Urban Activism Worldwide: Cultural Empowerment

Promoting Cultural Empowerment

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Mintzalagunak Donostia Basque Country, Spain

Mintzalagunak is an association that provides everyday situations where people can speak Euskara, the oldest language of Europe, in order to increase its use.

Approximately 35% of Donostia’s population of 200,000 speaks Euskara. Mintzalagunak’s goals are to preserve the language and improve fluency.

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Dashanzi Art Space Beijing, China

Dashanzi Art Space provides artists with a living place and gallery space.

Formerly an abandoned factory, Dashanzi is now a gathering space for artists, most of whom were previously homeless and estranged from society.

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The Bag Factory Artist Residency Program Johannesburg, South Africa

The Bag Factory runs a residency program for artists to facilitate cultural exchange.

This non-profit organization rents affordable studios to local artists, providing an environment that encourages diversity and cross-fertilization of ideas and practices.

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The Warehouse Cultural Center Blantyre, Malawi

The Warehouse Cultural Center was founded by a group involved in the production of the first entertainment series produced entirely in Malawi.

While the Warehouse focuses on more traditional cultural expressions such as music and performing arts, it also invests in forms of visual arts such as film and photography.

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Açev Parents and Children Education Centre Istanbul, Turkey

Açev offers low-income families the opportunity for home-based, preschool education.

The organization provides courses that teach parents how to educate their children under the age of six.

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Mahanagari Bandung, Indonesia

Mahanagari’s goal is to teach younger generations to have an appreciation of Bandungnese culture and traditions

The Mahanagari organization sells merchandise that represents local themes and traditional cultural values and beliefs.

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Cafe Zoïde Playground Café Paris, France

Café Zoïde is a combination neighborhood workshop and café, independent from the school system, that provides an educational yet liberating environment for children.

The project offers a playground, art courses and exhibitions, support for foreign parents and children, a café based on exchange and participation, and a library of information.

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Where is? Temporary Post-Industrial Museum Milan, Italy

Where is? sponsors temporary reuse of abandoned factories for urban art projects, performances, and live music.

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Satvik Traditional Food Festival Ahmedabad, India

Satvik is a food festival aimed at stimulating the demand for local crops from in order to generate incentives for their conservation.

Satvik includes individuals, organizations, and farmers’ collectives that set up stalls at festivals to showcase and sell organic prepared food, vegetables, and fruits.

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YG6 Gallery, Atelier, Club, Restaurant, Apartment and more Oslo, Norway

YG6 is a creative arena in Oslo that helps people connect with each other across fields of interest and creative disciplines.

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Iparragirre Basque Country, Spain

Iparragirre offers rehearsal spaces and the promotion several local music bands.

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Homeless Gallery Warsaw, Poland

Homeless Gallery is a cultural association that organizes photography exhibitions in abandoned buildings around Poland. Professionals as well as amateurs can take part in the exhibitions.

The gallery’s main goals are to support young and/or passionate photographers and to provide them with a place to exhibit their own work.