Author: Rajae Hammadi

MADAR festival

Posted on by Rajae Hammadi

The MADAR (Maghreb Action on Displacements and Rights) network is delighted to announce its Festival, which will take place from 15 to 17 January 2025 at the Cinéma Ritz in Casablanca. The event will highlight the challenges of migration and displacement in the Central Maghreb region, encompassing Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. The programme will include round tables, film screenings, exhibitions, art installations and a jazz concert.

The event will bring together researchers, artists and associations from Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Switzerland, Italy, Germany and the UK. Discussions will look at the conditions under which migrant populations move, settle and integrate, mobility policies and practices, the socio-political obstacles encountered, care and protection regimes for migrants, vulnerability factors, differences in experiences according to social markers, and the ethical and methodological issues involved in research on migration. Approaches to research and representation will also be explored in order to gain a better understanding of migration in the Maghreb.

Maghreb Action on Displacement and Rights (MADAR مدار Arabic for ‘way’) is a network that aims to improve the humanitarian protection of vulnerable displaced people in the context of conflict in the Maghreb region (Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia).

Racines’ Contribution to the Book : Cultures of Sustainable Peace: Conflict Transformation, Gender-Based Violence, Decolonial Praxes

Posted on by Rajae Hammadi

“This important book highlights the vital role of cultural rights and gender equality in sustainable peace, drawing on decolonising and restorative paradigms to create cultures of peace using the arts. It offers original conceptualisations and theorisations of methods used to sustain cultures of peace in contexts of extreme violence and precarity in the Global South.” 

Francis B. Nyamnjoh, University of Cape Town, South Africa

This book challenges the conventional approach to peacebuilding by shifting the focus from nation-states and international organizations to the essential role of ordinary individuals in creating sustainable peace. It showcases initiatives in Gaza, Ghana, Mexico, Morocco, Zimbabwe, and Scotland that emphasize successful intercultural relations as a key aspect of peacebuilding, beyond the usual emphasis on economic development. The book also highlights the critical importance of addressing gender-based violence, acknowledging the role of women in peacebuilding, and promoting arts and culture as tools for resistance and social change. Through collaborative efforts spanning geographical and cultural boundaries, involving artists, activists, and academics, the book offers diverse perspectives on addressing violence and instability. In a world where peace efforts can seem futile, the book makes a compelling argument for the significant impact of local action and cultural initiatives in shaping a more positive future.

To get your copy of the book

To read Racines’ contribution

“Dert Boom” is now available for open viewing!

Posted on by Rajae Hammadi

Marking the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence

After a tour through several international film festivals. And after the debates that the film has provoked in the different locations, towns and contexts through which it has been screened. It is now time to open the debate in Morocco, the film’s country of origin, where it was filmed. So here it is, for free viewing, to revive, in situ, a debate that should not be forgotten. On your (re)marks, get set, go.

About “Dert Boom”

Moroccan women deconstruct patriarchy, laugh at its absurdity, and express their ardent desire for freedom, their dreams and their aspirations.

Overflowing with emancipatory fervor, their life stories are a rallying cry against an insidious patriarchy.

In a country torn between conservatism and modernity, their emancipation is the catalyst for their fight against patriarchy, domination and alienation.

These women wage a tireless battle with resilience, a smile and determination.

What triggered each of them? How do they get around patriarchal rules? How do they cope with the resistance of those around them?

The full documentary with english subtitles

Join the conversation:

We invite you to share your thoughts and reactions to the film on social media using the hashtag #Dert_Boom.

Find out more about our work on gender-equality in Morocco

 

Cairo Calling: Emerging Performing Artists from Egypt, the Arab World, & the UK Open Call

Posted on by Rajae Hammadi

The Arab Arts Focus aims to provide Arab artists with opportunities and platforms to showcase their work, support the contemporary arts scene, amplify diverse voices from the region, and pave the way for mutual understanding between the Arab world and other cultures.
The AAF operates on three main tiers: organising and producing Arab performing arts showcases in D-CAF and other festivals; producing works for established Arab artists; and disseminating a catalogue of Arab performances through global networks and markets. Through its three tiers, the AAF acts as a platform and market to provide Arab artists with opportunities to showcase and tour their work abroad, securing financial stability, building new audiences, and
expanding their reach.

Within the platform’s framework, and during the 12th edition of the Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF) we are excited to launch Cairo Calling: Emerging Performing Artists from Egypt, the Arab World, & the UK. We will host 10 emerging performing artists for a residency and training sessions during D-CAF in Cairo from October 17th to November 10th, and showcase an additional 4 performances from November 7th to November 9th.

These are two separate activities within the program, and will require separate applications. The details for each are listed below. Applicants can apply for both.

  1. The Training Program

Ten emerging artists from Egypt, the Arab region, and the United Kingdom will be hosted for three weeks, the duration of the 12th edition of the Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF) in Cairo, to participate in an intensive training program and interact with the festival’s performances.

Morning sessions will focus on the participants’ artistic approach and style, and how to promote their work regionally and globally, enabling the artists to develop their artistic and professional skills simultaneously.

Participants will enjoy attending D-CAF performances in the evening and will have the opportunity to meet the artists after the shows to discuss the festival’s performances.

Over the three weeks, participants will prepare summaries of their projects to present to a panel of programmers from the Arab region and the United Kingdom.

  1. Performances Showcase

Four dynamic performances featuring emerging artists from Egypt, the wider Arab region, and the United Kingdom will showcase the Cairo audience and captivate a panel of programmers from across the Arab world and the UK. We seek visionary works that push boundaries, spark curiosity, and deeply resonate with contemporary themes.For further inquiries and communication, please contact Project Manager Lina Sakr at [email protected].

Program Overview: HERE

For more details and to apply for the training program, visit this LINK

For more details and to apply for the performance program, visit this LINK

Separate applications are required for each program.

“BOZA!” selected for the Migration Matters Festival in Sheffield!

Posted on by Rajae Hammadi

We are pleased to announce that our documentary “BOZA!” has been selected to be screened at the Migration Matters Festival in Sheffield, UK, on June 18, 2024, at Showroom Cinema. This opportunity will enable us to amplify public debate on the challenges of migration by highlighting the journeys of three individuals who have left their home countries in pursuit of a dignified life. Audiences will be invited to follow life’s journeys where resilience, hope and determination intersect with feelings of fear and rejection.

About BOZA!
Barnes, Joel and Abdou leave their respective countries, pursuing a dignified life.
On the road, they realize that their adventure to the European “Eldorado” was not so simple. Meanwhile, they find themselves facing unexpected events.

Fear, rejection, hope and resilience.. Multiple faces of the migratory adventure !

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/946667371

About Migration Matters Festival

Migration Matters Festival is a 9-day annual celebration of sanctuary, cultural identity and migration in Sheffield. It is the largest Refugee Week festival in hosting up to 60 events each year providing platforms to underrepresented communities particularly people with lived experience of displacement, seeking asylum and forced migration.

This film is directed and produced by Racines aisbl, as part of the MADAR project ‘Maghreb Action on Displacement and Rights’

Stay tuned for more details on events associated with “BOZA!”

BOZA! selected for Festival of Impact in Edinburgh

Posted on by Rajae Hammadi

We are happy to announce that our documentary “BOZA!” has been selected to be shown at the Festival of Impact, organized by the University of Edinburgh from May 28 to 30, 2024. The film will be showcased in the “Social Sciences on Screen” category.

The screening of BOZA! will provide an opportunity to share the life stories of three individuals forced to leave their home countries in pursuit of a better life, by detailing the ups and downs of their journeys. Additionally, the screening will engage the audience in a discussion around the participatory approach involved in the film’s making, and its relevance to the academic research being carried out in parallel with the film.

About BOZA!

Barnes, Joel and Abdou leave their respective countries, pursuing a dignified life.
On the road, they realize that their adventure to the European “Eldorado” was not so simple. Meanwhile, they find themselves facing unexpected events.

Fear, rejection, hope and resilience.. Multiple faces of the migratory adventure !

Trailer: www.vimeo.com/946667371

This film is directed and produced by Racines aisbl, as part of the MADAR project ‘Maghreb Action on Displacement and Rights’

Stay tuned for more details on events associated with “BOZA!”

Elephant in the Mediterranean

Posted on by Rajae Hammadi

After months of collaborative effort among researchers, artists, and practitioners, a giant puppet resembling an elephant has been brought to life.

The elephant puppet, a creative result of the partnership between Racines (civil society organisation, Morocco) and Pigmalio Escultura que Mexe (artistic company, Brazil), draws inspiration from Aristotle’s Poetics, and aims to stir emotions of horror and pity in its audience, encouraging a deeper exploration of the intricate issues related to migration.

The elephant puppet is set to materialize questions around migration, alterity, racism and to be displayed in various Moroccan regions, allowing local communities to witness and react to it firsthand.

Dert Boom – Heading for Argentina and Canada. May the debate continue!

Posted on by Rajae Hammadi

We are pleased to announce that our documentary film “Dert Boom” has been selected for the “Short Long World Festival, Corrientes, Argentina” running from November 12 to 14 2023 in Corrientes. Also, it has been chosen for screening at the Festival du film de femmes de Montréal from March 05 to 08, 2024.

The film’s selection at national and international film festivals is a great opportunity to extend reflection and debate on gender-based violence, while learning about strategies deployed by Moroccan women in order to oppose forms of violence perpetuated by patriarchy.

 

Synopsis

Moroccan women deconstruct patriarchy, laugh at its absurdity, and express their ardent desire for freedom, their dreams and their aspirations. Overflowing with emancipatory fervor, their life stories are a rallying cry against an insidious patriarchy.

In a country torn between conservatism and modernity, their emancipation is the catalyst for their fight against patriarchy, domination and alienation. These women wage a tireless battle with resilience, a smile and determination.

What triggered each of them? How do they get around patriarchal rules? How do they cope with the resistance of those around them?

Trailer – Dert Boom

This documentary film was directed by Rajae Hammadi and Zakaria Rochdi, and was produced by Racines Aisbl as part of the ‘Culture for Inclusive and Sustainable Peace‘ project.