The project “Women artists for social transformation Xabaca” was born from the collaboration of the NovAct (Barcelona), Al Fanar (Madrid) and Jiwar (Barcelona) association. Xabaca supports female Arab creators for two reasons: their role in social transformation through art, and because of the double oppression they experience as artists and women. 

Very often, cultural creation is a tool to visualize and cross red lines of power structures and to facilitate the questioning of the status quo. Female creators face a very specific type of repression. Patriarchy and the defiance towards the status quo generate a particular form of restraint which affects women in a different way than it affects men. The public and the political role of female creators is reduced, by minimizing the distribution, exposure and advocacy of their products. 

Xabaca puts forward the realization of artistic works linked to this whole context, taking into account the importance of gender and repression as fundamental aspects of the defense of freedom of expression and free creation of female Arab artists. 

Thus, Jiwar, NovAct and Al Fanar want to give a feedback to society by spreading the word of these artists and contributing to break societal stereotypes around a fixed image of “Arab women”. 

Xabaca is structured into two different areas: 1) Artistic development: to enhance art and creativity as means to combat gender discrimination, censorship and social injustice. 2) Empowering activist aspects: to strengthen the capacities of the two female Arab artists to increase their role in social change. This will be done by participation in workshops and putting them in touch with the international support network Xabaca, established in 2017. 

OPEN CALL DETAILS 

Open call for Arab female artists living and working in MENA region (North Africa – Middle East). Open to performers and visual artists.

Residency in Jiwar Creation and Society (Barcelona) from the 1st of November to the 1st of December 2018.

2 full scholarships covering 100% of the cost of the residency (travel + accommodation), including 450 euros per diem and artist.

Artistic material covered until 200€/artist.

Training: “Art and social transformation” (3 sessions).

Send your application to jiwar@jiwarbarcelona.com by July 1st at 0.00h BCN time. Applications can be sent preferably in English and French, but also in Arabic. 

HOW TO APPLY 

The artist has to send a PDF with not more than 5 pages with the following information: 

• Personal motivation letter to participate in the Xabaca project (maximum 1,200 characters without spaces)

• Statement/artist (Max. 1,000 characters without spaces)

• Proposal for the project to be done during the residency (maximum 2,000 characters without spaces) including technical requirements and objectives

• Updated short CV version

• Sample of your previous works (website link ok). 

(PLEASE, RESPECT THE NUMBER OF PAGES AND THE INFO REQUESTED) 

Artists selected in 2017 First edition: Fatima Mortada (visual arts, Lebanon); Sofia Aissaoui & Houda Lakhdar (cinema, Morocco); Haya Zaatry (songwriter, Palestina); Farah Ben Mansour (illustration, Tunisia).