Source: Getty
commentary

The Writing Is on the Wall

Graffiti by protestors in Algiers and Beirut shows their desire to take control of public space.

by Dalia GhanemLoulouwa Al Rachid, and Sabri Benalycherif
Published on October 31, 2019

At the Carnegie Endowment’s website, Dalia Ghanem, Loulouwa al-Rachid, and Sabri Benalycherif have just published a very interesting photo essay on the graffiti of protesters in Algiers and Beirut, where large demonstrations have taken place this year against the countries’ respective governments and political systems. Describing the graffiti, the authors write that “Some evoke the past to illustrate a long history of suffering, while others use metaphors and name-calling to unite people against their ‘oppressors.’” A more profound aim in posting graffiti, they argue, is that for protesters, “in both countries, graffiti art subverts state control and takes back the public space.”

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