The Mimeta partners are mostly relating to professional networks locally, nationally, and regionally, and within local or national communities, and are not operating directly in policy processes nationally or internationally. Somehow this is a logical consequence of the focus towards change, not political dialogue.
There are also signs of improvements as partners are taking initiatives into cross-sectoral and thematic or professional networks internationally. We see that this focus on social impact contributes to even stronger networks within the arts and culture sector itself, as the discussion on narratives and concerns about impact unities them. These concerns also open up the sector towards partnerships within a wider network of civil society and media organisations that have common causes in social and political change.
The narrative change discourse also puts light on linkages through cross-sectorial partnerships. Some of the statements below are informed by this thinking:
a) There is a need to strengthen collaborative and cross-sectoral work to enhance our knowledge and resources in order to help address the complex problems facing the arts sector, which require a broad range of expertise. Such collaborative work could help practitioners in the arts sector understand and value their contribution to public life, in addition to offering concrete examples on the importance of art in strengthening the freedom of expression.
b) Our main strategic goal is to bring together the sectors of independent cinema and civil society.
c) Our organization has always worked with a network of artists, cultural practitioners, and local communities, to develop deeply rooted projects and ensure a long-term vision. It also believes that cross-sectoral collaborations are crucial to address the multitude of community needs and to impactfully contribute to the complex process of social change. And thus, collaborate with various individuals and organizations from different sectors. In many of our projects, we collaborate with public institutions as well. Finally, through our transmission and mentorship programs, we create solid networks of cultural organizations and practitioners both nationally and regionally to contribute to shared learning, informed policies, and hence a stronger cultural ecosystem.
d) Our organization has embraced the focus on collaborations, exchanges and networking. Through East African Performing Arts Market - we have initiated the East African Festival Network, we are members of Music in Africa (South Africa), Juenesses Musicale International (JMI) , the International Independent Cultural Council (UK/Greece), The Africa Music Forum (Cape Verde), Visa for Music (Morocco), The iGODA network (Reunion Island/Sub Saharan Africa), Arterial Network (South Africa); The Culture Connections Africa (US/Africa), Global Toronto (Canada), International Society of the Performing Arts (ISPA - USA) among others.
e) Through our network program we aim at playing a leading role in advocating and supporting cross sector collaboration among civil society organizations globally and enhance the role of the arts in social change.
Examples on building networks for change
The crack down on free expression and civil society that has characterized the post Arab Spring years in MENA and the political environment in recent years in East Africa, has placed civil society actors at threat of distinction. The Fragility of the rights based Civil Society Sector has made it an easy target for authoritarian regimes: It is often subjected to the ire of oppressive regimes and consistently attacked in the public sphere. The economic model of most civil society organisations - i.e. their reliance on foreign funding - makes them vulnerable to the accusations and claims of pundits and conspiracy theorists, as well as to financial instability as major donors’ priorities constantly shift in a global politically volatile climate.
All this has called for more networking between these actors, and many of our partners have been at the forefront of initiating these networks on a local, regional and international level. Supporting networks is a key pillar of the strategy that guides Mimeta’s partnership with Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs within the Realizing Artistic Rights and Freedom of Expression.
Febrayer Network is a media network, based in Berlin, working in and for media outlets in the Arab region and the Arab communities in the diaspora. Born in 2016, initially as a growing informal coalition of like-minded journalistic and artistic Arab media outlets, the current member institutions are online media groups operating in Egypt (Mada Masr), Lebanon (Megaphone), and Syria (Al-Jumhuriya Collective), while others operate regionally, covering the Middle East and North Africa (Sowt.com). The network feeds off a thirst for network building among these media in the region, in the wake of rising threats to independent voices in the region and an overall weak surrounding professional media practice, a historical by-product of absent freedoms. Febrayer aims to carve a space where media can speak a new, engaging and influential language and gain traction in the mid and long runs. Febrayer is the culmination of this thirst, expressed by the founding member organizations, who identified how collaborative work through an independent network organization can enable their work back home.
In 2022, Mimeta’s support to Febrayer went towards the network’s core strategic and institutional development, as well as towards the Counter Academy for Arab Journalism. The Academy is a year-long academic program in Arabic where young Arab students are exposed to a journalism that is open to the social sciences, cultural practices and historical contexts. The Academy fosters critical thinking, creativity and curiosity in order to produce meaningful, nuanced and deep journalism in the Arab region. The academy aims to enhance community building and solidarity between its participants as they embark on journalistic work in an environment hostile to crucial and independent expression. In a world where the journalism field is governed by tools and techniques, the Counter Academy for Arab Journalism looks into restoring the relevance of deep understanding of socio-political contexts, power dynamics and critical theory of relevance, to the practice of a journalism delivered through intelligent form. In the wake of rising threats to independent voices in the region, Febrayer aims to carve a space where media can speak a new, engaging and influential language and gain traction.
The Academy program was open to a total of 44 students, who had full access to the course material and were mentored by the course instructors. This cohort was diverse, and it included students from different countries in the Arab region, as well as Syrians and Palestinians living in France, Germany, and Lebanon. Febrayer believe that diversity and inclusion are essential for fostering creativity and innovation, and Febrayer are committed to providing access to education and resources to communities that have limited access to academia or spaces of knowledge production. The first cohort of the Counter Academy has successfully completed their academic year. The students came from Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, and Tunisia. The program included a variety of courses, lectures, assignments, two camps, and an internship period. At this stage, the students have started completing and publishing their graduation stories.
Action for Hope initiated Landscapes of Hope (LoH), is a network of 25 civil society organizations, from 16 mostly global south countries, that work together across sectorial divides to bring about effective social change in situations of distress. In 2022, through LoH’s small grants scheme, 6 network members collaborated with organizations from different sectors to implement projects addressing a variety of issues including social justice, human rights, gender inequality, and freedom of expression among others:
The Arab Digital Expression Foundation in Egypt established its Autism Inclusion Unit in collaboration with the Egyptian Autistic Society (EAS) aiming to integrate autism inclusion for all of ADEF’s activities with teens and young professionals.
The Social Justice Coalition in South Africa did the Gender, Justice, and Power series program to draw attention to the form of inequality, exclusion, and discrimination that the informal settlements have seen in Cape Town.
Ettijahat-Independent Culture from Syria started the Artistic Digital Fellowships supporting the development and discussion of artworks dealing with freedom of expression, censorship, and other sensitive/provocative issues.
The Centre for Equity Studies (CES) in India built a collective of citizen actors, comprising peace and human rights workers, film-makers, lawyers, writers, and scholars and will come together to work on: Popular Education Books on the Indian Constitution, Living with Fraternity (a series of short docs), and Public Debates.
Megarwa in Egypt did a two-week film-making workshop connecting and capturing 15 young residents' (aged 12-18) relationship to natural heritage with urban heritage.
In Place of War from the UK organized a community media campaign and art exhibition that aims to showcase the real people and youth of this previously marginalized community of Lavender Hill, Cape Town, South Africa.
The Landscapes of Hope network’s Requiem for Justice is an annual international rally of artists and writers that manifests the power of the arts to protect injustices, reflect current realities and imagine a better future. Through the 2022 session of Requiem for Justice in Mexico, issues faced by minority groups and communities living in the conflict, were highlighted through the 4 days of the festival that included: 4 panel discussions addressing freedom of expression under authoritarian regimes, the situation in Afghanistan in regards to the humanitarian crises and women’s rights, and the impact of climate change on vulnerable and marginalized communities like indigenous peoples and the poor, 8 music and poetry pieces were performed by young artists concerned with social issues in their countries such as Zimbabwe, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, Lebanon, and Afghanistan among others, speeches were delivered by renowned authors, activists, and former diplomats to discuss critical global issues, two art exhibitions took place by Syrian artists telling the story of the Syrian war through artwork.
Together with the UK based Doc Society, Aflamuna is spearheading the creation of a global network of independent film institutions. The first gathering took place in Amsterdam in December 2022 with 9 organizations from 8 different countries (Ambulante - Mexico, Aflamuna - Lebanon, Doc Society - UK, DocsMX - Mexico, DocSP - Brazil, Docubox - Kenya, In-Dox - Indonesia, India Documentary Foundation - India) who have already put an ambitious action plan together that includes a field wide definition of “independence”, collaborative global programming, safety and security infrastructure, and decentralized funding schemes.
Aflamuna also convened 9 independent Arab film institutions (Beirut DC - Lebanon, Film Lab Palestine - Palestine, Comra Films - Yemen, Doc House - Tunisia, Sudan Film Factory - Sudan, Royal Film Commission - Jordan, Greener Screen - Jordan/UAE, Ma3mal - Jordan, Tale Box - Jordan) in Amman in September 2022 to discuss the creation of a “safety net” that will enable these vital institutions to persist in the face of the myriad of challenges they are facing. They have already agreed on a preliminary plan and will gather again in June 2023.
Summary of networks for change:
Our partners network building is many-faceted. They serve professionalism in a field. They are extensive alumina networks based on participation in capacity building programs within the sector. They are kept together by a common interest in upholding an arts sector despite migration and re-location from a broken homeland. They are served by diaspora-based entities that works to uphold and foster critical voices at home ground. They are part of international alliances for the protection of artist at risk. As examples. A new tendency is the focus from the arts and culture sector to engage in cross-sectorial networks, and they are organizing locally, regionally and on an international level, implying a shift from policy and advocacy networks to socially engaged networks where purposes are within the field of (social and political) change.
