Researcher Lieve Wijman has been selected to join the collaborative project Mawjaat: Creative Hubs for Cultural Transitions in the Mediterranean, run by the Friche Belle de Mai and Iméra, in partnership with the French cultural network abroad and with the support of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.
A new phase for the Mawjaat project
The “Mawjaat – Creative Hubs for Cultural Transitions in the Mediterranean” project is entering a new phase! Alongside the Friche Belle de Mai, Iméra is welcoming Lieve Wijman, a researcher based in Amsterdam, as part of this research-action programme on cultural, ecological and social transitions.
Specialising in philosophy, conflict studies and human rights, Lieve explores the cultural, migratory and social dynamics between the shores of the Mediterranean, based on fieldwork carried out in Egypt, Jordan and Turkey.
About the Mawjaat project
The term “Mawjaat” (Arabic: موجات) means “waves” in English, a word that evokes the sharing sea and suggests waves of change, resonating with the spirit of the project.
In a context of cultural solidarity in the southern Mediterranean region, this project aims to support and strengthen, as well as nurture, a common reflection on cultural transitions based on a community of creative hubs, hybrid spaces and creative hubs. Mawjaat encourages regional cooperation between these key players in the cultural landscape on the southern shores of the Mediterranean, places for reflection and experimentation around shared development issues: social innovation, citizen participation, digital culture and ecological transformation.
Over a two-year period, Mawjaat will help to create regional Mediterranean expertise and support this community of creative hubs in its role as a creative and innovative laboratory, in particular through the implementation of a programme of experimental grants and the organisation of thematic workshops.
The result of a partnership between Friche la Belle de Mai and Iméra, the research-action in year 1 (January 2026 to January 2027) will combine field surveys in the five partner countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Lebanon), an analysis of the regional ecosystem of third places and the production of a deliverable presenting the results of the research. The research will culminate in a five-month residency at Iméra, scheduled for year 2 (February to June 2027).
This project is funded by the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. It is being carried out with the help of the Institut français d’Algérie, the Institut français d’Égypte, the Institut français du Liban, the Institut français du Maroc and the Institut français de Tunisie.
