Marwa Arsanios

Marwa Arsanios’ Who is Afraid of Ideology? series (2017 – 2020) weaves together ecological activism, the struggles of women, and Indigenous land rights, from Northern Syria and Iraqi Kurdistan to the so-called ‘coffee belt’ of Colombia. Self-defence, autonomy, collectivity, eco-feminism, Indigenous struggle, and seed-protection define the common ground for these women in their resistance to the capitalist logic of extraction and exploitation of the land. The last film in this trilogy, Part III – Micro Resistances, takes place in Tolima, Colombia, and focuses on the ongoing systemic war waged by transnational corporations against one of the smallest and most essential elements of life: the seed. Against forced displacements, violence and murder, Indigenous women are preserving their native seeds, and an ancestral knowledge of cultivation and care.Read More »

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A video that uses the history of a magazine – Cairo’s Al-Hilal ‘50s and ‘60s collection – as the starting point for an inquiry into Jamila Bouhired, the Algerian freedom fighter. An actress designated to play her role is showing the magazine’s covers to the camera. From the different representations of Jamila in cinema to her assimilation and promotion through the magazine, the performance attempts to look at the history of socialist projects in Egypt, anti-colonial wars in Algeria, and the way they have promoted and marginalized feminist projects. Read More »