British Council: New Cultural Leadership and Innovation scheme

This programme is developed in partnership with the Ford Foundation and it is committed to engaging emerging talent and established cultural leaders in a part of the world teeming with artistic enterprise.

The selection of 90 representatives from all 17 countries was completed after weeks of deliberations from more than 250 applicants from this region. Applicants came with different backgrounds from puppeteers and museum curators to contemporary dancers and fashion moguls to classical singers and producers.

Participants are divided between three interactive workshops in Beirut (20-22 March), Cairo (28-30 March) and Dubai (15-17 April), making this a truly unique and collaborative scheme. Two participants from will take part including namely: Ghita Khaldi and Bouchra Zinedine.

Stephen Stenning, British Council MENA Regional Arts Director commented on the scheme saying: ‘This region is bursting with culture, a vibrant melting pot of traditional artforms and contemporary reinventions. It has so much to offer both regionally and to the international community. The British Council works to highlight that artistic enterprise as a vital tool for growth in the region. I look forward to the interactive ‘Labs’ and to seeing what exciting new collaborations they unearth!’

Alma Salem, The MENA Regional Arts Programmes manager adds: ‘Culture and Arts has never been highlighted as a priority for our region as it is in our dazzling times, it is recognized as being one of the peaceful interactive tools for long term sustained, and in depth change in this region.’

She added ‘Imagination became a solution to embrace social difficulties, and a dynamo for Intellectual discussion. Therefore the programme promises to be relevant and to respond to current artistic and cultural needs and challenges in the region’

The scheme aims to create a network of passionate cultural ambassadors, who can share their individual experiences to establish a dynamic, specified forum for contemporary arts. In a region trying to process enormous social change, it is more important than ever to have innovative minds engaged with cultural enterprise, and focussed on the distinct challenges it presents.