In search of equal partners. On being a SWANA artist and cultural worker in the EU

Culture Action Europe published new research on being a SWANA artist and cultural worker in the EU. Entitled “In Search of Equal Partners”, the paper was developed in the framework of the “Engaging with SWANA/MENA cultural agents in the EU” project, supported by the Open Society Foundations (OSF).

The objective was to involve this community in advocating and shaping European cultural policies and funding schemes that are more inclusive and better safeguard fundamental rights (including working conditions, mobility, freedom of artistic expression and gender equality).

MENA is an internationally acknowledged acronym for the Middle East and North Africa. However, experts in the reading panels indicated a clear consensus that the MENA term should be avoided, as it is rooted in colonial cartography that places England at its centre, and the term South-West Asia and North Africa (SWANA) was suggested instead.