Halaqat: Creating Local Circles Where Art, Care and Gender Meet

The first phase of Halaqat launched included over 100 artists, partners, and experts who came together in Brussels, Rabat, Cairo, and Amman. The project engaged more than 60,000 visitors through public discussions, film screenings, concerts, performances, and exhibitions at the Goethe-Institut. This local to local approach allowed each location to host moments of cultural exchange rooted in their communities, all while contributing to the Euro Arab dialogue. 

Halaqat’s spirit of co creation continued with residencies in Brussels featuring multidisciplinary projects under the theme of “Politics of Spaces and Bodies”. Artists ranging from filmmakers and performing artists to musicians made artwork reflecting on power, gender, and spatial dynamics, using both physical and digital realms as their canvas.

Now in its second phase (2024–2027), Halaqat moves across Belgium, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Morocco. This phase focuses on local and South South exchanges with grants, residencies, public events, workshops, and mentorship programmes reinforcing the project's commitment to gender equality and care from an intersectional perspective.

What makes Halaqat unique is how it blends community-based artistic creation with exchange between Europe and the Arab region. With each public event or residency, Halaqat turns cultural spaces into places of dialogue, where artists, cultural practitioners, and the audience reflect on the on the notions of care, how to strengthen them in the cultural scene (and in the society at large), and how to challenge dominant narratives about bodies.

For details on the current and past phase, visit the Halaqat project official page.