Azawad: The Art of Creating a State

In the summer of 2014, documentary film makers Gabriëlle Provaas and Rob Schröder joined a delegation of the New World Academy to travel with the National Liberation Movement of Azawad (MNLA), which since 2012 has been fighting for the independent state of Azawad in the northern, Saharan part of Mali.

The resulting documentary—Azawad: The Art of Creating a State—offers a unique insight in the everyday struggle of the peoples that have joined the liberation movement. Together with artist Jonas Staal and producer Younes Bouadi, the directors interviewed a number of those engaged in endeavors in the “art of creating a state.”

The documentary Azawad: The Art of Creating a State is an independent project by filmmakers Gabriëlle Provaas and Rob Schröder that stems from the fourth session of New World Academy, which took place in 2014 under the title The Art of Creating a State. New World Academy is an educational platform that invites representatives of stateless political organizations to share their visions on the role of art in political struggle with artists and students. New World Academy is established in 2013 by artist Jonas Staal in collaboration with BAK, basis voor actuele kunst.