Building bridges across borders through art and culture
In the Arab region, where censorship, political instability and war have a profound impact on people’s lives, Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafy (Culture Resource) creates space for art, social contact and imagination. For more than 20 years, it’s supported artists and cultural organisations in the area. With grants, training programmes, exchanges and emergency aid, Culture Resource helps artists to continue creating, collaborating and speaking out – something that’s particularly important in places where freedom of expression is under pressure.
How a group of artists started a movement
In many Arab countries, independent art and culture receive hardly any public support. When governments do provide funding, it is often accompanied by censorship and control. As a result, artists largely work alone, without funding or trustworthy associates. In 2003, a group of artists and cultural activists in Cairo took matters into their own hands and set up Culture Resource, an independent organisation serving creatives across the Arab region. Since then, Culture Resource has grown to become a household name. The organisation has supported and collaborated with more than 3,000 artists, cultural institutions and artistic projects and reached thousands of participants and visitors.
The power of art
The need for independent and uncensored culture in the Arab region remains as strong as ever. For years, this part of the world has been plagued by wars, economic crises, a decline in civil liberties, and great overall uncertainty. In Lebanon alone, where Culture Resource has been based since 2015, recent crises have included financial collapse, hyperinflation, the Beirut port explosion, the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, and the ongoing threat of violence and war. Many artists have lost their incomes, their workspaces, even their homes. Culture Resource does not view art as a luxury but as an essential social force. At times when societies face the greatest pressures, art offers people space to pause, ask questions and imagine alternative futures.
Strengthening cultural networks
Over the years, Culture Resource has developed a wide range of programmes and projects that contribute to freedom of expression, professional development and knowledge-sharing within the arts and culture sector. Since 2011, it has focused on strengthening cultural organisations and the networks that unite them. For example, its Abbara programme – with which DOEN has been involved from the start – gives participating organisations multiyear funding, strategic planning assistance, tailored guidance, and access to a broad regional network. Culture Resource thus acts as a catalyst for organisations working to achieve greater freedom, social engagement and cultural openness within the contexts they operate in.
“The past year has been particularly difficult, but we’re still here, as one of the few arts organisations in Sudan. Abbara has played a major role. The programme has not only provided us with financial support but also made us stronger internally and mentally. Although our team of four is spread across different countries, we’ve managed to run four programmes, keep an online blog going and publish an annual magazine.”
The Muse Multi Studios, Sudan, a participant in the seventh round of the Abbara programme
From professionalisation to emergency aid
In addition to providing direct support, Culture Resource has been training creatives in cultural policy and management since 2004. It enables artists in various disciplines to develop their knowledge and skills and encourages international collaboration and knowledge exchange. In this way, it helps today’s cultural leaders to create more space for art, culture and freedom of expression in the future. Culture Resource’s support takes a different form when circumstances require it. Through its Stand for Art programme, it assists artists who are at risk because of their work or due to war, oppression or another crisis. They receive safe accommodation and, where necessary, travel, legal and psychosocial support. In response to a major event such as a pandemic, an earthquake, a financial crisis or a war, Culture Resource can launch an emergency aid programme quickly. During the war in Lebanon in 2024, for example, it set up a humanitarian fund to assist six cultural initiatives that were aiding people who had fled the violence. As well as providing practical help, it organised cultural activities that fostered social interaction, resilience and a sense of community.
“Culture Resource has been a strategic partner of the DOEN Foundation since 2007. Over its 20-year history, the organisation has grown to become one of the most important regional players in the creative sector, recognised as a source of expertise and a linchpin. By supporting and connecting artists and cultural organisations all this time, they’ve given people new perspectives, offered them hope, and helped them take action to build a better future.”
Olga Alexeeva, programme manager, DOEN Foundation
Connection as resilience
In 2025, Culture Resource’s impact was highlighted at its 20th-anniversary forum. More than 200 artists, cultural workers and representatives of organisations came together for a day and a half of face-to-face networking. The event, Culture Resource’s first major gathering in years, was an opportunity to reflect on the challenges and changes of the past five years. Participants discussed the cultural ecosystem, the impact of AI on the arts, and the welfare of cultural workers. The gathering served as an important occasion for collective reflection, exchange and solidarity. Meeting in person and being together proved invaluable for participants, given everything the region has been through in recent years.
“The DOEN Foundation understands better than anyone that culture is not a luxury but a necessity. Culture preserves memories of our history, protects our identity from erasure, and empowers people to tell their own stories and imagine a different future. For almost 20 years, DOEN has been a committed and reliable partner, supporting our organisation in various ways. For example, we were very touched when they contacted us to offer psychological help immediately following the Beirut port explosion that killed 220 people. DOEN really understands what’s going on in the region and the challenging context we work in.”
Rana Harik, deputy director, Culture Resource
From dreaming to building
Despite difficult circumstances that mean freedom, security and future prospects are by no means guaranteed, Culture Resource looks ahead with hope. The organisation sees art and culture as havens for critical thinking, freedom of expression, dialogue and collective healing. It therefore continues to provide artists with opportunities to create, reflect and dream. Its greatest impact perhaps lies in safeguarding the ability to imagine a different future.
DOEN Foundation is able to invest in Culture Resource thanks to the players of the Postcode Loterij.
Back to the Annual Report