The 2019 Denis Pietton grant goes to Rim Kelouaze
On 13th June 2019 at a ceremony organised in Tunis, the Denis Pietton grant was given to Algerian Rim Kelouaze in recognition of her “Teen” project, which aims to sustainably preserve and develop Algerian heritage.
Updated on 08/07/2019
2 min
Supporting young people
In 2016, the Institut français launched the Denis Pietton grant, which pays tribute to the humanist convictions of this former diplomat, who passed away in 2015. Throughout his career, Denis Pietton worked to advance young people from North Africa and the Middle East.
The goal of this grant is to promote freedom of expression for young people from Arab world communities and to support them as they work to transform our societies. Each year, it rewards a young project leader who has participated in the Safirlab programme, which brings together participants from eleven countries in North Africa and the Middle East. Last year, the grant recognised Omar Itani, a young man from Lebanon who promoted the recycling of clothing through his start-up FabricAID.
Rim Kelouaze, 2019 winner
For this 2019 edition, the Institut français has chosen to honour 29-year-old Rim Kelouaze’s commitment and her Teen project, which aims on the one hand to preserve Algerian heritage and on the other to encourage the construction of the Algeria of tomorrow, while respecting the planet and the country’s architectural traditions. The project’s name, "Teen", means "clay" in Arabic: a symbolic name that speaks to its goals of reshaping the country responsibly, while respecting its past.
Teen seeks to make change starting from the choice of materials used for urban development projects, through the construction and maintenance of the buildings of tomorrow. For Rim Kelouaze and her company, the aim is revive clay construction to sustainably re-create this sector in Algeria and to guarantee access to housing for all. The programme is fully involved in SafirLab, which aims to support young players in the Arab world by accelerating their social innovation projects. After a test phase in the Touggourt region, Teen should take off thanks to the Denis Pietton grant, which will eventually make it possible to expand the programme’s structure and to train new workers.
Urban planning in Algeria
Rim Kelouaze’s ambition should receive a particularly positive response in Algeria, a country that has been experiencing urban planning problems for several decades. Although efforts have been made at the legislative level to structure the development of the country’s 1450 municipalities, people are protesting against the environmental degradation caused especially by the widespread use of materials such as iron and concrete. Thanks to her project Teen, Rim Kelouaze is encouraging Algeria to address this fundamental issue.
Denis Pietton grant, assigned by the Institut français, promoted freedom of expression for young people from Arab world communities and to support them as they work to transform our societies. Each year, it rewards a young project leader who has participated in the Safirlab programme, which brings together participants from eleven countries in North Africa and the Middle East.