RAWABET: Participation | Connectivity | Diversity - Production Grants

The Production grants are a key component of the Rawabet Programme. These grants are aimed at artists from the Arab region who have resided in Europe since 2015. The programme offers production grants valued at 12,000 euros each to 12 artists and artistic collectives active in the performing arts field, including theatre, dance, circus, performing acts, and music. Some of the supported projects will also have the opportunity to participate in one of the Rawabet festivals during 2025 or 2026.

This component aims to empower artists hailing from the Arab region and to enhance their presence within the European cultural scene. The grants seek to create links and spaces that foster communication, production, and networking opportunities between Arab artists who have recently moved to Europe and their European counterparts, thus enhancing freedom of expression, breaking stereotypes, and connecting newly arrived artists with professional networks. These networks provide the necessary resources and knowledge and help artists reach a wider and more diverse audience.

To learn about the other components of the Rawabet programme, please click here.

For inquiries, please write to applications@ettijahat.org

To view frequently asked questions and fill out the application form, please click here.

Background

Over the past decade, increased socio-political challenges throughout the Arab Region have led to unprecedented migration to Europe, which is now “home” to diverse artistic communities looking to develop interconnected networks and inclusive systems of cultural and artistic production. However, the growing climate of xenophobia, the increasing intensity of right-wing rhetoric, the scapegoating of refugees for many consequences of economic inflation, and, most recently, the serious restraints on freedom of expression are contributing to a climate that inhibits the wealth and diversity of experiences that artists who have migrated from the Arab world in the last decade can bring to Europe. Such a climate hinders these artists from collaborating with their European peers and cultural spaces and reduces the opportunities to engage communities of Arab origin in European public life and audiences. In response, cultural initiatives are increasing their efforts to support artists with limited resources and mobility rights and connect migrant artists based in Europe with European artists and audiences, hoping to challenge the growing waves of discrimination and stereotyping.

Rawabet supports new artistic productions in the field of performing arts by artists working and residing in Europe. The goal is to contribute to cultural and social dialogues and to interact with diverse audiences in Europe throughout 2025 and 2026.

The Rawabet programme is being launched alongside the Zad Programme for a period of three years (2024-2026) as part of Ettijahat’s current strategic plan. This launch is based on recommendations from an assessment of the first ten years, during which additional frameworks were designed for artists moving from the Arab region to diaspora countries.

Rawabet supports artistic production in the following European countries: Spain, Estonia, Scotland, Albania, Germany, Andorra, England, Ukraine, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Belgium, Bulgaria, Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Belarus, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Sweden, Serbia, France, Finland, Cyprus, Croatia, Latvia, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, North Macedonia, Norway, Austria, Hungary, Netherlands, Wales, Greece.

Conditions for Applying

All artists from the Arab region, including all ethnicities, who have moved to Europe since 2015, are eligible to apply;
Both individuals and artistic groups are eligible to apply;
Artists of all age groups are eligible to apply;
The programme gives priority to artists who moved from Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Yemen, Sudan, and Libya;
Rawabet supports artistic works exclusively in the field of performing arts, including theatre, dance, circus, performing acts, and music;
Rawabet supports artworks that are scheduled to be completed and exhibited exclusively during the years 2025 and 2026;
Rawabet supports artistic works that involve an encounter with the audience and does not support projects that do not culminate in an artistic product;
An independent and specialized jury panel from various cultural fields reviews the applications. The jury members remain anonymous until the results are announced;
Applications can be submitted in Arabic or English, and supporting technical materials can be submitted in any language;
Artists currently receiving support from other Ettijahat programmes are not eligible to apply;
Members of the Ettijahat work team, members of its General Assembly, first-degree relatives of the work team, or any artistic projects involving personal cooperation with Ettijahat’s work team are not eligible to apply. However, former members of Ettijahat work team are eligible to apply after 3 years have passed since the end of their commitment with Ettijahat;
All applications are given a fair evaluation, and jury members are recused from reviewing files submitted by individuals with whom they have a first-degree relationship or technical cooperation within the project. Such applications are assessed by other jury members.

Key Dates

Open question session about the application process: 21 August 2024
Application deadline: Midnight, 22 September 2024, Western European Time
Results announcement: November 2024
Project production: 2025-2026

The Rawabet programme is supported by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) within the framework of CREATIVE EUROPE. The views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.