Artist Marah Haj Hussein

Halaqat means links or circles in Arabic. It is also the name of an initiative which explores the cultural relations between Europe and the Arab world. Halaqat offers an open platform to meet, exchange and create artistic and cultural initiatives. It boosts smaller-scale institutions and supports artists from both regions, including artists’ mobility.

Halaqat is based on four disciplines: music, cinema, performing arts, and visual arts. The focus is on the historical and present-day artistic connections between both regions.

Halaqat connects

The spirit of Halaqat is above all to connect people and to make human encounters possible. It consists of three types of activity.

1. Residency programmes: A total of 48 artists from the Arab worlds and Europe have been invited to Brussels to work on their projects, to explore their artistic practice, and to engage and network with peers.
2. Public activities: In total, 40 activities have been presented to 50 000 visitors, including film screenings, concerts, debates, art installations and performances.
3. Expert roundtables: As many as 27 cultural experts (curators, museum directors, network coordinators, artists and researchers) have reflected on how to improve the cultural and artistic exchanges between the two regions. culminating in the ‘Lessons for the Future’ report that identifies the most urgent areas to address.

Initially co-funded by the European Union (under the designation: EU-LAS Culture) from 2021-2023, Halaquat has been building cultural bridges and strengthening existing links since 2021. Follow the link to read more about the relationship between the EU and LAS (League of Arab States).

Cultural network

So far, Halaqat has built a strong network of 200 emerging and renowned artists, cultural experts and partners from the Arab region and Europe. The initiative already covers 17 countries including Algeria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Egypt, France, Germany, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, the Netherlands, Palestine, Portugal, Romania, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates.

Halaqat continues to be implemented by the Goethe-Institut and Bozar – Centre for Fine Arts Brussels with their own funds. This is achieved through various activities in close collaboration with a wide range of European and Arab partners.

Lessons for the Future

Notably, a 300-page, bilingual English-Arabic publication has been launched in collaboration with the Belgian publishing house Überknackig. Capturing Halaqat’s vast richness, it consists of the ‘Lessons for the Future’, newly commissioned artworks, essays, interviews, and much more.

We warmly invite you follow the link to download the publication Halaqat: Lessons for the Future.