M*N*S*G

Displacement has been an unfailing feature of recent Iraqi history. During the last thirty to forty years, substantial numbers of Iraqi civilians fled their homes compelled by war, uprisings, and government - directed policies of ethnic cleansing and systematic forced resettlement.
The US-led invasion of April 2003 began under the projection of mass displacement. Aid agencies and human rights organizations warned, and governments throughout the Middle East feared, that the invasion risked triggering a massive exodus of Iraqis. This, however, did not materialize immediately. It did, however in subsequent years and with great force. As the security and political climate destabilized in Iraq, the violence that ensued triggered a massive wave of displacement, both within the country and outside. Iraqis found themselves forced to relocate in search of security.
From conversations and interviews with Iraqi refugees in Europe and throughout the Middle East and those internally displaced within Iraq, it is clear that many dream to return to their homeland. Those who express hesitation fear they no longer belong in Iraqi society or risk targeting if they return. In either case, it is equally clear that the vast majority of Iraqis living outside of their homeland do not think that it will be safe enough to return in the near future. For many Iraqis it is not that they do not want to return home, it is that they believe they cannot. offline:events in collaboration with independent Iraqi artists, filmmakers, and authors are documenting the lives of Iraqis navigating the space between home and exile. MNSG is the title of this ongoing body of work. The scope of MNSG includes the production of new works (film, theatre, and the written word) as well as communicating interior and exterior discussions on Iraq in panel forums. The letters MNSG represent the four passport series held by Iraqis from the era of Saddam Hussein (MN), post war 2003 (S) and following 2006 (G) series.

The first concrete step will be the pubblication of a catalogue with articles, essays and photos by, among the others: Jassim Mohammed, Ali Bader, Ziad Turkey and Thomas Sommer-Houdeville.

Here you can download the cover: