Halaqat

Halaqat is a supraregional project connecting and supporting artists and cultural practitioners from European and Arab countries through residencies, public events, grants and exchanges focused on care and gender.

About Halaqat

Halaqat, which is the Arabic term for ‘multiple links and circles’, provides a space for cultural actors from Arab and European countries to artistically reflect on topics of care, exploring them through a gender lens.

Launched in 2021, the project fosters exchange between Europe and Arab countries and is, in its second phase from 2024 to 2027, supporting the cultural scenes especially in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Morocco.

Exploring the Notion of Care

In this phase Halaqat explores the notion of ‘care’, a concept which is deeply related to gender topics in both regions and tackles the question of gender equity and sensitivity and the power dynamics in an inclusive and intersectional way.

Engaging Questions

The project raises questions to engage in a conversation with artists, cultural practitioners and the audience about care both on a structural and artistic level:

How can different notions of care be addressed and expressed?
How do dominant narratives influence which bodies are cared about (and which not) and how can these narratives be challenged?
How can we strengthen practices of care in the cultural scene and in the society at large?

What Halaqat Offers

Grants for artists and curators, residency hosting organizations, festivals and projects
Showcasing: public events and awareness campaigns
Capacity-building: workshops and mentorship program

Open Call

Halaqat open call for festivals

Halaqat invites independent festivals based in Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt to apply for its new open call. This opportunity supports festivals that are interested in exploring care and gender as central themes in their work and festival practices.

Selected festivals will receive a grant and participate in a capacity-building program including mentoring, workshops, and networking opportunities. The support aims to strengthen inclusive approaches, foster care-centered cultural practices, and encourage public conversations on gender and care in the arts.

The call is open to festivals active in at least one artistic or cultural sector with a proven track record of at least two previous editions. Applications should include a Festival Care Plan reflecting the organizers’ vision and strategy to embed care in the upcoming edition. The festivals should take place between November 2025 and November 2026.

opencall-for-festivals-application.pdf(PDF, 544 KB)

Deadline: 24 June 2025
Important: Please read the Open Call PDF before applying.

What Has Halaqat Achieved So Far?

The project started in 2021 and gathered over 100 artists, partners and experts from the Arab countries and Europe, first in Brussels and later in Egypt, Jordan and Morocco.

Halaqat I: Aftermovie

Over the last three years, more than 60,000 visitors have attended public discussions, film screenings, concerts, performances, and visual art installations at Bozar and various locations in Brussels, Madrid, Rabat, Cairo and Amman.

Know more about it and watch This was Halaqat – Aftermovie

Halaqat Publication – Lessons for the Future

The Halaqat publication has been published in November 2022 by the editing house Überknackig. Get to know more about the project and read the “Lessons for the Future” for improved cultural relationships between Europe and the Arab world.

Mobility, financing, crisis as a permanent state, fair cultural relations, and exchange of expertise — these five themes marked the culmination of the “Lessons for the Future” publication, developed collaboratively by Halaqat experts in Brussels in May 2022. Together, these lessons outline a path toward strengthening cultural relations between Europe and the Arab world.

Download the digital Halaqat publication to dive deeper into the Lessons:

English Version(PDF, 9 MB)

Arabic version(PDF, 9 MB)

Partnership and Funding

Halaqat, launched in 2021, fosters cultural exchange between Europe and the Arab region. Initially co-financed by the European Union (under the designation: EU-LAS CULTURE), Goethe-Institut and Bozar, it was implemented by the Goethe-Institut in collaboration with Bozar until 2023, continuing with its own funds thereafter.

The new iteration of Halaqat (2024-2027) is funded by the European Union and implemented by the Goethe-Institut. It will run for 32 months until spring 2027 with activities in Belgium, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Morocco.

Contact

Halaqat@goethe.de