Thursday, February 24, 2005
Studio Beirut - Partizan Publik.nl
Democratisation in the Middle East has become a central issue in the world security outlook. Social Engineering in the Arab world has become big business, with most actors focussing on the Arab government or activist groups. For given the political situation in the Middle East, where all societies are, too al larger or smaller extend, dominated by (semi) authoritarian regimes, democratisation would mean a progressive political development, and a confrontational policy. This hard headed political road has so far proven to be rather thorny. Democratisation the hard way has yet to wait for obvious successes.
At the same time, democratisation of the Middle East demands some taboos, political and cultural, to be contested. This progressive cultural change can not be expected to be run top down, but should be facilitated bottom-up. This notion on democratisation requires a change in approach. This confrontation cannot be taken to the political route, as most, if not all, regimes in the Middle East have gone a long way over the last few decades to make their governments ‘coup prove’. This confrontation should be sought in a mass-media youth culture, not much unlike what we have witnessed in Serbia (1999), Georgia (2003) and the Ukraine (2004). We should not try to change politics in order to foster cultural change; we should support cultural manifestation in order to force political change.
Partizan Publik is currently involved in the development of the Studio Beirut Project. We seek to develop a public sphere in the centre of the Arab World, a space that enables people to express themselves, give voice to their view. The Studio Beirut Project supports a scene, not an institution. Studio Beirut does not meticulously try to create the right political circumstances for the open society to flourish; the Studio Beirut Project takes it to the heart of Arab Stagnation, to provide urban youth with a platform for expression and self-development.
By way of http://www.partizanpublik.nl/ -> new new new! ¶ Thursday, February 24, 2005
At the same time, democratisation of the Middle East demands some taboos, political and cultural, to be contested. This progressive cultural change can not be expected to be run top down, but should be facilitated bottom-up. This notion on democratisation requires a change in approach. This confrontation cannot be taken to the political route, as most, if not all, regimes in the Middle East have gone a long way over the last few decades to make their governments ‘coup prove’. This confrontation should be sought in a mass-media youth culture, not much unlike what we have witnessed in Serbia (1999), Georgia (2003) and the Ukraine (2004). We should not try to change politics in order to foster cultural change; we should support cultural manifestation in order to force political change.
Partizan Publik is currently involved in the development of the Studio Beirut Project. We seek to develop a public sphere in the centre of the Arab World, a space that enables people to express themselves, give voice to their view. The Studio Beirut Project supports a scene, not an institution. Studio Beirut does not meticulously try to create the right political circumstances for the open society to flourish; the Studio Beirut Project takes it to the heart of Arab Stagnation, to provide urban youth with a platform for expression and self-development.
By way of http://www.partizanpublik.nl/ -> new new new! ¶ Thursday, February 24, 2005
