Country of the Month
Lila Merabtene– Algeria
February 2023
“I have always wanted to work in the corporate communication field and find ways to enhance a company’s image and profile through various methods and channels.” – Lila Merabtene, IVLP Alumna
In our most recent #CountryOfTheMonth feature, we are spotlighting Ms. Lila Merabtene, an #IVLP alumna from #Algeria who participated in a virtual IVLP titled “Using Visual Arts to Drive Social and Economic Change” in March 2022. During this program, Lila and her group virtually traveled to Washington D.C., Cleveland, Ohio, Orlando, Florida, and Seattle, Washington, where they explored arts promotion and arts management approaches and practices in the U.S. and looked into strategies and capacity-building in arts business development areas.
Lila is a communication consultant, fashion designer, and the founder and owner of Boho Concepts. She has a master's degree in mass communication. When asked why she chose this line of work, Lila responded, “I have always wanted to work in the corporate communication field and find ways to enhance a company’s image and profile through various methods and channels.” She explains how passionate she is about fashion design: “Fashion is a passion for me. Three years ago, I decided to launch an apparel Algerian brand called “Boho”. It has fashionable and comfortable apparel cuts with a subtle traditional touch (garments, colors, fabrics, embroideries, etc.). I am also the founder and owner of an Algerian art and handcraft concept store in Algiers. It features pieces of arts: paintings, fashion, jewelry, weaving, and basketry made by Algerian artists and designers”.
When we asked Lila to share some highlights from her IVLP experience, she said explained how she enjoyed hearing about how art can impact hospital patients’ metal health: “I would recall the part where we talked about introducing arts in the hospital and how art contributes to patients’ mental healing and appeasement”. She explained how she found the impact of art on the mental wellbeing of hospital patients to be the best moment of her IVLP experience. She shared how she is still in touch with other IVLP participants and U.S. connections.
When we asked Lila to share something interesting about Algeria to those who may not know much about it, she explained how beautiful and geographically diverse it is. She said, “Algeria is located in North Africa by the Mediterranean Sea, boarded to the eastside by Tunisia and to the westside by Morocco. It has a coast of 1,200 kilometers. It is also the largest African country. Algeria is a country with geographical contrasts, from the green valleys in between steep mountains in the north to some of the most extensive sand dune regions of all Sahara”. She also explains how the country is known for its desert: “Although Algeria is much less a tourist destination than its North African neighbors, a great number of travelers to Algeria come here mainly for the desert, in which there are several oases and mountains”.
Thank you, Lila, for sharing your incredible story and fascinating work in Algeria! We are inspired by you and your passion for your work and your country!
And thank you to our partners at the Cleveland Council on World Affairs, World Affairs Council – Seattle, and WorldOrlando for your help with the design and implementation of Lila and her group’s experience!
