North Africa

The office Heinrich Böll Foundation in Rabat, Morocco was founded in 2014 and works on the subjects of ecology and sustainability as well as democratization.

With the attacks on the French magazine "Charlie Hebdo", a new debate on free speech started, aksing i.e. where does freedom of expression end and where do xenophobia and defamation begin? Does Islam allow for critical self-reflection? In 2011 we organized a conference in Beirut, adressing those question. A documentation.

In reaction to the Arab Spring the Foundation decided to expand its programmes to North Africa and, in the summer of 2012, began to establish a new office in Tunis which opened in May 2013.

Article seven of the Lebanese Constitution guarantees equality of rights, obligations and duties to all citizens. But women in Lebanon are still far away from having the same rights. This article explains how family, sect, and the government conspiring against the participation of women in the public sphere.

Arts manager and a cultural activist Basma El Husseiny points out that art is one of the most essential assets during social change. Being creative enables people to feel and think beyond their immediate reality and outside their usual capacity.

During the Arab uprisings, an unprecedented number of women took to the streets, paving the way for a more important role in politics. However, in the transitional period that follows, they now have to fight against their exclusion from the political arena. This fight will blur the conflict lines between the „traditional-religious“ and the „urban-modern-non-religious“ blocs. 

Following the popular uprisings, there has been much amount of debate on the future of minority Christians sects in the region. Is the new Arab world hostile to Christians? Is it wise for them to fear the downfall of the Assad regime?

After seven months of military repression, Syria’s protest movement is still bravely confronting the government of Bashar al-Assad. Layla Al-Zubaidi heads the office of the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation in Beirut. In an interview, she speaks about the endurance of the protests, the complexity of confessional groups and Turkeys role in the conflict.

Arab Spring cought the West by surprise. The United States are currently facing a tremendous loss of influence in the region. Changing US policy toward authoritarian regimes has been like turning an oil tanker.

The Jasmine Revolution has prevailed, and the dictator has fled. The Tunisian people have outlined a new page in their history and the history of the Arab world during this first half of 2011.