasure of searching and exploration. Were we not all, once upon a time, always travelling?

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Travelling is also the constant, continuous act of dreaming, in which I calmly taste the richness and diversity of the world’s cultures, and through which I paint the most beautiful and colourful paintings. The characters in these paintings are those I meet in each country I go to, and the scenes are their ways of living and behaving; their houses welcoming strange guests with such simplicity and spontaneity, sometimes for a few hours, a day or two, or even a week or more. I carry with me the sweetest memories of the sweetest drowsiness that tickled me, as I slept in various unusual places. Maybe wrapped in a bed with soft, pleasant-smelling sheets; maybe in front of a cosy fire burning logs from the nearby forest, a fire which keeps us company until the last black beam of the night on a long, sandy beach; or perhaps inside a heap of warm yellow hay. I carry with me the sweetest memories of the most delicious meal, unknown in our cuisine, and of sitting and chatting over coffee, its smell redolent of my grandmother. She used to gather the women and children of the household around her in the yard after afternoon prayer, the big tray in front of her loaded with the coffee cups and the coffee and sugar containers, while the charcoal stove that burned the coffee, spilling over the edges of the pot, spread the smell of burned coffee across the yard. I learned how to respect people who disagree with me in opinion and attitude, and how to defend something I believe in. My travelling was of a special kind. I did not travel in a rush, for tourism or business, but for the sake of travel itself. This is travel as exploration, and as a way of absorbing noble human values; a voyage of relationships with the people and places I visited. And so I chose to hitchhike as a way of moving around, so my travelling stretched in space and time without ruler-drawn borders and predetermined destinations, leaving the door open for coincidence and surprise. Hitchhiking is a simple way of moving around, and it is, to me and others who have lived this experience, a philosophy that reflects a certain mentality and culture, and a different outlook on people and the world. I would stand by the side of the road that stretched on with no end and signal to passing cars with an outstretched arm and a closed fist, the thumb held up. It is the signal for those of us who use this method to ask drivers to stop and take us with them, if they feel like it, to some point further down the road.

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Hitchhiking also gives us plenty of time to reflect in different ways on what we usually think about, and examine the stuff of our everyday lives with a questioning mind. Having got some distance from these things, we are more enlightened than we were before. We are able use our new perspective to explore what had not been clear to us when we stayed in one place or moved around with the usual means of transport. When we hitchhike we move across spacious space and liberated time, having ridden adventure and risk to live through them with realism, enthusiasm, and great emotional satisfaction. Even when the circumstances are very tense, they are always new and fresh. They cultivate an awareness in us of what surrounds us, and provoke strange and beautiful feelings we have not experienced before in our cold and frozen everyday world. Yes, travelling by hitchhiking is all this and more. It is adventure itself, which draws on the earth the most beautiful colours and gives life back its lost meaning. It stifles the world’s noise to find its lost music among the noises of fake civilisation. It creates events and helps bring the freshest and most beautiful moments of life into being. Sometimes, however, this method does pose problems and dangers and leads to accidents, which have occasionally spoiled our pleasure in travelling and given hitchhiking a bad name. Therefore, I would say that it is very important to take care and be cautious, especially when we know that many ill-intentioned people have exploited this method and caused trouble for passengers and car owners alike.

Some practical advice for travelling -

It is important to choose the right place to hitch from: stand by the side of the road on the outskirts of the city or even beyond the city limits, where civilisation almost ends. The residential density and urban movement become less intense here, and roads open up to long distances amid vast fields. I spent three days and nights in one place outside Milan, Italy, which enabled me to get to know many young people, including Gerard and Jean-Paul from France. We cooked and slept together in a corner of a field by the side of the road; we rotated between hitchhiking for part of the day, resting, and chatting. We talked about politics and culture, about our travels, our countries, and

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the people we’d met during our travels, about the girls that had us under their spell, and so on—the story has a nice ending. Whenever you stand by the side of the road outside a city to start hitching, give priority to those who have already been standing there before you arrived. Stand at the end of the row, leaving enough distance between you and them, so that they get the first chance of a lift. Sometimes, however, luck may be on the side of those who have arrived last. I remember the car that took me from Italy straight to Romania, or the truck that took me from Sofia in Bulgaria all the way to Afghanistan, despite being the last one to have arrived. The reason could have been that the driver was reluctant to stop, or was speeding up and could not stop for the first hitchhiker. Whenever you meet someone who has already been standing there, greet them and introduce yourself and tell them about your destination. It sometimes happens that you and the other person will get a lift for part of the journey in the same vehicle if you share the same destination. In fact, I have very rarely gone long distances on my own. Stand by the side of the road in an open space to allow drivers to see you from a distance and enable them to slow down to pull over without causing a traffic jam. All means of transport are available to hitchhikers: cars, trucks, buses, horse-drawn carts, motorcycles, bicycles, boats, walking … I remember the story of a bus in Afghanistan, the story of a truck in Aswan in Egypt, getting a boat with Jean-Paul, the story of an oxdrawn cart in Yugoslavia … Use a small cardboard sign that bears the name of the city or place you want to reach so that drivers will know your destination before pulling over. I remember the story of a sign saying “Tokyo …” Be very cautious with any driver you do not feel good about. A car picked me up at one o’clock in the morning one cold and windy night, only to drop me after 10km when I’d made up some story to get rid of the driver, who seemed to be plotting something bad. I also remember being in a truck that took me from Iraq to Amman, Jordan, across the desert, where I had to spend the night on top of the truck with my eyes half open.

Money I always had some money in hard currency on me. I would only change a very small amount of that into the local currency of the country I entered. I kept my money under my clothes, in a small cloth bag, or

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money belt, round my neck on a string. I remember spending one night half-asleep in a public park in a big European city with a fellow traveller I’d travelled with for some distance. Some of his belongings were stolen from his money belt that night.

What to put in your backpack Essentials that are important but not expensive: -

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Some light underwear: T-shirt, underpants, socks—two pairs of each; one to wear and one to have in the backpack One heavy, warm coat to protect against sudden cold weather A small towel A packet of tissues A sleeping bag A small cloth bag containing the following items: a needle and thread to mend clothes when necessary; a toothbrush and toothpaste; a piece of green soap; small scissors; some essential medicines for first aid A small notebook and a pen to write down your thoughts or creative “flash prose” An address book City and road maps

Sometimes we happened to be in a place where it was difficult to get what we needed in terms of food and drink, so it is advisable to carry some basic things: -

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A water bottle (preferably plastic, so that it’s light and doesn’t break) A small bottle of olive oil (also plastic) Some dates or dried figs, almonds, and the like Barley flour—a simple, nutritional Tunisian meal that people usually have for breakfast and does not need cooking (prepared as follows: one or two spoonfuls of barley flour, one spoonful of olive oil, a little bit of water, some dates or dried figs, all mixed together to create a soft dough, which can be eaten immediately) A small, light metal pot A plate, glass, spoon, fork, and knife (preferably made of plastic, too)

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A small camping gas stove A small tent (if possible)

Note: the average weight of the backpack should be around 13kg.

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THE IMPOSSIBLE JOURNEY SAAD HAJO

I started drawing ideas on the walls of a dark room. A few months later I was born. Then through playing with my brother who was two years older than me, those ideas were transformed into lines on paper and colors on wood. We used to play a game, like the traditional singing competition – Zajal – where one of us would draw a painting and the other would respond by drawing a counter painting. He would return from school with a copybook full of drawings that he and his friend Iyas had drawn, I dare think that his friend’s copybook was also full of drawings too. Every day, Khaldoon and I would democratically vote the best face drawn in the copybook that day, and since he was older he got two votes! Accompanying my sister, the cinema make-up artist, to her work led me, the teenager, to discover faces; the faces of actors on set in the morning before they put on their masks, faces of celebrities there to play a role, Abdul Rahman Al Rashi for example. I started to play with the forms of faces on paper, before, after, and during their performance. People around me discovered that I am satirical and that what I draw is called caricature, and I conceded with great ease … I decided to myself that I will study fine arts. I started going to the college in Tahreer square, which later became the high Lebanese-Syrian council. I went with friends to eat sausages at Awadis in Bab Touma, and again I was amazed as a fine arts student to discover the old city of Damascus. I delved lightly into it through Bab Touma, and in Bab Sharqi, I smelled the fragrance of wood and was surprised that a city smells of trees … but I didn’t care, because the Awadis sausages and their secret magical recipe are enough to make you forget a whole forest. My love for cartoons took over my whole being, and I had to decide between two lovers: Damascus, and cartoons. To be able to publish I had to go to exile, so I traveled to Beirut which is no further than 100 km from Damascus, but it is a forum for free press and a space for communication. I managed to find a job as a cartoonist in two

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of its largest newspapers, and I worked in a comedy play. Behind the scenes, I drew the actors, such as the poet Zein Shoueib, I drew them when they were in their most nervous moments before going up on stage, and after the show was over. Through them I developed a friendship with their places; we went together to public places, coffee shops. Beirut led me to the first moment of wonder: the discovery of my attachment to the sea. Its friendship took me by surprise, the mixture of the sound of the waves, the sunrise, and the stickiness from the humidity on my skin created a sensation I had never felt before. The sea, which was the least of my concerns, became my favorite hobby. I made friends with fishermen from Alexandria who worked at the newspaper cafeteria, and during their weekend (which for them was only half a day) they would take the small dinghy to sea and bring back all kinds of fish and seafood that we would barbecue and eat, drinking from a teapot on the wooden stove… During visits to Cairo, I traveled on foot for hours each day for a whole month, making friends with the founding generation of cartoonists. One of them was George Bahgoory, who I met for the first time in Jerash, Jordan. When I visited his studio in Cairo he was in Paris but he told the doorman to allow me into his studio; I spent a whole day there looking at drawings, sculptures, paintings, and the artist’s sketch book. Thousands of faces from thousands of years crowded his studio/museum … I hid the sun in my pocket after it revealed itself from under the skin of George’s brown Egypt faces. Paris was my first European experience… I was dying to visit the Centre Pompidou, the Musée d’Orsay, the Louvre, the Champs Elysees, and the grave of the Unknown Soldier… but the underground metro took my breath away. I forgot all the original international paintings and took a tour, instead, of the tired casual faces of people packed on the metro, cut from time to time by Japanese faces and their cameras. Underground, I watched the metro announcements on the walls like a cinema film strip documenting a momentary history that changes every day. Off to snowy Sweden! My brother Khaldoon suffered a road accident that put him in a wheel chair. I took him, or rather he took me on a trip into the snow-covered forest, and there I saw the deer, reindeer, and foxes play. In August, and for the first time, I went to pick mushrooms with friends. It started raining and I began to draw in the rain, and I lost them. I got lost, and kept walking. I discovered a hole in a tree; I peeked through it into the

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forest, and that’s where my friendship with nature started. I drew the scene in front of me. Since then many of my drawings have been about nature, and they became a fertile thread of imagination that penetrates the hole in the tree. I have the memory of an elephant, it is no longer impossible to enter it through the eye of a needle. I remember that when I discovered that hole in the tree and went closer to take a peek, I could smell the fragrance of the wood of the seven gates of Damascus.

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CONTRIBUTORS

Ghassan Abdullah, born in Akka, Palestine, and a refugee in Syria, obtained Baccalaureat in Damascus, and studied mathematics and computing in England. Main positions include Scientific Assistant at the Atlas Computer Laboratory in the UK, Systems Engineer with IBM Corporation in Beirut, Director of Information at Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation in Amman, and IT Manager at the Institute of Law at Birzeit University near Ramallah. Activities include President of the Jordan Computer Society, Board member of the Arab Resource Collective in Beirut, Riwaq Heritage Center and Al-Haq Human Rights in Ramallah. Taiwo Okunola Afolabi is the Founder and Director of Theatre Emissary International (TEMi), a theatre organization that focuses on theatre research, performance and applied theatre. TEMi is a Nigeria-based cultural organization that believes in using theatre as an effectively tool for social change. TEMi seeks to harness the unlimited potential of the young minds of theatre artists in Nigeria and beyond, and to further collaborate both locally and internationally with likeminded individuals, organizations and institutions to create employment opportunities. He is a theatre director, researcher and educationist who has undertaken various theatre projects ranging from master classes, to seminars, conferences, festivals and Theatre for Development (TfD) projects, both within and outside Nigeria. Herman Bashiron Mendolicchio received a PhD in Art History, Theory and Criticism from the University of Barcelona. He is a faculty member at Transart Institute (NY-Berlin) and was Post-Doctoral Visiting Researcher at the United Nations University Institute on Globalization, Culture and Mobility (UNU-GCM). His current lines of investigation involve the subjects of intercultural processes, globalization and mobility in contemporary art and cultural policies, the interactions between artistic, educational, media and cultural practices in the Mediterranean and the cultural cooperation between Asia and Europe. As an art critic, editor and independent curator, he writes extensively for several international magazines.

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François Bouda holds a “Licence” degree in Anglophone Studies and a “Maîtrise” degree in Arts Management from the University of Ouagadougou. He worked between 2007 and 2013 in the field of dance in his home country, Burkina Faso, before joining the Permanent Mission of la Francophonie to the UN in New York. He is currently working for the École des Sables in Senegal and writes articles for magazines and for his own blog at: www.francoisbouda.mondoblog.org. Angie Cotte is Secretary General of the Roberto Cimetta Fund. She has extensive experience in cultural networking at the European level. She has contributed to the organisation of many European conferences on cultural policy and has coordinated arts and culture projects for a number of years. She is currently a Board member of Culture Action Europe. Mary Ann DeVlieg’s experience spans international performing arts, cultural policy, intercultural practice, arts mobility and arts and human rights. After serving as the Secretary General of IETM (international network for contemporary performing arts) from 1994-2013, she served until the end of 2014 as the Senior Strategy Advisor to freeDimensional. She is currently the Chair of the EU Working Group ‘ARJ’ on Arts, Rights, and Justice (2011-present) as well as working as a freelance consultant on international cultural project evaluations, setting up cultural management training programmes, facilitating groups, training and public speaking. Cristina Farinha, PhD, is a researcher at the Sociology Institute University of Porto, specialised in arts, culture, communication and labour law. She has worked from local and regional to European level with diverse international institutions and networks, including the European Commission, UNESCO and the Council of Europe, to the European Cultural Foundation and On the Move. Cristina is interested in cultural policies, most particularly in the strengthening of the role of culture in governance and development, the promotion of cultural cooperation and international mobility, and the development of capacity building and coordination within the culture and creative sector. Currently, she is the Managing Director of ADDICT – Agency for the Development of the Creative Industries in Portugal. Nessma Gweili is a writer and social activist in Cairo, Egypt. Gweili works in social media and trains a group of youth from Al Moqattam neighbourhood to use digital media to express themselves and their

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community through the Stories from Moqattam blog: http://rising.global voicesonline.org/mokattam and her own personal blog: www.3lasafr. blogspot.com. She has twice received a travel grant from the Safar youth mobility fund. Saad Hajo is a Syrian cartoonist and illustrator born in Damascus in 1968, where he graduated with a BA in fine Arts in 1989. He studied under the supervision of some of Syria’s greatest painters such as Fateh Mudarres, Nazir Nab’a and Elias Zeyyat. Shortly after his graduation, and having always believed in the power of humour and satire as subversive tools, Hajo became the caricaturist of Al Nahar newspaper from 1993 to 1995, before joining the team of another major regional newspaper, Al Safeer. He has resided and worked in Sweden since 2005. Serene Huleileh is a cultural activist, debka dancer, researcher, writer, and translator/interpreter. She has been active in the artistic and community education scenes in both Palestine and Jordan since 1990. In 2000, she established the regional office for the Arab Education Forum in Jordan and became its regional director, developing projects and partnerships with and for youth, community educators, and artists across the Arab world, including the Safar youth mobility fund and the Hakaya network and program. She also serves on the board of trustees of Al Balad Theatre and the El Funoon Palestinian popular dance troupe. Over the years, she has written several articles and research papers on youth volunteerism, community education and cultural action, and has recently published a book documenting and reflecting on the experience of the El Funoon Palestinian dance troupe over the span of 36 years. Slavica Ilieska is Grants and Collaborations Programme Officer for the Prince Claus Fund in the Netherlands. She has a master’s degree in an International Master’s Programme in Euro-Mediterranean Relations, from Universitat Rovira i Vigili, Tarragona, Spain, and Université Paris VIII Vincennes – Saint-Denis. Mais Irqsusi, born in 1985, has a BA in management information systems (University of Yarmouk) and a Master’s in Business Administration with a focus on international business (NYIT). Mais has been leading the programs of the Arab Education Forum since 2008 and has worked in particular on the management and development of the Safar Youth mobility program and the Istikshaf program. In October 2011, Mais cofounded Ahel, a social enterprise aiming to support people in organizing

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their power and resources to lead campaigns for change using a valuebased community-organizing model. Raouf Karray was born in Sfax (Tunisia) in 1951. Karray is a graphic designer and illustrator of children’s books. He works as an associate professor at the Higher Institute of Arts and Crafts in Sfax. Karray lived for 10 years in Rome, Italy, where he worked in journalism and teaching graphic arts. He had many exhibitions, published special books for children and was awarded several international awards in recognition of his work. Xabier Landabidea Urresti ([email protected]) is a researcher and lecturer at the Institute of Basque Studies at the University of Deusto, Bilbao. With a PhD in Leisure and Human Development, his research interests include the contemporary forms of access to and experience of culture in relation to media transformations. Todd Lanier Lester is an artist and cultural producer. He has worked in leadership, advocacy and strategic planning roles at Global Arts Corps, Reporters sans frontiers, and the Astraea Lesbian Justice Foundation. He founded freeDimensional and Lanchonete.org—a new project focused on daily life in the center of São Paulo. Todd is a Senior Fellow at the World Policy Institute; a co-curator for the Arts and Society Team of Cities for People in Canada; and serves on the board of arts, rights and literary organizations in India, Mexico, Brazil and the US. Matina Magkou is a cultural manager, researcher and consultant currently preparing a PhD in Leisure Studies at the University of Deusto, focusing on EuroArab cultural cooperation. Her professional experience is in international large-scale event management and consulting on cooperation projects in the fields of culture and youth. Isin Önol is a writer and curator who has been based in Vienna since 2009. She currently works as a guest lecturer in the Department of Digital Art at the University of Applied Arts, and as a guest curator at the Schauraum, Quartier21, MuseumsQuartier, Vienna. Onol is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Cultural Studies, University of Applied Arts, Vienna, Austria. She has completed her Master of Advance Studies on Curating at ZHdK, Zürcher Hochschule der Kunst, Zürich, Switzerland (2009-2011). She participated in the Ecole du Magasin, International Curatorial Training Programme, Centre National d’Art Contemporain,

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Grenoble, France (2009-2010) and Gwangju Biennale International Curator Course, Gwangju, South Korea (2009). Cristina Ortega Nuere is Director of the Institute of Leisure Studies in the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences at the University of Deusto, Bilbao. She is also the Chair of ENCATC’s Policy Group Monitors of Culture, which gathers universities and stakeholders that are currently working on the development of new indicators and methodologies, and a Member of the Basque Council of Culture for the Basque Government. She is a professor at the University of Deusto, teaching in the PhD programme in Leisure and Human Development as well as several other master’s courses (Master Erasmus Mundus Euro-culture, Master in Management of Leisure Projects, and Master in Organization of Events). Christoforos Pavlakis is a Greek ex-pat and a strong advocate for access to education for all, cultural and linguistic diversity and mobility. With a passion for creativity and storytelling, he finds joy in producing work that sends a message, communicates ideas and challenges ideologies. Whether it is as part of a media outlet or a communications agency, he likes to see himself as an integral part of the force that drives messages across to audiences. Lamia Raei has 20 years of multi-disciplinary experience in program management, policy research, anthropology, sociology, culture and arts. She has a BA degree in political science and an MA degree in sociology and anthropology. She has held several senior management and research positions including Acting Director of the Research and Database Unit at the National Taskforce for Children in Amman, Jordan; executive director of the Information and Research Center at the King Hussein Foundation; and deputy country director for the Swiss Cooperation Office in Amman. Inés Soria-Donlan is a cultural manager and creative practitioner based in Manchester, UK. Prior to working at In Place of War, Inés worked with a range of cultural and creative organisations including New Art Exchange (Nottingham, UK), Contact (Manchester, UK) and the British Council, as well as managing a number of projects as a freelance creative practitioner. She is currently Digital Manager of In Place of War, a University of Manchester project researching creativity in sites of conflict, and Learning and Development Coordinator at immersive space company 4Dcreative. Her wider work focuses on creative learning and international collaboration.

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Rami Takrouri is Co-Founder of Amawi, Takrouri and Associates (ATA). Mr. Takrouri is an activist and manager with 20 years of experience managing development initiatives and regulatory reform projects in the region. He has worked to assist governments in applying best practices in policy development and to issue better and smart policies and laws. He employed a similarly innovative approach to support cultural, social and economic development initiatives, where he has helped foundations, NGOs and associations to develop and execute advocacy programs. On all projects, he has mentored and trained public and private sector staff on management, policy development, advocacy, communications and technical concepts.