Where are the borders? Photo by Constanze Flamme Cultural policy research and activism in the Middle East and North Africa This autumn, Tandem partner ECF highlights cultural policy research and activism in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region through a series of conversations, a.o. with Rana Yazaji, Managing Director of Culture Resource that were at the forefront of setting up Tandem Shaml in 2012. In this conversation, Rana highlights the impact and challenges of their work. We are happy to share some of her thoughts about collaborative work, especially in link with Tandem, here. Where are the borders? Photo by Constanze Flamme What are the main challenges you face when working in the field of cultural policy in the Arab region? Political and social challenges – the wars in Syria, Libya and Yemen, which have caused regional turmoil and forced thousands to flee their countries and look for refuge in neighbouring countries or Europe; and increasing censorship and restrictions on freedom of expression that are now directly targeting the cultural sector. Institutional challenges – institutional frameworks and capacities in the region are not strong enough to support a strong cultural sector. We started working in 2011 on improving this situation through the Cultural Policy Programme. We will open a funding call in the autumn of 2016 with the aim of strengthening a number of existing independent structures in the region and enabling them to support the cultural sector better in their own environments. We focus on independent organisations (associations, foundations, networks etc., regional or national, which have established their activities and mission in the last five years). Limited resources for the arts in the region is a persistent issue, which we try to address via our different grant programmes. Photo by Constanze Flamme from a Tandem Shaml meeting in Jordan. During the conversation, Rana is also asked to talk about the impact of working with partners in Europe, especially from working with Tandem. She lists the following: – Internationalisation of the artists’ work – exposing culture and arts from Arab region internationally. Tandem Shaml was the first programme where we focused on widening international networks for Arab cultural organisations and for individuals. – Tajwaal is the mobility programme of Culture Resource. – Building knowledge internally and in the region, but also expanding that knowledge and raising awareness about the region internationally: for example, the opportunity to collaborate with IFACCA on World CP and to have the chance to be part of the World Summit for Arts and Culture 2016 (Valetta, Malta). – Strategies on reaching out to other international partners, expanding the opportunities for our beneficiaries and strengthening their resilience. You can read the complete conversation with Rana Yazaji on ECF’s website. Previous Image Next Image Where are the borders? Photo by Constanze Flamme Where are the borders? Photo by Constanze Flamme Photo by Constanze Flamme from a Tandem Shaml meeting in Jordan. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Got it!