In November 2o12 kitev went to Istanbul to meet with the new collegues from Tandem Shaml, especially to proceed projectwork with our partner Mudar Alhaggi from Etiijahat in Damascus, Syria. You can find more info on that under «Tandem Shaml project».

And as we were there, we of course did not miss the final event of Tandem Turkey in the former tabacco factory «Depot.»

In January our collaboration will go on in Beirut, Lebanon, as Damascus is not really the place to meet right now....there we will proceed the research our collegues already started, and get together material in order to transform it into artistic outputs.

Ettijahat will be in Oberhausen in March then...

About Ettijahat (www.ettijahat.org), Damascus, Syria:

Ettijahat. Independent Culture: Ettijahat is an organization that stimulates the growth of independent culture in Syria. It does this by encouraging a positive and real relationship between culture and Syria’s diverse communities. Ettijahat works on three primary axes: 

Firstly on being part of an active and independent cultural movement in Syria by cooperating with independent artists and cultural actors on dynamic and relevant projects that respond to their political and social environments, and that reflect people’s priorities (here and now).

Secondly, Ettijahat provides the basic tools and structures (including studies and research) required to design and build cultural projects that are in-line with regional and national developments in the fields of art and culture. 

Lastly, on developing national policies and approaches to art and culture and shifting general understanding of culture from part of the service sector in Syria, to a vital element in the country’s development sector. Ettijahat is guided by a number of overarching principals and values. These are: a high appreciation and value for freedoms; a democratic and open relationship between artists and receiver; respect for all types of cultural and artistic expression; decentralization in execution and planning of cultural work by focusing on artistic collaborations, supporting creativity, and supporting cultural projects that emerge from disadvantaged areas. 


Ettijahats vision is a diverse and varied Syria that is intellectually and artistically productive, and that believes that culture is the inalienable right of every Syrian citizen.