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Ghana ThinkTank: The Infiltrators (2014)
The Sudanese think tank outside the Holot Detention Camp, Negev Desert, Israel.
As part of the exhibit "The Infiltrators" at Artport gallery, Ghana ThinkTank worked with Maayan Sheleff and Yael Ravid to set up think tanks of African refugees in Israel. We collected problems from Israelis living in the notoriously neglected neighborhood of south Tel Aviv, which were sent to think tanks of Sudanese and Eritrean asylum seekers also living in south Tel Aviv. The Africans solved the Israelis' problems, and vice-versa.
We then worked with the think tanks, community members and local organizations to implement their solutions. You can read more detailed accounts of different aspects of the project in English, Hebrew, Arabic, and Tagrine, here and here.
A mobile sculpture positioned on a bicycle cart functions as a point of encounter and a work station that continues to record problems and broadcast solutions in the gallery and throughout the city.
A solution the think tanks came up with regarding safety in the south Tel Aviv neighborhood was to create an all women community watch -a south Tel Aviv security force composed of African and Israeli women recruits. This is the uniform we designed, an Israeli polive uniform cut from African fabric, and a custom police patch.
A Pictorial Guide to Misunderstanding between African Asylum Seekers and Israelis. Designed based on the stereotypes presented by the different think tanks as part of their effort to teach Africans the "cultural codes" of Israel. The project was created in collaboration with Maayan Sheleff. Community organizer- Yael Ravid. The vertical gardens are in collaboration with "Urban Environment Nursery - onya city." The Neve Shaanan tour is in collaboration with Nisan Almog.
Participants:
Sudanese Think Tank: Adam Ahmed, Adam Arbab, Ahmed Mirsal Adam, Anwar Suliman Arbab, Arbab Abakar, Bashor Mohammad Salah, Jamal Omer, Zakaria Mohammed Abdallah Saleh , Hassan Butora Rahima, Hassan Ahmed Shakur, Yeman Adam, Muhamed Haron Abker, Noureldin Mohammed Adam, Adil Aldao
Eritrean Think Tank: Binyam Gikidan, Habtom Kiflom Tesfamariam, Sulumani Mohammed, Samrawit Solomon, Philipos Tesfai, Shiden Kitiai, Tomass Gabrab, Teklit Michael
Israeli Think Tank:Or Levi, Yael Ben- Yefet, Maayan Ravid, Sophie Menashe, Ivry Baumgarten, Robert Ungar, Rachel Priel, Shira Dushy, and others.