2020-2023
VAHA I: Building Common Ground for Spaces of Public Discussion & Dialogue
2023-2024
VAHA II: Common Ground Through Culture in Times of Crises
VAHA (meaning “oasis” in Turkish) is a program created with and for the empowered voices of independent arts and culture spaces. It advocates for public discussion and dialogue in cities across Turkey and wider European region. By bringing together the diversity of hybrid spaces and contextual responses to the current crises of democracy in the region, VAHA explores the power of learning from local practices to develop tailored support for platforms of free expression and cultural programming.
Our aim is to unite initiatives that foster public discussion through cultural and artistic activities, often under challenging and oppressive conditions. We seek to expand spaces for encounter and critical thinking while supporting transnational solidarity. Through this approach, VAHA hopes to create a framework that enables local cultural venues to form a socially prominent ecosystem of interconnected oases, which, in turn, serve as fertile landscapes for open discussions and creative actions.
Our aim is to unite initiatives that foster public discussion through cultural and artistic activities, often under challenging and oppressive conditions. We seek to expand spaces for encounter and critical thinking while supporting transnational solidarity. Through this approach, VAHA hopes to create a framework that enables local cultural venues to form a socially prominent ecosystem of interconnected oases, which, in turn, serve as fertile landscapes for open discussions and creative actions.
“VAHA is exchange, is space for possibilities, is enthusiasm, is inspiration, is getting involved, is demanding, challenging, and learning at the same time, is thinking about one's own privileges in one's own bubble and the challenges and impressive work elsewhere, is getting in action under a common roof.” (VAHA round I participant)
WHY?
At a time when uncertainty and censorship have come to characterize the political environment of contemporary societies, an increasing number of arts and culture workers are struggling to preserve open spaces for critical discussions and collective action on pressing issues in Turkey, Europe, and their neighbouring countries.
Meanwhile, public access to independent cultural programming is being made possible by those standing outside the mainstream. Thanks to their resilience and energy, cultural workers continue to develop new community formats to amplify the narratives of the oppressed, the forgotten, the marginalized, and the censored. Libraries, cafés, social venues, and cultural houses are becoming "hybrid spaces," offering alternative settings where the right to free thought and free speech can be exercised through arts and cultural activities.
However, their unconventional position makes them more vulnerable to instability, as few opportunities exist to support their creative endeavours. Risks such as shrinking funding, institutional control over public programming, and oppression of intellectual practices are narrowing the space for thought, production, and outreach.
VAHA is a solidarity platform designed to explore the creative and collective practices of cultural hubs, expanding their work by building strategic transnational alliances. VAHA aims to reclaim open spaces for critical public discussions in pressured societies and to position micro-resistances within a broader political context.
WHY?
At a time when uncertainty and censorship have come to characterize the political environment of contemporary societies, an increasing number of arts and culture workers are struggling to preserve open spaces for critical discussions and collective action on pressing issues in Turkey, Europe, and their neighbouring countries.
Meanwhile, public access to independent cultural programming is being made possible by those standing outside the mainstream. Thanks to their resilience and energy, cultural workers continue to develop new community formats to amplify the narratives of the oppressed, the forgotten, the marginalized, and the censored. Libraries, cafés, social venues, and cultural houses are becoming "hybrid spaces," offering alternative settings where the right to free thought and free speech can be exercised through arts and cultural activities.
However, their unconventional position makes them more vulnerable to instability, as few opportunities exist to support their creative endeavours. Risks such as shrinking funding, institutional control over public programming, and oppression of intellectual practices are narrowing the space for thought, production, and outreach.
VAHA is a solidarity platform designed to explore the creative and collective practices of cultural hubs, expanding their work by building strategic transnational alliances. VAHA aims to reclaim open spaces for critical public discussions in pressured societies and to position micro-resistances within a broader political context.
WHO?
Representatives of cultural and art spaces and organisations that offer public cultural programming, based in one of the Council of Europe countries or Kosovo, are invited to form cultural hubs. Two or three different organizations can come together to create a "hub" to apply for the program. Hub partners may include cultural venues, art initiatives, and civil society organizations with diverse structures, profiles, and fields of interest, provided that at least one of them is an officially registered non-profit organization, and ideally, at least one has a physical space.
In VAHA Round I, we supported 16 local hubs formed by 48 organizations across Turkey and Europe, as well as 5 transnational collaborations. In VAHA Round II, we supported 10 local hubs formed by 23 organizations in Turkey, and 9 transnational collaborations. In VAHA Round III, we will support up to 8 local hubs in Turkey and other Council of Europe countries, as well as their transnational collaborations with new organizations to be invited to the network.
Representatives of cultural and art spaces and organisations that offer public cultural programming, based in one of the Council of Europe countries or Kosovo, are invited to form cultural hubs. Two or three different organizations can come together to create a "hub" to apply for the program. Hub partners may include cultural venues, art initiatives, and civil society organizations with diverse structures, profiles, and fields of interest, provided that at least one of them is an officially registered non-profit organization, and ideally, at least one has a physical space.
In VAHA Round I, we supported 16 local hubs formed by 48 organizations across Turkey and Europe, as well as 5 transnational collaborations. In VAHA Round II, we supported 10 local hubs formed by 23 organizations in Turkey, and 9 transnational collaborations. In VAHA Round III, we will support up to 8 local hubs in Turkey and other Council of Europe countries, as well as their transnational collaborations with new organizations to be invited to the network.
HOW?
In VAHA Round I (2020-2023), the programme was divided into phases. The first phase ("Defining the Ground & Seeding") primarily focused on the activities and sustainability of all local hubs. In the second phase ("Planting"), the hubs were invited to scale up their work through transnational collaborations, with a series of meetings supporting their partnership and scaling process. In the third phase ("Harvesting"), the hubs had the opportunity to further disseminate their outputs in new contexts, with new partners both within and beyond the VAHA network.
In VAHA Round II (2023-2024), the two phases of the programme flowed in parallel. The local activities of the hubs selected from Turkey began, and at a later stage, transnational partners were invited to join the ongoing cultural programming of Turkish hubs to organise transnational exchanges.
In VAHA Round III (2025-2026), the programme will follow a similar structure to the previous round, but the local hubs will be selected not only from Turkey but also from the wider European region, as in the first round.
For weaving links between independent arts and culture organisations and enabling cultural workers, VAHA offers:
• Local Activity Grants to support hubs in exploring new formats of local partnerships and organising public cultural programmes.
• Transnational Exchange Grants to scale up local activities and events through partnerships with other regions.
• Learning & Mobility Grants to support the professional development and networking of cultural workers.
• Transnational Networking Meeting to foster knowledge and practice exchange among participants and engage them with other networks.
• Public Events to promote critical discussions through the artistic and cultural productions of the VAHA hubs.
• In addition to being part of the VAHA Solidarity Network, participants also gain access to other transnational networks such as iac Berlin – Bosch Alumni Network and Stiftung Mercator’s Alumni Network – MercatorGlobe, which offer extensive opportunities.
In VAHA Round I (2020-2023), the programme was divided into phases. The first phase ("Defining the Ground & Seeding") primarily focused on the activities and sustainability of all local hubs. In the second phase ("Planting"), the hubs were invited to scale up their work through transnational collaborations, with a series of meetings supporting their partnership and scaling process. In the third phase ("Harvesting"), the hubs had the opportunity to further disseminate their outputs in new contexts, with new partners both within and beyond the VAHA network.
In VAHA Round II (2023-2024), the two phases of the programme flowed in parallel. The local activities of the hubs selected from Turkey began, and at a later stage, transnational partners were invited to join the ongoing cultural programming of Turkish hubs to organise transnational exchanges.
In VAHA Round III (2025-2026), the programme will follow a similar structure to the previous round, but the local hubs will be selected not only from Turkey but also from the wider European region, as in the first round.
For weaving links between independent arts and culture organisations and enabling cultural workers, VAHA offers:
• Local Activity Grants to support hubs in exploring new formats of local partnerships and organising public cultural programmes.
• Transnational Exchange Grants to scale up local activities and events through partnerships with other regions.
• Learning & Mobility Grants to support the professional development and networking of cultural workers.
• Transnational Networking Meeting to foster knowledge and practice exchange among participants and engage them with other networks.
• Public Events to promote critical discussions through the artistic and cultural productions of the VAHA hubs.
• In addition to being part of the VAHA Solidarity Network, participants also gain access to other transnational networks such as iac Berlin – Bosch Alumni Network and Stiftung Mercator’s Alumni Network – MercatorGlobe, which offer extensive opportunities.
Background Story
All partners and funders behind this programme are long-standing supporters of empowering civil society and enhancing open debate and cultural dialogue in Turkey. The core consortium of the programme has approached civil society development primarily through arts and culture, while also addressing contemporary challenges in Turkey and its neighbouring regions. The broad spectrum of experience in tackling major public and social issues has substantially informed the formation of VAHA programme.
The Tandem Turkey programme, which ran from 2011 to 2019, is one of the long-term collaborations of VAHA partners. Around 150 participants, representing cultural and civil society organisations from Turkey, Europe, and the neighbouring region, took part in the programme, which supported a total of 65 collaborations. Following in the footsteps of Tandem Turkey’s nearly decade-long legacy, we continued our collaboration to develop a new programme targeting active cultural spaces that promote public discussion and dialogue in Turkey, Europe, and the wider region. In the winter of 2019, we visited several cities across Turkey and met with newly emerged initiatives, involving them in co-designing the programme through a meeting in March 2020 in Turkey. We are pleased to introduce the resulting VAHA programme and thank everyone involved in the making.
VAHA is an initiative of Anadolu Kültür and zusa, funded by Stiftung Mercator and the European Cultural Foundation.
VAHA partner consortium is in a collaboration with the iac Berlin.
We thank the Chrest Foundation for its support of travel related expenses in the VAHA round I (2020-2023) and other logistical expenses in the VAHA round II (2023-2024).
All partners and funders behind this programme are long-standing supporters of empowering civil society and enhancing open debate and cultural dialogue in Turkey. The core consortium of the programme has approached civil society development primarily through arts and culture, while also addressing contemporary challenges in Turkey and its neighbouring regions. The broad spectrum of experience in tackling major public and social issues has substantially informed the formation of VAHA programme.
The Tandem Turkey programme, which ran from 2011 to 2019, is one of the long-term collaborations of VAHA partners. Around 150 participants, representing cultural and civil society organisations from Turkey, Europe, and the neighbouring region, took part in the programme, which supported a total of 65 collaborations. Following in the footsteps of Tandem Turkey’s nearly decade-long legacy, we continued our collaboration to develop a new programme targeting active cultural spaces that promote public discussion and dialogue in Turkey, Europe, and the wider region. In the winter of 2019, we visited several cities across Turkey and met with newly emerged initiatives, involving them in co-designing the programme through a meeting in March 2020 in Turkey. We are pleased to introduce the resulting VAHA programme and thank everyone involved in the making.
VAHA is an initiative of Anadolu Kültür and zusa, funded by Stiftung Mercator and the European Cultural Foundation.
VAHA partner consortium is in a collaboration with the iac Berlin.
We thank the Chrest Foundation for its support of travel related expenses in the VAHA round I (2020-2023) and other logistical expenses in the VAHA round II (2023-2024).
Visuals by Julia Hoffmann