1. Home
  2. Mission

Mission

The Istanbul based association Diyalog is an inter-cultural association dedicated to communities, diversity and new media.

Our principal objectives are the promotion of exchange and cooperation in order to carry out an intercultural understanding to strengthen as well as above all a cultural dialogue beyond borders. Under these circumstances we are supporting initiatives that express cultural diversity within societies.

The basic research and work of the association focuses on collaboration in old and new media, technology and theory with an emphasis on social contexts.

2009 Diyalog implemented its first video workshop series under the title EntropyTV in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut and as partner of the Cultural Bridges Program by the EU.

Since 2010 Diyalog is organizing workshop programs with young adults in Turkey, Malta, Iraq, Afghanistan and Canada in cooperation with the Vodafon Foundation, Anna Lindh Foundation and others.

In 10 years Diyalog was setting up 4 editorial online platforms based on open-source software dedicated to community building, diversity and audience development.

Since 2017 Diyalog is organizing the Mahalla Festival. The festivals bring together actors and initiatives from Europe and beyond to support an intercultural understanding in the field of migration, inclusion and local communities. Under the title Generating New Narratives the festival in Malta 2018 displayed events reflecting aspects of borders, armed conflicts and migration, inclusion and intercultural communication.

Since 2020 following the pandemic and the frequent occurrence of extreme weather Diyalog is extending the thematic of cultural diversity also to biodiversity.

At the same time and to cope with the hygiene rules of the pandemic Diyalog developed and implemented digital tools for online adult training to overcome self-isolation, demobilization and paralysis. E.g. the Mahalla Festival 2020 took place as remote event and Diyalog is conduction an international videoworkshop online for young adults from different countries since 2020.

The association is an international network with a participatory and flexible structure that combines advanced creative production, research, events, and documentation.

Diyalog and the Mahalla Festival became partner of the MagiC Carpets network in May 2022.

MagiC Carpets network is a Creative Europe platform with the opportunity for cultural organizations to engage in artist residencies and collaborate with other European organizations specifically in the field of artist development, participating in carefully designed international mobility schemes, opening new opportunities for exchange, learning and creation.

We are not supporting

  • activities that are focusing primarily on education, religion or heritage
  • initiatives that focus only on the academic sector or represent traditional approaches to research and education
  • folkloric events and projects which focus on conserving cultural heritage
  • initiatives based solely on tourism
  • local projects lacking a collaborative dimension