zusa’s activities include cultural collaboration programmes and projects, as well as learning and reflection spaces in the format of workshops, online encounters, and the ongoing nurturing of our communities.
Currently, together with our partners we implement the following programmes:
Tandem
Tandem is a cultural collaboration programme that strengthens civil society in Europe and its neighbouring regions. Tandem offers a space to build real, meaningful and sustainable relationships that can grow through shared interests, enthusiasm for creative discovery and the joy of making things happen together. Since its inception in 2011, Tandem has supported long-term collaborations, knowledge development and networking opportunities for more than 400 cultural managers from over 200 cities across three continents. Tandem is an initiative of the European Cultural Foundation and MitOst e.V.
VAHA
VAHA (meaning “oasis” in Turkish) is a two-year programme made with and for the empowered voices of independent arts and culture spaces, advocating for public discussion and dialogue in cities across Turkey, Europe, and their neighbouring countries. Bringing together the diversity of hybrid spaces and contextual responses to the crises of democracy the regions are currently facing, VAHA explores the power of learning from local practices to develop tailor-made support for platforms of free expression and cultural programming.
All-Around Culture
All-Around Culture Programme aims to foster a vital cultural ecosystem as an enabling environment for social and economic inclusion of young people in seven countries across the Arab region including Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, and Libyan and Syrian communities in these countries. Co-funded by the European Union, All-Around Culture is a collaborative and interconnected programme which consists of 5 components implemented over a 4-year period.
AiR zusa
The residency aims to provide a safer space for artists and cultural professionals who have faced psychological distress after having lived in war-torn countries. By offering a supportive, interdisciplinary environment, the goal is to help them build resilience and networks, especially focusing on those affected by the conflict in Ukraine over the past two years. The majority of residences place emphasis on the final result, but we recognise that part of being creative also implies being unproductive or taking breaks, even more so when external factors affect us emotionally generating certain blockages.
Culture Helps / Культура допомагає
“Culture Helps / Культура допомагає” is an EU co-funded project aimed at assisting people who have been forced to move to safer regions of Ukraine or abroad because of the russian invasion of Ukraine. The project provides grant support to cultural managers and organisations that help displaced people integrate into new communities through culture. “Culture Helps” focus on (displaced) cultural professionals and organisations that can enable this process.
The Big Green
The Big Green is a 4 year long project that brings environmentally-engaged artists under one large-scale umbrella initiative and experiment with innovative ways of using art to promote sustainability. Together with 14 other partner organisations, we aim to highlight the potential of the environment and the creative and cultural sectors to work together. Our role as zusa in the project is to foster exchange about sustainable communication practices among the partners.
What's Next?
What's next? is a project that aims to foster creativity and courage within the cultural sector and create space for reflection on new formats of residencies and cross-border collaboration. The goal of What's next? is to develop European multidisciplinary collaboration through international residencies and educational programmes to broaden the awareness of a strength of co-creating together as well as exchanging ideas and values.
art of collaboration
With years of experience running international exchange programmes, we are pretty good in designing and facilitating various learning processes. We are keen on sharing our knowledge about collaborative work! Whether it is a project design, series of workshops, a facilitated knowledge exchange – you name it – send us a message!
Most of our work takes place in the European Neighbourhood, North Africa and West Asia. As we face global challenges, we are always interested in broadening our scope and deepening our impact. Please reach out to hello@zusaculture.org if you want to collaborate!
