Alternative culture promotion

The little town of Timimoun is about two and a half hours by air south of the Algerian capital Algiers. An independent film training centre located here amid the endless Sahara desert trains about ten budding filmmakers – mainly young women – every year. Well-known Algerian filmmaker Habiba Djahnine founded the Cinéma et Mémoire association 16 years ago. It is a film school but also acts as a meeting place where artists can interact freely.

Djahnine guides young filmmakers through the entire process of film production: script-writing, production, direction, camera work and distribution. Her objective is to equip the trainees with tools that will allow them to tell their own stories about their home, and to reflect critically on its identity and history.

Cinéma et Mémoire is one of the 40 cultural projects that are currently financially supported by the SDC's North Africa Cultural Programme (NACP) (see box). "Such organisations are like oases of opportunity," says Heba Hage-Felder. She is a programme manager at the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), an independent foundation headquartered in Beirut, where she manages the NACP for the SDC. "Free space for artists in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt has drastically shrunk in recent years," she says.

Cultural spaces, cultural collectives and cultural projects must constantly fight for resources simply to survive. "In many places artists are being persecuted and their works censored." Even in Tunisia and Morocco, where artists can work in relative freedom, the situation for independent artists continues to be very difficult. "The little public funding that is available for culture goes to established institutions. Alternative, experimental and political projects end up getting nothing." By supporting initiatives such as Cinéma et Mémoire, the SDC ensures that there are spaces for creativity, critical engagement with society and freedom of expression despite the adverse economic and social circumstances.

The present situation in Libya, where a bloody civil war has been raging since 2014, is extremely unstable. Most people in Libya live in constant fear and great deprivation, but culture is in big demand notes Hage-Felder. "Art is not a luxury. It makes sense of the chaos and helps in dealing with crisis situations." The NACP is currently supporting the Bayt Ali Gana cultural centre. In 2014, the centre was set up in the Tripoli metropolitan area by the daughter of famous Libyan painter Ali Gana. Originally it was meant simply to protect her father's work but very soon it became an institution, the kinds of which practically no longer exist in fragmented Libya: a central, integrative space for art projects, exhibitions, workshops and debates that are open to all and are initiated through the dialogue between different groups.

The construction of the centre has not yet been completed and nor has it officially been opened, but many young Libyans have already heard of it and its founder Hadia Gana on the television, radio and social media. Swiss funding will help Bayt Ali Gana to strengthen its structures and ensure that it remains viable in the long run. "Often it is individuals who initiate the most compelling projects," says Hage-Felder. "These are people with a big idea and enough experience and passion to make it happen."

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a big challenge for artists in North Africa. Their already precarious situation has been further compounded by rising unemployment and lack of opportunities to perform. During this time, video-conferencing has been the only way for Hage-Felder and her AFAC colleagues to be in touch with partner organisations. They are nevertheless trying to support them as best they can. "Artists are very grateful for the contributions from the NACP," says Hage-Felder. They have used the time during the lockdown to review various processes and strengthen their organisational structures "without constantly fearing that their money will run out."

She recalls a telephone call with the founders of the Libya Culture Media Organisation, which introduces young people to media work and cultural creation besides organising concerts and festivals. The organisation has also been operating a radio station since 2014 called Hun FM, which airs programmes on poetry, social work, health and education. "The founders told me that despite its devastating impact, the pandemic has also been a boon for them," says Hage-Felder. "Since people are largely staying at home, listenership has gone through the roof."