In Mosul, a monumental fresco rises from the ruins

Two and a half years after the fall of Daesh, the inhabitants of Mosul are struggling to rebuild their city. Mossul used to be the Iraqi capital of the terrorist organization, half of the city was destroyed by international air strikes and fighting. Its stone and marble houses, its carved doors, its mosques, its synagogues, and its churches have been reduced to ashes.

Once a cultural center where poets, painters and musicians mingled, Mosul has seen its art scene gradually fade away as a result of the conflicts and crises that have affected Iraq for more than forty years.

While the bombs have liberated the city from Daesh, artists are now working to free its spirits. In Mosul, it is time for reconstruction. Of buildings, of course. Of souls too.

West Mosul under the rubble

Creation of the 200m2 fresco

Amidst the rubble and reconstruction works, a small group of artists, brushes in hand, climb a ten-meter scaffolding. At work, 9 women and 5 men, of different ages, religions and origins, united by a common project: to create a 200m2 fresco on the wall of the student center, in the heart of the University of Mosul. The bright colors of the mural contrast with the gray of the surrounding walls still riddled with bullets.

The volunteers’ team

Claire Prat-Marca, director of the association

After an initial project in France/Brazil, Claire, sensitized by the plight of Iraqis, decides to initiate a project there with the assistance of journalists on the ground.

Tim Zdey, French mural artist

An artist committed to social causes, he dedicates half of his time to humanitarian projects worldwide. He completely repainted a nursery school in Paris with young people from the capital’s child welfare system, repainted a government school with indigenous minorities in Colombia and Mexico, and funded and supervised the renovation of a school in the Himalayan mountains of Nepal. Having previously participated in Artivista’s project in the Brazilian favelas of Belo Horizonte, he enthusiastically joined the team for this new project in Mosul.

Noé Pignède, reporter

For two years, Noé has been traversing Iraq and Syria for Radio France Internationale, Swiss Radio and Television, and the newspaper La Croix. He covered the end of the Islamic State war and now focuses on the consequences of the conflict on civilian populations affected by a thirst for culture and a desire for openness, narrating the daily lives of Mosul residents. Noé proposed to Artivista to launch a project in Iraq.

Thibault Lefébure, photographer

Originally from Grenoble, Thibault produces reports for the press and documentary projects in France and abroad, particularly along migrant routes. In spring 2019, Thibault met Noé Pignède and accompanied him on several reports in Iraq and Syria. In February 2020, he joined Artivista and documented the association’s project in Mosul through videos and photos.

Meethak al-Khatib, journalist

Born in 1998 in western Baghdad, Meethak moved to Erbil (Iraqi Kurdistan) in 2015, when his home region was occupied by the Islamic State. There, he met Western reporters who employed him as an interpreter before he became a journalist himself. Since 2019, Meethak has been a reporter for Radio al-Salam, focusing particularly on the daily lives of Iraqi youth in his program “Yallah Shebab!” (Come on, youth!). He is the co-organizer and interpreter for Artivista’s project in Mosul.

Portraits of the 14 students

© photos by Thibault Lefébure
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