MARAM: Mobilising Access to Rights for Artists in Morocco

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Mobilising Access to Rights for Artists in Morocco (MARAM) will build on and broaden the impact of our innovative GCRF project ("Arts for Advocacy") in contributing to debate, shifting opinions, and informing migration policies in Morocco. MARAM (meaning 'wish' in Arabic) will foster greater social and institutional recognition for marginal artists (specifically migrants from Africa and the Middle East and Moroccans from disadvantaged communities).Morocco has become a country of transit and immigration, notably for sub-Saharan migrants fleeing persecution, conflict and economic precariousness, and more recently for those fleeing the war in Syria. Morocco is attempting to implement a new and more inclusive politics of migration, but this has been fraught with contradictions and ongoing violence. As with other progressive reforms across the Middle East and North Africa region (e.g. Arab Spring), activists, artists, migrant leaders and NGO practitioners have increasingly mobilised the arts to advocate for policy changes regarding migration. Researchers and other practitioners often engage with migrant artists, but their specific needs and challenges as both migrants and artists are overlooked. MARAM addresses this gap in collaboration with its Project Partner, Racines, through three objectives:1. To develop a Toolkit to facilitate the navigation of existing legislation and administrative hurdles by artists based in Morocco; 2. To enhance artistic collaboration and support networks amongst artists based in Morocco, and between artists and cultural professionals;3. To generate a Manifesto for Artists' Rights to shape policies affecting artists based in Morocco.In order to broaden the range of user communities, MARAM will work with a new Project Partner, Racines, an association for cultural development in Morocco and Africa. Activities co-designed and co-delivered with Racines in MARAM include: 1) a series of Workshops in which marginal migrant and Moroccan artists based in Morocco will identify challenges to accessing rights, and social and institutional recognition, co-develop solutions, and build capacity; 2) an Artistic Residency Programme in which participants will creatively engage with what it means to be an artist in Morocco; 3) A Forum for stakeholders, decision-makers, and policy-makers to develop a shared vision of future cultural policies in Morocco. Led by Dr Laura Jeffery (University of Edinburgh) in collaboration with Dr Mariangela Palladino (University of Keele) and Dr Sébastien Bachelet (University of Edinburgh) the team consists of researchers from across the humanities and social sciences with experiences in forced displacement, arts-based methods, NGO partnership, knowledge exchange, and capacity building within and beyond the Moroccan context. Through its inclusion of artists and creative professionals in designing and conducting the project, MARAM will deliver short, mid, and long-term impact:1. MARAM will benefit Morocco-based local and migrant artists by enhancing their capacity as creative professionals trough knowledge and skills (e.g. project development & management, communication, employment rights);2. MARAM will foster and enhance networks and partnerships in the creative and cultural sector in Morocco;3. MARAM will contribute to shaping institutional policies at national level in Morocco and help sustain improvements in other ODA countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region (see Visual Evidence 1).