Culture in Defiance 2015

Project summaries

20 projects granted by the Prince Claus Fund

Made by Louise Stokart – July 2015

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Culture in Defiance 2015: Projects granted per country

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Culture in Defiance 2015: Projects granted per categories

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Countries Projects granted

AFRICA 2Ethiopia 1Western Sahara 1

ASIA 15Afghanistan 1Cambodia 1Iraq 1Jordan 1Kashmir 1Lebanon 3Palestine 1Sri Lanka 1Tibet 1Turkey 1Turkmenistan 1Yemen 2

EUROPE 3Belarus 1Bosnia and Herzegovina

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TOTAL 20

CategoriesNr of Projects

Projects’ Name

Audio-Visual 5 Sevdah, the art of freedom; 48 Project; Cinema for the Sahrawi People; Cinema Club; Past Preserved

Photography 5 Witness to Paradise; What Syrians Want; Bamiyan, the story of change!; Ambassadors of Yemen; Faces of Belarus

Theatre 3 First African Circus Arts Festival; Impossible Theatre; Family Ti-Jean

Development 2 Connector; Living Arts in Post-Conflict Contexts

Music 1 Shoton Festival, Tibetan Opera in Dharamsala

Cultural Heritage 1 Along the silver tracks in Turkmenistan

Architecture 1 Jinan: A Garden for AllMedia/Journalism 1 The OutpostLiterature 1 The A to Z of conflict

Contents

Africa page 5

- Cinema for the Sahrawi People

- First African Circus Arts Festival

Asia page 7

- 48 Project

- Along the silver tracks in Turkmenistan- Ambassadors of Yemen- Bamiyan, the story of change!- Cinema Club- Family Ti-Jean - Impossible Theatre- Jinan: A Garden for All- Living Arts in Post-Conflict Contexts- Past Preserved- Shoton Festival, Tibetan Opera in Dharamsala- The A to Z of Conflict- The Outpost- What Syrians Want- Witness to Paradise

Europe page 30 - Connector- Faces of Belarus- Sevdah, the art of freedom

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Africa

Cinema for the Sahrawi PeopleWho: CEAS-Sáhara

What: Human rights film Festival and Audio-visual School

Where: Dakhla refugee camp (festival) and Bojador Refugee Camp (school), Tindouf, Algeria

When: Start: October 2015 - June 2016

Amount: €24,000

Cinema for the Sahrawi People is composed of the Abidin Kaid Saleh Audiovisual School in the Sahrawi refugee camps in Southwestern Algeria and the annual human rights film and cultural festival FiSahara 2016. The project includes trainings for Sahrawi film students, film screenings, roundtables and workshops. Some films made by Sahrawi students in 2015 will be screened at the 13th edition of festival FiSahara in 2016. Film screenings and roundtables with special guests will address themes touching human rights issues and the situation of the Sahrawi people. Through workshops and trainings the project builds local capacity among the Sahrawi people living in the camps and the occupied territories. The initiative uses the power of film to give the Sahrawi a voice, address their human rights crisis, provide access to entertainment and culture and opens critical spaces of dialogue. The project creates interaction between Sahrawis and international artists, in particular dialogue with young Moroccan artists and activists, with the aim to incite processes of mutual understanding and collaboration.

The indigenous population of Western Sahara lives in exile or under Moroccan occupation. They have a pressing need to preserve and showcase their culture and identity, a key factor of their survival as people. FiSahara is one of the few cultural activities that are organised in this otherwise very remote and poor area. Therefore, Cinema for the Sahrawi

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People is an innovative and unique project in this area with little access to culture and has high developmental relevance. The project offers a unique opportunity for these banned cultural actors to actively collaborate with other international organisations and individuals and further develop their activities. It also has the potential to raise international awareness on the situation of the Sahrawis, 40 years after their forced migration and occupation.

The First African Circus Arts FestivalWho: Giorgia Giunta on behalf of Fekat Circus ClubWhat: African circus arts festival with artists from Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Senegal and South-AfricaWhere: Addis Ababa, EthiopiaWhen: November 2015 – December 2015Amount: €24,000

The First African Circus Arts Festival brings together seven of the most active circuses in Africa. Fifty young artists from Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Senegal and South-Africa meet in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, from 27 November until 3 December 2015. The Festival program includes a two day-show and workshop with the participating circus teams and directors. The event makes it possible for the participants to link, share, and highlight the continent’s cultural wealth and diversity.

Fekat Circus, the Ethiopian NGO organizing the Festival, aims to promote circus as an agent of social change and development, by providing a range of community services, working with disabled and deaf people and employing former orphaned or street children. Fekat Circus’ 21 young permanent employees, working as circus trainers, performing artists, doctor-clowns and animators, reach around 650 marginalized children and youths, and over 10,000 hospitalized children every year through its varied programme. Their activities include a Circus school, outreach training programs, artistic performances, and awareness raising campaigns, daily entertainment and recreational activities in hospitals and governmental orphanages.

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The First African Circus Arts Festival creates a space for cultural exchange and dialogue for the participating circus teams. Although the participating circus teams are all working in very difficult circumstances, they survive as performing artists notwithstanding the political, social and economic challenges they face in their countries. Consequently, besides being an important occasion for young African circus artists to interact, learn from each other and express themselves and their rich artistic and cultural heritage, the Festival will offer an alternative, positive view on cultural exchange in Africa and convey a message of peace, unity and cultural diversity.

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Asia

48 Project

Who: Tanya Habjouqa, Rula Halawani, Khaled Jarrar, Laura Boushnak & Ali NoureldineWhat: Creation of geo-location mobile application documenting stories of dispossessed families in 1948 and mapping them back to locations in today’s Israel/PalestineWhere: Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine/IsraelWhen: March 2015 - March 2016Amount: €36,400

The 48 Project is an artistic collaboration that aims at creating a visual documentation of the Palestinian diaspora worldwide. Five Palestinian and Palestine-based photographers will bring Palestinian stories to life through photographs, interviews, videos and archival materials. They focus primarily on diasporic communities in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel. The artists will be documenting stories of families who were dispossessed in 1948 and map them back to locations inside Israel/Palestine. The work will be incorporated in a geo-location app, so that those walking through Israel today, can experience on their mobile devices the stories of those who once lived there. A touring exhibition will also be organised.

In an intimate and forward looking way, the project brings to the fore the voices of a Palestinian diaspora communities across the globe. The artists will transform source materials such as interviews, photos, videos and archival materials into thematic projects that are personal yet have a deeper meaning, generating original content that enables the audience to (re-)imagine the broader context of the Palestinian displacement of 1948. The app does not aim so much at reconstructing the past but rather seeks to incorporate stories, anecdotes, narratives and lives of present day realities of Palestinians from around the world.

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Palestinian diaspora communities are presented not just as refugees, but as people who have had to find many different and complex ways to cope with their wanderings, integrate into new societies, preserve their memories, sustain their struggle, and define a modern political identity all the while accepting the indefinite nature of their dispossession and displacement. For the rest of the world, this narrative is largely unseen, drowned out and diminished by the daily political violence of the contemporary occupation. The project allows for storytelling inside of Israel on a subject that is taboo, creating a tool that confronts Israelis with a history they wish to forget. The intimate form of storytelling aims at provoking a wider acceptance of that history, and a willingness to see, and hear about the lives of a new generation of Palestinians.

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Along the silver tracks in Turkmenistan

Who: Farid Tuhbatullin, Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights (TIHR)

What: A digital catalogue with Turkmeni silver jewellry Where: Turkmenistan and diaspora When: May 2015 – May 2016Amount: €15,100

Along the silver tracks in Turkmenistan aims to highlight the available documentation of silver jewellry, an important part of Turkmen cultural heritage, through a digital catalogue. Originally housed in the Ashgabat National Museum of Fine Arts, these silver items have been dispersed across the country, with many of them stolen or disappeared due to negligence. The Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights is a diaspora-based organisation (in exile for safety and security reasons) that through this project aims at reaching people within Turkmenistan and distributing the digital catalogue on USB sticks, with an aim to encourage sharing and copying. Along the silver tracks in Turkmenistan will prepare an online photo-album about the rich and diverse heritage of Turkmen silver jewelry from 18th and 19th centuries and publish it in English, Russian and Turkmen.

Turkmen silver jewelry has a long history and it is one of the most important segments of Turkmen culture. Several tribal groups live across the regions in Turkmenistan and each have their own distinct styles and versions of silver jewellry. The project will allow the current generations of Turkmeni people to study and get in touch with their own cultural heritage.

The project develops new means of communicating artistic production in a country that remains one of the world’s most repressive countries. It is virtually closed to independent scrutiny, media and religious freedoms are subject to draconian restrictions, and human

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rights defenders and other activists face the constant threat of government reprisal. It is at the moment practically impossible to support cultural activity inside the country without the interference of the government. This intervention from the diaspora in the country will contribute to public awareness and highlight the richness of the cultural heritage of Turkmenistan. It also seeks to provide a nuanced picture of the country, which is mostly known for its devastating human rights situation.

Ambassadors of Yemen

Who: Amira Al-Sharif

What: Documentary photography project around 6 young change makers

Where: Yemen

When: August 2015 - August 2016

Amount: € 13.450

“Ambassadors of Yemen” is a project that aims at instigating hope in the future of Yemen. Photographer Amira Al-Sharif wishes to portray six “Young Change Makers”: leaders in their communities, passionate about the social and cultural wellbeing of their communities and positive development in Yemen. Amira Al-Sharif will organize interactive talks about

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the project in Socotra and Hodeida University, reaching about 50 students. She will also explore the possibility to organise talks in public café in Sana’a, and present the photographs in a small photography exhibition in Yemen on International Youth Day (12 August 2016). This project is envisioned as the first part of what could grow into a long-term initiative in which the applicant interviews and photographs a total of 30 leaders across Yemen, working in areas important for the country’s positive development.

Amira Al-Sharif was born in 1986 in Saudi Arabia and raised in Yemen. She works as a freelance photojournalist for English newspapers and magazines in Yemen and abroad. In this project, she wants to photograph the daily life of these individuals, and interview them about their thoughts of living in Yemen today and about their personal vision of Yemen in the future. She is interested in documenting individuals from all walks of life and based in all the country’s governorates. She will focus on achievements in a number of social areas such as education, freedom from discrimination and prosecution, access to nutritious food and drinkable water, gender equality, social security policies, or protection of natural resources and use of reliable energy. Stories from these young change makers will inspire the Yemeni community and give hopes and energy towards positive social development.

In Yemen, war is continuing to destroy the country and people are left with little hope for a better future for their country. Photographer Amira Al-Sharif, says she is inspired by the story of two young comedians whose stand-up comedy show, which focused on spreading hope and resistance to the war and of which they said “If you do not die from the war die from laugh”, attracted more than seven times the audience they expected. With this in mind, Amira aims to document the daily lives, motivations and future visions of “Young Change Makers” and share these with young audiences in the country. These stories can also inspire audiences outside of Yemen, as they question the usual narrative about the country.

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Bamiyan, the story of change!

Who: 3rd Eye Film and Photojournalism Centre

What: Photobook, photo exhibition, photo festival and a multimedia cultural event

Where: Kabul, Afghanistan

When: February 2015 - February 2016

Amount: € 20.000

The project ‘Bamiyan the story of change!’ aims to document and showcase, through photography, the transitions in the region over the past 10 years in relation to the cultural heritage of Bamiyan’s people. The 3rd Eye Film and Photojournalism Centre from Kabul will collaborate with photographers and partners to produce a high-quality photography book and a photo exhibition. They will interview and photograph people from Bamiyan’s community to communicate their stories and their relations with their cultural heritage.

The area of Bamiyan holds rich artistic and architectural remains, containing numerous Buddhist monastic ensembles and sanctuaries, as well as fortified edifices from the Islamic period. The photographs will portray the historical traditions and heritage of communities within the province. By transmitting people’s hopes and dreams, hardship and survival, conceptions of family and community, the project will highlight the richness of lifestyles of Hazara people, and the pictorial history of rich heritage that may be lost in decline. The copies of the book will be distributed among the people of Bamiyan as well as Afghan officials, international organizations which have been involved in development in Bamiyan, universities and research organizations. The book will be a tool for policymakers and other interested parties to think about the development in Bamiyan in dialogue with local population. The combination of high quality pictures, documentation and storytelling will convey the message.

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Afghanistan has experienced conflict for more than three decades. While some areas in the north and centre are relatively stable, the situation in the southern and south‐eastern provinces is still extremely precarious. After the capitulation of the Taliban, Bamiyan has seen its neighbourhood transformed. Bamiyan was the focus of attention of many archaeologists, international humanitarian organisations and the UN, which over-flooded the province. Inhabitants have had no words in the changes happening to the region. The project wants to shed light on local population’s opinion and thought about these processes of changes and will advocate for the local people to preserve their own heritage. The project will highlight the stories of post-conflict transitions and how these relate to cultural heritage.

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Cinema Club

Who: Voice Foundation for Development

What: Displaying 42 films on a weekly basis at a Cinema, followed by a seminar and a book publication on the screenings and discussions

Where: Republic of Yemen

When: July 2015 – July 2016

Amount: € 11.000

The NGO Voice Foundation for Development will implement the project “Cinema Club”, consisting of weekly screenings of Arab and International movies for the public in a cinema house in Sana’a, followed by a seminar for open dialogue after each screening. Selected films will touch upon humanitarian principles, anti-racism, cultural matters, human rights, expression and equality. The project aims to revive cinema in Yemen, and to encourage public discussions and opportunities for positive and innovative thinking. Publications about these discussions will be distributed to a wider audience, maintaining a long-term sustainability for the ideas behind the project, with the intention to influence decision-makers on the promotion of arts and cultural activities in Yemen.

The Voice Foundation for Development (founded in 2010) seeks to raise awareness of the importance of the role of culture in building the civil identity of Yemen and to stimulate cultural and artistic activity. They aim to mobilize the local community, stimulating youth in particular, hoping for them to gradually demand more cultural activities. In this purpose, the cinema space will also serve as an artistic café, showcasing artistic, literary and musical work. Because women were not allowed to go to the cinema in the past and because Yemen is one of the worst countries in the world in terms of the gender disparity, women and youth will be stimulated to actively participate in this project. For both groups a special programme is set up with films and discussions on issues that relate to them. It will be a cultural hub that stimulates free expression in a country that has been forced into a cultural vacuum and that is now dominated by conflict.

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Given the current wave of transition and conflict in Yemen there is, now more than ever, a need for a space for open discussion and for countering hard-line religious and radical political thinking. Cultural activities have been limited substantively and freedom of speech in the media has been suppressed by tight government regulations. The 50s and 60s in Yemen saw a golden age for cinema. Yemen was the first country to have an open air cinema in the Gulf, it showed movies that were censored in other Arab countries, and celebrated international figures of cinema. In the years after that period however political conflict and conservatism led to the gradual shutting down of almost all cinemas and ultimately, only three cinemas were left. Yemeni filmmaking is however gradually regaining popularity and this project aims to make an important step to revive the Yemeni cinema culture. Cinema Club project will allow creating a platform for open discussion in Yemeni society, openly addressing relevant issues to the country’s situation such as gender disparity and freedom of expression.

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Family Ti-Jean

Who: Masrah Ensemble

What: A theatre project engaging Syrian and Palestinian refugees who perform alongside actors and musicians

Where: Beirut and other towns and cities in Lebanon

When: October 2015 - May 2016

Amount: € 15.000

The theatre company Masrah Ensemble produces a double-bill theatre project, Family Ti-Jean (FTJ), involving Syrian and Palestinian refugees as participants together with professional actors and musicians. Pre-teen Syrian and Palestinian refugees and migrant workers living in and around Beirut are targeted. They will perform in Arabic, English, and French. The play will tour across Lebanon in theatres and open public spaces, aiming to intermingle theatregoers but also to reach audience less interested in theatre from every spectrum and age in society.

The plays, Family Stories (1998) by Biljana Srbljanovic and Ti-Jean and His Brothers (1958) by Derek Walcott, together convey tangled narratives about the postcolonial experience and traumatic aftermath of warfare. By reflecting and experimenting around these topics, the involved refugees and other immigrants get a chance to connect with each other and keep up their morale by being involved, learning and creating. In encouraging links between Syrian migrant workers and other migrants in an informal way, the project tries to avoid polarisation between communities and foster understanding.

After 2011 and the civil war broke out in Syria, the impact of refugees entering Lebanon has permeated into all areas of its society. In June 2015, UNHCR has registered over 1.1 million Syrians in Lebanon, representing the world’s highest per capita concentration of refugees compared to its population. It is an influx that is placing significant strain on

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existing resources and host communities. Apart from the Syrians refugees some 450,000 Palestinian refugees are registered in Lebanon, with many living in refugee camps. The country is experiencing extremely difficult social conditions: the security situation in Lebanon deteriorated since 2014 and democratic institutions faltered as the parliament failed to elect a president. In this context, the lack of communication and understanding between Syrian migrant workers and other migrant workers is leading to tension between communities, risking polarisation and dehumanization. The project tries to bring a modest but positive contribution to alleviate this situation.

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Impossible Theatre

Who: Anas Abdul Samad Ajil on behalf of Impossible theatre group

What: Theatre workshops in non-spoken language and a performance

Where: Baghdad, Iraq, northern Iraq, southern Iraq Babylon, Basra, Kirkuk, Fallujah

When: 15 July 2015

Amount: €18,000

The Impossible theatre group will set up theater workshops in 5 cities in Iraq with participants from all spectrums of the Iraqi people (43 per city, Christians, Sabi, Kurds, Sunnis, and Shiites). The technique used in the workshops is physical theater and non-verbal expression. After the initial local workshops, a number of selected trainees will be invited to Baghdad with the objective of creating a performance. The latter will then tour in areas of sectarian conflict, notably the cities of Fallujah, Basra, and Kirkuk.

Trainees will be chosen from displaced people who often have lived in difficult circumstances. In the workshops, these selected trainees from different areas of Iraq and spectrums of society will work together on a common theatrical language. By experimenting physical theater, they will create a new shared language (non-spoken) which speaks to each and everyone in the Iraqi society and tries to build up peaceful coexistence. The project attempts to reach out to disadvantaged people and teach them ways to use their creativity, and new ways of expressing themselves.

Iraq has suffered years of violent conflict since the US-British invasion of Iraq in 2003, with different groups competing for power. Most recently in 2014, the battle for the establishment of an Islamic State in Northern Iraq and Syria is tearing the country apart. In Baghdad, life seems to be going on as usual, according to the people who live and work there, but the threat is obvious. The project is a brave attempt to make a difference and build peaceful dialogue and creative empowerment in the middle of this violence and threat.

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Jinan: A Garden for All

Who: Merve BedirWhat: Communal space run by Syrian refugeesWhere: Gaziantep, TurkeyWhen: April 2015 - February 2016Amount: €12,500

Jinan: A Garden for All is a project developed by refugees, artists and architects. Located in Gaziantep, the project creates a communal space that consists of a garden, kitchen and a restaurant that is run by urban Syrian refugees. In addition, Jinan: A Garden for All will produce a newspaper in the three languages and three workshops on Immigrant and refugee initiatives, with an aim gradual growth of the target population

The project aims to create socio-economic value for these people in addition to a sense of belonging and encourages social participation through a garden that also contributes to their daily nourishment. Jinan: A Garden for All engages both Syrian and Turkish participants to work on a communal space to make it productive, reinforcing human relations and providing food for Syrian refugees in Turkey and local inhabitants of Gaziantep. Creating a garden that contributes to the shaping of the physical and social space of a community threatened by war, the process of growing crops and the preparation of food is an effective way to enclose human relations and rehabilitates the environment shared by both (Turkish and Syrian).

The project uses an innovative approach to architecture in rebuilding a city’s space in a tense context. The Syrian civil war has brought 1.6 million Syrian refugees to Turkey since 2011. This has raised several questions on citizenship, belonging and host/guest relationships. Syrian refugees are particularly subject to xenophobic expressions and exclusion in Turkey. By bringing together the two groups of people that have historically and geographically been close, the project aims to develop a positive attitude and image of Syrian refugees. It also seeks to create a space of freedom and cultural sharing for the participants.

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Living Arts in Post-Conflict ContextsWho: Cambodian Living Arts

What: A three-day workshop for international artists and thinkers in the fields of youth resilience, cultural renewal and development to meet together with Cambodian local artists and arts leaders

Where: Phnom Penh, Cambodia

When: February 2015 – December 2015

Amount: € 21.950

The organisation Cambodian Living Arts (CLA) will set up a workshop on the theme of youth resilience, cultural renewal and development. Participants will include Cambodian local artists and arts leaders together with international artists and thinkers. The workshop will take place for the first time in Phnom Penh, in November 2015. Participants will take part in three days of plenary discussions, seminars, and participatory activities. The agenda will address the practices and impact the arts and culture have on transforming post-conflict societies through cultivating cultural identity, preserving heritage, and expanding creative industries in contemporary society.

The outcome of the workshop will be an international framework and network for a sustainable and progressive approaches to transforming pre- and post-conflict societies through the arts and cultural development. By organizing this workshop, CLA is aiming to drive international attention towards the role that the arts play in rebuilding societies in post-conflict context by sharing its experience in Cambodia and opening the dialogue with similar organizations and global players. The international scope of this workshop is a

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unique opportunity for cultural initiators from around the world to meet, discuss and share knowledge.

Living Arts in Post-Conflict Contexts is the final event in a series called Acts of Memory, which will take place in Phnom Penh (Cambodia) during the remembering of the 40th anniversary of the fall of Phnom Penh, the beginning of the Khmer Rouge genocide and its impact on the arts and society. The disastrous Pol Pot regime that lead to roughly 2 million citizens perishing, with intellectuals and artists being one of the targeted group. With its rich cultural heritage that relied almost exclusively on oral transmissions, Cambodia’s culture was pushed to the brink of extinction. In the years since, scholars and preservationists have struggled to restore and preserve what was lost and place Cambodia back onto the global stage as an international centre of arts and culture. Cambodia is at a tipping point, with 60% of its population under 25 years old. These young people are the first post-genocide generation; those who did not live through the Khmer Rouge but who will decide the course of the country’s future. It is now that younger generations can be invited to understand the importance of their cultural heritage, participate in the field of arts, and use their capacity to become cultural innovators.

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Past PreservedWho: Samar HazbounWhat: Creating photographs of a reconstructed part of the homes that Syrian refugees remember

Where: Zaatari Camp, JordanWhen: April 2015 – December 2015Amount: €15,000

Photo by Samar Hazboun

Samar Hazboun is a documentary photographer and visual artist with a project that aims to give back a tangible memory of the lost homes of 24 displaced Syrian families residing in the Zaatari camp in the form of photographs. Hazboun plans to work with each of the families to reconstruct a favourite corner of their former homes and have the families recreate a typical family scene with the reconstructed corner serving as the backdrop. Furniture will be drawn and cut by the refugees in order to engage them in the process as much as possible. Once the scene has been set, a family portrait will be taken of them in their built up corner. This photograph will serve as a reminder of what their house in Syria looked like. The photographs will be physically reproduced as an exhibition series and compiled into a digital photo-story distributed online.

Engaging the refugees in the process of building the studio scene might allow them to deal with emotions and feelings they have set aside since leaving home. As the civil war in Syria enters the fifth year, the residents of the Zaatari Camp have dwindling hope of returning to the homes they were forced to abandon. Riots, harsh living conditions, overpopulation, fires, and supply concerns are now the daily lives of Zaatari residents. The creative process in the reconstruction exercise may be a way to reduce tension and to open up positive remembering. The material outcome has the potential to serve as symbols of hope for other refugees in the Zaatari Camp and a part of familial heritage for future generations. Indeed, the photographic material will be available to be passed on

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from refugees who were forced to flee Syria onto younger generations who might not have had the chance to see Syria or return to it.

The Past Preserved project is a means of expressing to the world the hardship and loss residents of the Zaatari Camp have endured, and to communicate what they lost. It is also a reminder that there is hope of “home” in the future. The photos will serve as a reminder to what Syrian homes looked like before the country's devastating civil war started. The products serve in a documentary and educational function for the general public, as this situation is one that has captured the attention of the world.

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Shoton Festival, Tibetan Opera in DharamshalaWho: Tibetan Institute of Performing ArtsWhat: The 20th Shoton Opera Festival in exile which celebrates the tradition of Tibetan operaWhere: Dharamsala, IndiaWhen: March 2015 – April 2015Amount: €17,000

The Shoton Festival celebrates the centuries old tradition of Tibetan opera (Lhamo). For the 20th edition of the Shoton Festival, 350 Tibetan artists from India and Nepal will perform and continue to keep musical theatre and Tibetan culture alive. The opera brings moving stories about human life, struggle, love and compassion. Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts started the Shoton Festival to promote, preserve and especially improve the culture of folk opera in as many Tibetan settlements in India and Nepal as possible.

Revived after the Chinese occupation’s ban on opera, the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts encouraged handfuls of surviving artists in exile to come forward and teach the new Tibetan generation this ancient theatrical art that was disappearing. The tradition of performing Ache Lhamo, whose nearest semblance in western notion would be Opera, was started in the 14th Century in southern Tibet. Opera plays a very important part in the life of Tibetan people; for centuries, the performances have provided not just entertainment but have also educated people on various social, religious and political issues, providing inspiration for generations of Tibetans. The festival brings together experienced opera artists and amateurs to collaborate, with an intention to stimulate opera within all generations who in the process learn from each other. In this way the opera tradition is kept alive and at the same time the opera even influences contemporary Tibetan music.

Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts have aimed to preserve traditional performing arts in exile under difficult circumstances, including the fact of being in exile and the extreme forms of censorship or change brought about by Chinese rule. The festival, which is

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attended by thousands of people, has a positive impact on this community of which many are living in exile and need their traditions and culture to bring them together and make them stronger.

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The A to Z of Conflict

Who: Raking Leaves

What: A collaborative book project around the notion of conflict

Where: Sri Lanka

When: July 2015 – June 2016

Amount: € 15.550

The A to Z of Conflict is an international collaborative book project, involving nine Sri Lankan artists of varying ethnic identities and religious backgrounds, who work together to reflect on the subject of conflict as it relates to the three major languages spoken in Sri Lanka - Sinhala, English and Tamil. This contemporary art project takes the form of a children’s alphabet book involving works created with dry pastel, pen and ink, documentary and conceptual photography, miniature painting, the graphic novel and collage. In the artistic alphabet book, each letter from each of the three alphabets is accompanied by a word and an image. The book will be presented at several international events.

Dedicated to curatorial publishing, the organisation Raking Leaves was founded in 2008 in Sri Lanka. Through the project The A to Z of Conflict, it offers an opportunity to re-examine the history of the country’s political, social and cultural conflicts through the diverse cultural expressions of the 3 languages that form the core of Sri Lankan identity. By providing an alternative platform for presenting critically minded artwork in a country where instability and uncertainty continues to exist, the implementing organisation and participating artists contribute to free dialogue and positive change. The book-form in which this project is presented is innovative and has some advantages in comparison to a regular exhibition: it is portable, travels easier and the costs are relatively lower than those of an exhibition in a more traditional form. The A to Z of Conflict has the potential to reach a large number of people, and to contribute to a new perspective and approach of presenting contemporary art.

This project surfaces at a critical point of reflection in Sri Lanka’s history: 5 years after the end of its civil war. Within the context of Sri Lankan politics and culture, language has

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been a driving force behind the intercultural conflicts that embroiled the country in war. With its innovative approach, the project may inspire other Sri Lankan artists and curators to focus their work on all three languages. The project may contribute to a change in viewpoint on the subject of conflict and language in Sri Lanka and elsewhere and also highlight the potential of contemporary art to contribute to this and other socio-political discussions.

The Outpost

Who: The Outpost

What: A special edition of The Outpost focusing on the themes “Home” and “Arab Identity”

Where: Beirut, Lebanon

When: December 2015

Amount: €24,327

Last two editions of The Outpost magazine: “The Possibility of Rewriting Our Story”(left) and “The Possibilty of Warming Our Hearts” (right)

The Outpost, a magazine documenting the socio-cultural situation in the Arab World, will publish a special issue with a focus on the themes “Home” and “Arab Identity”. This special issue will serve as a platform to explore the ideas that artists, academics and the readers of the magazine have regarding questions like: “Where is home?” and “What is Arabness?”. The conceptual and editorial backbone of the issue is constituted through the creation of two main activities. The first activity is an “Offline-Intervention” that consists of sending a questionnaire to a group of Arab artists, academics and other active players in the cultural sector to get them to think about and submit their own artistic, intellectual or creative interpretations around these two themes. These artists and academics would be reached through the network of collaborators of The Outpost. The second activity is an

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“Online-Interaction” where the readers can share their thoughts and discuss the content of the magazine. This campaign will be launched via the existing website of The Outpost.

The project wants to open a space for artistic and cultural expression by exploring and exposing different ways of envisioning “home” for the Arabs. This topic is of social relevance mainly because refugees, displacement, exile and fight for the land are urgent socio-political realities in Middle East today. The expected impact of the project is to increase cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary exchange between the participating artists, academics and readers; contribute to a discussion on how culture can play a crucial role in redefining the region, how to think what it means to be Arab, what is the future of the region and the importance of “home” in the definition of Arab identity.

Regions that make up the Arab World are increasingly marked by extremism, polarization and violence. Bringing together Arab artists and cultural practitioners is crucial to advance critical dialogue. This initiative reflects on the entrepreneurial drive of new generations of Arabs willing to speak and take social responsibly for the progress of their region.

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What Syrians WantWho: Omar ImamWhat: Photography project based on research and interviews with Syrians from different affiliations (e.g., pro-regime & rebels, jihadi & peaceful...etc.) about their vision of themselves, the others, and the future of Syria.Where: Beirut and West Bekaa, Lebanon, and Istanbul, Turkey

When: April 2015 - February 2016Amount: €20,900

Photos by Omar Iman

Omar Imam, photographer and initiator of the project What Syrians Want aims at giving voice to marginalized groups by using photography and film to document absurdities in the Syrian conflict. His imaginative photographs are accompanied by reflective captions that show a sarcastic perspective to social injustice, gender inequality and armed conflict in Syria. A photobook will include the photographs and interviews from the participants in order to challenge old established stereotypes, partial discourses and the mass media speech. Two exhibitions will be created in Turkey and Lebanon and a website will serve as a platform for the public to interact with the pictures, while newsprint will be distributed in conflict areas in Syria and on the borders.

The project “What Syrians Want” aims to mediate and facilitate a dialogue between opposing parties in the Syrian civil war: pro-regime groups and rebels, illegal immigrants and anti-illegal immigration police, Shabiha militia in support of the Ba'ath Party government and Free Syrian Army members, Peaceful activists and Jihadists, and refugees and citizen. “What Syrians Want” aims to show the position of those actively involved in Syria's conflict. Imam uses his photographic work to show shared ideas about Syria's political and social future. Engaging the population of Syria and the diaspora in Lebanon and Turkey, he asks them to imagine their post-conflict future.

With the difficulties of moving around the Syrian territories and the dangers of approaching members from armed groups, this project proposes an innovative approach

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that is not easy to undertake. Omar Imam is proposing a critical angle with a surrealist aesthetic, sometimes humorous, that offers to the viewer a refreshing perspective of the conflict, perspective that confronts the dissemination of war photographs in the media that just "show" instead of "reflect". The project will provide a space for discourse by juxtaposing and reflecting on stereotypical images of the conflict in Syria.

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Witness to Paradise

Who: Sanjay Kak, Octave Communications pvt ltdWhat: A book of the photographic work and the biographies of10 photographers in KashmirWhere: Srinagar, Kashmir and New Delhi, IndiaWhen: March 2015 – March 2016Amount: €17,800

“Witness to Paradise” is a project that aims to create a book from the work of a group of 10 photo-journalists in Kashmir. This book wants to serve as a valuable testimony to the volatile and troubled history of the region. The book will consist of extensive interviews that will be included as a biographical section, followed by a carefully chosen set of images taken from the photographers’ portfolios.

Through twenty-five years of endemic conflict Kashmir has seen the rise of a distinct practice in photography. This photobook offers a platform to materially consolidate, disseminate and make available for further research, the work of 10 photojournalists. It works as an archive of cultural production and artistic material that has not been considered beyond its journalist side. The project will be adding a new mode of seeing and talking about Kashmir, a region usually solely seen through political eyes or in its religious character. The idea of bringing back to the public scene photographs that were first published in the media, and appreciating their aesthetic value as patrimony of Kashmir has the potential to trigger new interpretations about a culture that has been brutally polarized.

The territory of Jammu and Kashmir, administered by India, is one of the most severe zones of conflict and repression in the world today, and yet is in many ways under reported. The photojournalists will act as facilitator for dialogue in this region, by creating a photography book presenting the conflict and its effects on daily life from multiple local perspectives.

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Europe

Faces of Belarus

Who: Dmitry Savelau

What: An exhibition space for Belarusian artists and a virtual interactive space for visitors

Where: Exhibition in Warsaw, Poland.

When: April 2015 - March 2016

Amount: €21,300

Faces of Belarus gives a voice to local Belarusian artists and photographers to share stories from around and within Belorussia. Five Belarusian photographers and video artists will be commissioned to create a series of photographs and visual installations about the personal relation to the past, present and future, as well as the concept of “change” in contemporary Belarusian society. The Belarusian’s artists work will then be promoted within Belarus and beyond through an online platform and a series of exhibitions potentially organized in Poland.

The project Faces of Belarus aims to explore the ongoing social difficulties in Belarus and the impact on Belarusian society of the 20 year-old regime of Aleksandr Lukashenko. By documenting stories from Belarusians and sharing them through an interactive website, the project aims at setting up an advocacy platform to create awareness and encourage alternative thinking about social issues. The project aims at mobilising Belarusians on issues as freedom of expression and encouraging active citizenship. The series of exhibitions in Warsaw will allow to reach out an international audience, but primarily aims at reaching the important Belarusian community living there. By showcasing their work, the artists will foster the link between activists in Belarus and the diaspora in Poland and strengthen the Belarusian artistic community.

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Belarus has one of the world´s most repressive regimes. Many political activists and human rights workers have been detained and indefinitely held in prison. As it is not possible to hold the event in Belarus for security reasons, holding the event in Warsaw will allow creating spaces of dialogue within Belarusian community. In the context of the authoritarian regime of Aleksandr Lukashenko, there is an urgent need for independent media and discussion.

Connector – Connecting and Empowering Young Balkan Artists

Who: art∡ngle - Balkans | Culture | Development

What: Creation of tangible instruments for support of young artists

Where: Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

When: April 2015 – September 2016

Amount: €24,600

Connector seeks to develop tools for non-formal education and mentorship programme for young artists in Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina. After consultation and research with relevant stakeholders in both countries, the organization Art∡ngle will set up a mentorship programme consisting in three workshops focused on the co-creation of artistic projects and engaging audiences towards their work. With an important part dedicated to usage of digital technology, social media and online platform, the project brings a non-traditional approach to artistic education. Through delivery of professional development programme and collaborative projects to 80 young artists, Connector will strengthen their professional capacities and establish a solid network of peers. The project also includes a conceptualisation of a new Fund for Young Artists.

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After the consultation process with relevant stakeholders to identify the needs of young artists, the project will increase communication and collaboration between artists, identify and bridge gaps in the existing education system, and seek to elevate the importance of art in shaping society. Connector aims to identify change-makers among young artists who could continue the initiated processes after the formal project ends. Young artists will gain tools that will on one side support their career, and on the other their engagement in socially relevant initiatives at a community level. Communities and countries will benefit from increased artistic offer and motivated groups that are capable of driving the changes at local level.

Connector aims at creating means of support and education for emerging artists, in hope of overcoming the challenges faced by emerging artists in the Balkans. Arts and culture have been marginalized in policy agendas and many young artists in the region are unprepared for professional life. Connector will be an opportunity for increased collaboration between artistic communities that would have otherwise not been possible, often due to political barriers. Kosovo is not recognized by Bosnia and Herzegovina and this impedes extensive mobility and cultural exchange. Through artistic collaboration, this project opens alternative channels of communication and improves the mobility of ideas and creativity between the two countries. A new way of communication that is not restricted by geography would likely enhance and encourage artistic expression and social discourse.

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Sevdah, the art of freedomWho: FOTON, Association for advancement of audio-visual artsWhat: Multi-media exhibition project on the traditional music genre of Sevdah Where: Sarajevo, Bosnia and HerzegovinaWhen: April – December 2015Amount: €23,000

The project Sevdah – the art of freedom will consist of an exhibition that portrays the “freedom-seeking” character of the traditional art of Sevdah, a traditional genre of folk music from Bosnia and Herzegovina. A multidisciplinary group of contemporary Sevdah artists are collaborating to build on prior research and create a multi-media exhibition together. Historical documents are presented alongside new artistic works, accompanied by three round table discussions and three lectures to enhance the social dialogue between artists, opinion-makers and students. These events will act as a promotion of Sevdah and hopefully lead to publications about it.

While Sevdah has been increasingly exploited by politics and academia to canonise a conservative and nationalistic narrative, the project aims at revealing the inclusive character of Sevdah as a vehicle for dialogue and social change. The group of artists, including one of the most popular contemporary artists in the genre, Damir Imamović, want to re-inject authenticity into the Sevdah subculture. Based on passionate research, Imamović's Sevdah demonstrates the absence of gender and social hierarchical stereotypes, thereby opening up the genre to feminist, activist and LGBT readings. Through this, he has created a liberating approach that includes all Bosnian-Herzegovinian people and enhances the emancipation of women, Roma, non-Muslims, the LGBTQ community and Bosnian, ex-Yugoslavian and Balkan diasporas around the world. The exhibition aims at attracting a wide audience for educational purposes, to stimulate a new consciousness and to provoke a social dialogue on the meaning of Sevdah for the Bosnian identity.

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In the post-conflict society of Bosnia-Herzegovina, exposing the unheard stories of Sevdah will bring social conversation and new ideas of challenging and liberating practices. By including different perspectives on social change into this popular music genre, Sevdah – the art of freedom will explore the tradition in a valuable and meaningful way for the Bosnian society.

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