Iraq is celebrating five years since the liberation of Mosul this weekend. The country’s second city had been occupied by the Islamic State from 2014 to 2017, and completely destroyed during the war. Since then, reconstruction has taken time. The city center is still mostly in ruins. Faced with the authorities’ inaction, civil society took over.
With our correspondent in Iraq, Lucile Wassermann
In the historic center of Mosul, a small square denotes with the surroundings completely destroyed: a lively place, where small shops have been rebuilt, and where a café has become one of the cultural centers of the city. Saqer, the originator of this place, explains the concept: ” This part of life was completely destroyed, so the idea was to create a place to attract life here, organize all kinds of events, and we didn’t think it was going to work so much! »
Today, activists celebrate one of their initiatives: the organization of a large music festival in the city two weeks ago. Abeer, a 28-year-old Iraqi girl surrounded by her friends, smiles: “ This whole team has made it possible to carry out dozens of projects aimed at preserving and promoting the heritage of the district. We’re like the surgeons of this suffering old town, let’s say. We must multiply these initiatives! »
When the city was liberated, civil society in Mosul was very quickly reconstituted. It now plays an unprecedented role in the reconstruction of the city, filling the void left by the authorities. ” We are young, and we have a lot to do here. We have the potential to get what we want, so we have to give ourselves the means “says the young woman.
An example of courage and resilience, which has allowed the city center to come back to life, even if a large part still remains to be rebuilt.
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