The MENA region has a high demand for culture professionals that are well connected and trained to modern standards. Since 2012, the Goethe-Institut has supported around 600 such actors in the MENA region, working in the field of cultural management. The cultural sector is considered to play an essential role in shaping societal change – particularly in conflict-ridden contexts like Libya.
In 2018, the Goethe-Institut organizes its “Cultural Academy Libya” project for the third time after 2014 and 2017. Libya’s cultural structures are only poorly developed, lacking infrastructure, funding, and networking possibilities. Moreover, many cultural managers have insufficient qualifications and face frequent limitations to their work. But there is hope:
Libyan alumni of the Goethe-Institut’s pilot projects report high numbers of participants at cultural events, and have ambitious plans. “In Tripoli, people have been much more engaged with culture again in the last few months,” says the founder of an NGO and former participant of “Cultural Academy Libya” in 2017. “This is a terrific development,” she continues.
The Project “Cultural Academy Libya” includes, above all, capacity-building measures in the fields of culture and education. They enable participants to guide and mould social developments in their countries in a professional manner. This year, a total of twelve Libyan cultural actors will take part in a two-week training in Tunisia, and a one-week visit to Germany. This will give participants the opportunity to get to know the culture scenes of Tunisia and Germany, and to engage in exchange with potentially important partners.
A project of the Goethe-Institut and supported by the German Federal Foreign Office.
