The Institut des cultures arabes et méditerranéennes (Institute for Arab and Mediterranean Cultures (ICAM)) is an association and
Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
cultural center for the promotion of Arab and Mediterranean cultures in Switzerland.
History
Founded in 2013 by former maire of Geneva, Patrice Mugny and the Lebanese-Sudanese bookseller Alain Bittar, the aim of the institute is to promote the cultures of the
Arab
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...
world and to establish an intercultural exchange between Switzerland and the Arab world. Supported by the
Canton of Geneva
The Canton of Geneva, officially the Republic and Canton of Geneva, is one of the Cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons of the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of forty-five Municipality, municipalities, and the seat of the governme ...
and the city government, the cultural center promotes as an association the recognition of Arabic-speaking communities in Geneva society and its history.
Exhibitions and concerts
The Institute organizes and promotes shows, conferences, concerts and exhibitions related to its goals and objectives.
Exhibitions
The institute houses an exhibition space for contemporary art: the ''Galerie d'Olivier,'' exhibiting shows directly linked to Arab and
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
cultures. Since 2016, artists such as
Wajih Nahlé (Lebanon),
Nja Mah Daoui (Tunisia) Nazir Ismail (Syria), Mohamed Al Dabous (Palestine), Mohamed Al Hawajri (Gaza) Sohail Salem (Gaza), Ali Taraghijah (Iran),
Towhidi Tabari (Iran),
Salah Taher (Egypt),
Khali Hamra (Palestine) and Gianni Motti (Switzerland) have been represented at the Institute. Alain Bittar (ICAM) and Curator Nuria Delgado from Vesaniart,
Málaga
Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...
showed the works of Abraham Benzadón, Ana Pavón, Julia Diazdel, Mar Aragón,
Daniel Garbade, Pedro Peña, Sebastián Navas and Kelly Fischer in the exposition about the
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...
in cooperation with the
University of Malaga in 2020. Swiss artist
Daniel Garbade also participated in this exhibition, and again in 2022 with his individual show entitled: ''Willam Tell is Andalusian.''
Concerts
The ICAM also organizes concerts by renowned musicians such as
Karim Wasfi,
Marcel Khalifé accompanied by
Rami Khalifé and Aymeric Westrich in the Alhambra or the ''Fête de l'Olivier'', the first Arab music festival in Switzerland.
[{{Cite web, url=https://thingstodoingeneva.ch/fete-de-lolivier-geneva-2019/, title=OLIVE TREE FESTIVAL – ARABIC AND MEDITERRANEAN MUSIC, date=2019-09-16, website=Things to do in Geneva, language=en-GB, access-date=2020-01-26]
Notes and references
Cultural centers in Europe