ZAD: Special Edition for the Mobility of the Arts to Syria


Ettijahat is proud to launch a special edition of its ZAD programme, aimed at Syrian artists based in Europe and Turkey who are interested in presenting or re-staging their artistic works and projects within Syria. This initiative contributes to the recovery of the cultural and arts sector in Syria, while offering audiences across the country the opportunity to engage with artistic productions developed abroad. It also opens up the space for exchange, collaboration, and learning between artists residing inside and outside Syria, fostering meaningful connections and shared experiences.

ZAD is a support framework designed to enhance connection. It embraces mobility as a vital opportunity for a generation of artists who were forced to relocate to Europe and Turkey, where they developed their practices away from Syrian audiences and largely in isolation from peers who continued working in Syria.

Over the past fifteen years, Syria’s arts and cultural sector has undergone a significant shift in production. Artists have explored new modes of expression and presented their work in international contexts and major festivals. Despite this visibility, many have remained disconnected from audiences in Syria—particularly in the cities where their artistic journeys began. Reconnecting these practices with their audiences is therefore essential, as such encounters are a fundamental part of completing the artistic process and strengthening ties to local contexts.

The programme supports the mobility of artistic projects to Syria, offering grants up to €7,000 per project. Special attention is given to geographic diversity, encouraging presentations beyond major urban centers.

Applicants must secure an agreement with a cultural space that will host their work. Projects must also demonstrate genuine engagement with artists in the host cities—whether through collaboration in the presentation itself or through workshops and knowledge-exchange sessions.

Examples of such collaboration may include a musician presenting an album in Syria in partnership with locally based musicians, or a performance accompanied by an interactive workshop related to the artist’s practice.

ZAD support covers three main categories:

  • Travel and accommodation costs, including international transportation, local mobility, per diem, travel insurance (including special needs or health-related costs), and lodging;
  • Shipping and transport of artworks and production materials;
  • Production-related costs tied to partnerships, such as workshop expenses or fees for collaborating artists. This does not include the creation of entirely new works.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Applicants must be of Syrian nationality* residing in Europe and Turkey;
  • Individuals and collectives may apply;
  • In the case of collectives/artistic groups, the main applicant must be a key contributor to the project, although non-Syrian team members may still benefit from ZAD Syria’s support;
  • Applicants must hold valid legal residency and travel documents, and are responsible for visas, travel arrangements, and securing all permits needed to present their works in Syria,  in coordination with local partners;
  • All artistic disciplines are eligible for support within the framework, except cinema, which is supported separately through Ettijahat’s Narratives of Today initiative, in partnership with Aflamuna Foundation.
  • Applicants must have a formal invitation and agreement with the hosting cultural space;
  • Projects must include meaningful engagement with local artists, whether through collaboration on a performance, or organising workshops or sessions for knowledge exchange;
  • Both old and newly-produced artworks are eligible;
  • Travel and presentation of the artwork must take place before the end of 2026;
  • Applications may be submitted in Arabic or English;
  • Current grantees of Ettijahat’s other programmes or former grantees who closed their grants after the end of 2024 may not apply;
  • Ettijahat staff, board members, their immediate relatives, or projects involving personal collaborations with staff are not eligible (former staff may apply after three years);
  • Grantees retain full rights to their artistic work, with acknowledgment of Ettijahat – Independent Culture.

Selection Process Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be reviewed by an independent, multidisciplinary jury committee. The committee members’ names will remain confidential until results of the programme are announced. All applications are evaluated fairly, and any conflicts of interest are addressed by reassigning the review of an application to other jury committee members.

Eligible applications are assessed based on:

  • The project itself: feasibility, clarity, timeline, team size, and budget;
  • The venue and city of the performance, and the expected audience interaction;
  • Partnerships: This criterion considers the partnerships the project will build with local artists and within the broader cultural and arts sector, including the exchange of expertise, the development of shared ideas, and the connections it will create.

This special edition of ZAD is part of Ettijahat’s programming marking its fifteenth anniversary. It builds on a broader track launched in early 2024 to engage with ongoing changes in Syria and the right to mobility—initially explored through the “Naseej” initiative—and now expanded further.

Ettijahat is mindful of the current challenges and sensitivities surrounding travel. This initiative reflects a hope that the coming months will offer safer and more suitable conditions for the movement of artistic projects. Travel conditions will be continuously monitored, and deadlines may be adjusted if needed.

Key Dates

This edition of the Zad: Miles for Connection programme is launched with the support of the Allianz Foundation.

For questions, write to applications@ettijahat.org.

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

 

Image: Boxed ©Noras Othman

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*This includes people whose mother holds a Syrian nationality, but who do not possess it themselves.

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