Category: MENA

In Myanmar, students test the sincerity of democratic transition

June 15, 2015

Originally published at openDemocracy on 10 June 2015. Also available here. Students demand change in Myanmar. Creative Commons. Some rights reserved. In Myanmar, as university students around the world begin to exalt their summer freedom, a national student movement continues to demand greater political freedom. At the end of May 2015 Myanmar’s parliament was still … More In Myanmar, students test the sincerity of democratic transition

The Divine Comedy of Mohamed Ben Soltane: Commentary and Creativity in Tunisia

December 14, 2011

“Before the revolution, I think, the art scene was closed so artists couldn’t make art in public spaces. There was real fear from almost everybody. We can say that it was hell and it is now paradise.” A few days ago I had the chance to sit down with Mohamed Ben Soltane. As an artist, … More The Divine Comedy of Mohamed Ben Soltane: Commentary and Creativity in Tunisia

From Street to Home, the Art of Resistance in Post-Trabelsi Tunisia

December 7, 2011

Amid rising cries of Degage, get out, the people of Tunisia ousted their despotic President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who fled the country with his kleptocratic wife Leila Trabelsi. It was 14 January 2011 and for some the Tunisian revolution had succeeded and ended, for others perhaps it had only begun. In the days … More From Street to Home, the Art of Resistance in Post-Trabelsi Tunisia

Notes on the Dérive and a Jordanian Surrealist in Tunis

November 26, 2011

“One of the basic situationist practices is the dérive, a technique of rapid passage through varied ambiences. Dérives involve playful-constructive behavior and awareness of psychogeographical effects, and are thus quite different from the classic notions of journey or stroll.” Explained Guy Debord in his 1958 essay The Theory of the Derive. Dérive, the French form … More Notes on the Dérive and a Jordanian Surrealist in Tunis

A Feminist (trans)election Barometer

November 7, 2011

“What are your immediate thoughts on the election?” “I am really angry! That is all,” Myriam explained through a facebook chat. Myriam is a university graduate in her mid twenties who has studied in Europe and recently returned to Tunisia. At a small couchsurfing gathering at a friend’s apartment I started speaking with Mouna about … More A Feminist (trans)election Barometer

Post Gaddafi Artistic Re-Articulation of Power

October 22, 2011

In late September with Gaddafi removed from power and on the run, with major NTC achievements toward situating a transitional government, the insurgence of democratic participation in Libya was augmented by an outpouring of artistic expression toward re-articulating the previous total domination of social space under Gaddafi’s 42 year regime. Ellen Knickmeyer, former AP bureau … More Post Gaddafi Artistic Re-Articulation of Power