Participants

This seven-day long capacity building programme targets festival curators from all over the world, regardless of age, gender and nationality, who are interested in exchanging knowledge and experiences between professionals active in the field of festivals and who wish to improve their management skills, learn from renowned experts and exchange ideas and best practices with other participants.

It is addressed at young leaders who are interested in the organization and in the new ways of cooperation and sustainable production. In addition, it is aimed at participants who are interested in becoming part of a network that focuses on knowledge sharing and networking. At the end of the programme, participants will leave with expanded skills in festival organisation and curation with a wide new personal and professional network and with inspiration for new ways of developing their festivals.

Ahmed is the Founder and General Director of Danseurs Citoyens Sud (DCS), a cultural organization that uses performing arts as a catalyst for civic engagement and social change. He is also the Founder of No Name – Artistic Studio Lab, the first private cultural center in Gabes, dedicated to artistic experimentation, residencies, and cross-border collaboration.

As a curator and artist, Ahmed’s approach centers the body as an artistic medium, viewing it as a living archive and a site of resistance and imagination. He believes that art is inseparable from people’s lived realities and insists on the power of imagination to shape futures we aspire to. His practice embraces multiple artistic mediums—movement, sound, image, technology, and raw natural materials—merging them into layered and immersive experiences.

In parallel to his artistic work, Ahmed is conducting research on cultural ecosystems inspired by mycelium and fungi, exploring models of interdependence, decentralization, and sustainability. He has been selected for prestigious international programs including April festival (Danemark), Paléo Festival (Switzerland), CIMIC Project (Paris), and WADEintoACTIVISM Festival (New York).

With over 13 years of experience, Ahmed has designed and led 40 socio-cultural projects in Tunisia and 12 international collaborations across the MENA region, Europe, and the United States. His expertise lies in cultural curation, institutional development, governance, and creative fundraising. He has secured over €2 million in funding for civil society initiatives.

Ahmed holds a Professional Diploma in Contemporary Dance (Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Tunisia) and a Diploma in Cultural Management (Culture Resource, Lebanon). He is currently pursuing the Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification. Fluent in Arabic and proficient in French and English, Ahmed continues to bridge artistic practice with cultural leadership across the Global South. ‍

Ahmed’s work has gained recognition through collaborations and performances with institutions such as Ford Foundation, Fondation Drosos, Hivos, AFAC, Prince Claus Fund, Culture Resource, Goethe-Institut, Institut Français, Freemuse, Oxfam, and Humanity & Inclusion.

Angeliki Georgokosta is a cultural manager working at the intersection of music, community, and social change. As General Manager of El Sistema Greece, she leads community music programs that engage over 500 young people each year, nurturing an intercultural community through music education and collective artistic creation.

With a background in the performing arts and a strong commitment to collaborative processes, Angeliki has spent over a decade designing and delivering artistic interventions focused on artist development, community building, and audience engagement.

Her previous work includes designing mentorship programs for unaccompanied minors at Terra Firma International, managing large-scale projects with the European Creative Hubs Network, and launching Off the Grid, a platform supporting emerging Greek musicians, funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung. She has also collaborated with institutions such as Battersea Arts Centre and the Salzburg Global Seminar.

A founding member of Culture 4 Change, Greece’s network of socio-cultural managers, Angeliki holds an MA in Creative Producing from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and a BA in Theatre Studies from the University of Patras. She believes in art as a catalyst for justice, joy, and collective imagination.

Berna Küpeli is a Çanakkale-born documentary photographer, visual storyteller, and cultural worker. For more than a decade she has worked in humanitarian and cultural fields, documenting communities in crisis zones and ecological frontlines in Türkiye and Europe.

She co-founded The Island Residency on Bozcaada in 2023, an international platform for artists to connect with the island’s cultural and ecological heritage. Berna’s projects explore themes of ecology, collective memory, and belonging. Her works have been exhibited in the Troia Museum and in international documentary festivals.

Alongside her artistic practice, Berna has led communications for humanitarian and development organizations, including UNICEF, PRM, and BMZ-funded projects, producing visual narratives and success-story films. She is also an alumna of VII Academy and a longtime advocate for ethical storytelling in humanitarian photography.

Carolina Sueta is a creative producer, curator, and cultural manager. Since 2010, she has worked in the cultural, social, and community fields, managing projects focused on territorial engagement. Social Communicator (FPyCS - UNLP), Postgraduate in Cultural Management and Policies (FCE - UNLP), and Diploma in Environmental Perspective in Cultural Industries (UNTREF).

In 2013, she co-founded Mula Cultura, a platform for promoting, producing, and developing artistic projects in the Global South. Based in La Plata, Argentina, Mula focuses on promoting the professional development of performing artists and fostering national and international networks for circulation and exchange.

She directs the AÙRA Festival (La Plata), a platform that fosters conversations about a more sustainable future through the living language of the performing arts, focusing on site-specific artistic research processes, public space, and communities. She works as a network of exchange and collaboration among diverse cultural stakeholders to reflect on public space and territory.

In 2023, she co-created FUNGA, a platform that explores the intersections between culture, ecology, and ecosystems, based on knowledge of fungi. Her initiatives are funded by the Argentine Ministry of Culture, UNTREF, and Queen Mary University of London.

In parallel, she has worked as a producer and manager for public institutions and organizations such as the Recoleta Cultural Center, the INT (National Institute of International Studies), the FIBA ​​Festival, the National Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Women, Gender Policies, and Sexual Diversity of the province of Buenos Aires.

Carolina's work explores themes that intertwine art, territorial and community work, and current ecological issues.

She currently coordinates the production area of ​​the Recoleta Cultural Center, City of Buenos Aires.

Eefje van den Broek works on the dance programming for Internationaal Theater Amsterdam (ITA) and the international contemporary dance festival Julidans.

Originally from Breda in the south of the Netherlands, she moved to Amsterdam to study art history. Realizing she was more drawn to art that 'talks back,' she switched to Theatre Studies at the University of Amsterdam. During her bachelor’s, she interned in programming at ITA and stayed on as an assistant while pursuing a master’s degree in dramaturgy, also at the University of Amsterdam.

Eefje has worked as a dramaturg with Dutch-based theatre directors such as Koen Verheijden and Mateusz Staniak, and completed a dramaturgy internship with Club Guy & Roni and NITE in Groningen. After graduating in 2021, she took on a full-time role supporting the dance programming at both ITA and Julidans.

At ITA, she focuses on Dutch dance programming, while at Julidans she curates the context and professionals programming. In both roles, she works closely with Anita van Dolen, ITA’s dance programmer and the artistic director of Julidans.

ahad Harbo Kheder is a Yazidi musician, cultural worker, and co-founder of the Mirzo Music Institution, an initiative dedicated to preserving and revitalising traditional music among marginalised communities in the region. He holds a Diploma in Music from the Art Academy in Qamishli and is currently pursuing a BA in English Literature at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS).

Fahad has over a decade of experience in music performance, oral history documentation, project supervision, and music therapy, particularly with displaced and trauma-affected communities. He has collaborated with several local and international organizations, composed music for film and theatre, and participated in numerous festivals and workshops across the region.

With deep roots in Yazidi and Kurdish musical traditions, Fahad's work blends traditional instruments with contemporary narratives. He is passionate about the role of music as a tool for cultural resilience, healing, and identity preservation.

Fluent in Kurdish, Arabic, and English, Fahad brings a unique intercultural and interdisciplinary perspective to his work. Through his participation in the festival program, he aims to connect with fellow artists, exchange knowledge, and explore new collaborative opportunities to amplify the voices of underrepresented communities through music.

Farah Sayem (1996) is a curator, researcher and cultural practitioner based in Tunis. Her work explores the physical and political dimensions of public and common spaces, investigating their relationship with the social and cultural practices of their inhabitants. She explores how these spaces participate in reshaping urban landscapes, while engaging with notions of self-management, artistic urban commons, and their political significance as forms of resistance to the social consequences of neoliberalism. Since April 2020, she has been actively involved in civil society, developing cultural projects that promote the democratization of artistic activity. Her professional background is rooted in curating and project management. She has collaborated with L’Art Rue on the Dream City festival, Collectif Créatif, Journées Musicales de Carthage, La Boîte lieu d'architecture et d'art contemporain, Gabes Cinéma Fen, UN Women Tunisia, and El Warcha collaborative design studio in Tunis. Farah holds a Master’s degree in Product Design (ESSTED) and a second Master’s in Social and Solidarity Management (ISG Tunis). She was also a member of the TASAWAR CURATORIAL STUDIOS 3 collective from 2021 to 2022.

Faye Kabali-Kagwa is a South African-Ugandan cultural curator based in Cape Town. Her work is embedded in a social practice that seeks innovative, interdiscplinary platforms where creative production and audience engagement meaningfully intersect. Faye has a decade of experience in managing projects supporting the development, access, and educational support for theatre for young audiences. In 2023 she curated ASSITEJ South Africa's international theatre festival for young audiences, Cradle of Creativity. Youth voices have been a hallmark of her work. Finding ways to connect with audience has also meant experimenting with different formats and mediums - these have included WhatsApp as both a theatrical space and exhibition platform, recreating video jockeying in a public mall, and using nail art as a form of accessible art production.

Faye has networks across Africa, Europe, and North America such as ASSITEJ, ISPA, the Pan African Creative Exchange, Salzburg Global Forum, and the African Festival Network. Faye is invested in the narratives and experiences of African people across the world. Faye is serving on the curatorial team for the 2026 edition of Theater der Welt, Germany's largest international theatre festival.

Hiba Almarahleh holds a BA in the specialization of early childhood care. As a Program Supervisor, Almarahleh employs her educational background to impact childhood development in Jordan positively. Through brainstorming, designing, and implementing a positive impact on Jordan's childhood development of interactive educational experiences, Almarahleh delivers educational topics through novel and unconventional channels, which are attractive, engaging, and interesting to children. In 2016 and 2017, she developed and trained on the workshops the Museum developed for UNESCO under the Heritage and Education and Information Services for the Um Al Jimmal archeological site. In 2019, Hiba wrote a starter kit manual for early childhood facilitators in science centers and museums. In 2021, she developed an educational kit for waste management in collaboration with the Ministry

of Environment and the Jordan Environment Fund.

Karen El Haddad is a cultural producer, theatre-maker, and designer based in Brussels. Born in Oman and of Lebanese origin, she holds a Master’s in Media and Information Design from LUCA School of Arts. Her work explores the intersections of storytelling, community engagement, and cultural practice across geographies.

Karen is the co-founder of Mirsat, a platform that supports emerging Arab artists in Europe through curation, training, and collaborative programming. In 2024, she initiated and co-produced the first edition of EFTA – the Arab Theatre Festival in Europe – which brought together Arab-led performances in Brussels to strengthen transnational dialogue and visibility for diaspora artists.

With a background in cultural entrepreneurship, Karen has developed and led theatre workshops for children, and collaborated with collectives and institutions in both the Middle East and Europe. Her practice is rooted in participatory methodologies, care-based production, and expanding access to creative expression across language and cultural boundaries.

Karen is currently working on developing EFTA’s next edition while contributing to broader conversations around representation, mobility, and equity in the performing arts sector.

Katinka Enkhuizen (1995) is a dedicated and open-minded arts professional who started working in the cultural field from a young age in her hometown Rotterdam, The Netherlands. After studying at a theatre academy, she completed her Bachelor of Arts and Culture at Erasmus University. During her studies she realized her own theatre festival, but also worked for events such as International Film Festival Rotterdam and Afrovibes Festival. In 2017 the Rotterdam Council for Art and Culture and Erasmus University started a research on cultural diversity within the cultural sector of Rotterdam. As a member of the research team, Katinka investigated how organizations view and act upon this topic. Next to this, she started programming at Theatre Rotterdam and acquired a broad network within the contemporary dance and theatre field. She currently works as a programmer for Holland Festival, where she focuses on theatre- and dance projects from Dutch artists as well as different kind of programmes that connect international artists to the local scene. In addition, she is an advisor at the Performing Arts Fund NL and a board member of multiple arts organizations in the Netherlands.

Laeticia Philantrope is a cultural worker. She focuses her activities on transmission through her role as mediation and audience engagement coordinator at the Festival TransAmériques | FTA, by teaching dance, and by writing critical articles, notably published by Liberté, art & politique.

Her path has led her to wander through various university programmes, to travel in countries where she did not speak the language, and to collaborate with people of all ages and from many cultures. She is interested in poetry, embodied practices and collective narratives. She is wary of a lack of nuance, and even more wary of a lack of curiosity.

Between the rehearsal room and the classroom, words and gestures, what is said and what is experienced, she lets herself be guided by the margins. She doesn't believe in solitary expertise: in her work as in her life, Laeticia tries to cultivate links between generations, disciplines, languages, forms of intelligence... She believes in porous transmissions, in the memory of the body, in the serious joy of creating together.

She is currently working to make performing arts of all kinds more accessible to young people in disadvantaged schools in her city.

Perhaps it is where it all starts.

Layla Madanat works freelance across the arts and social impact sectors as a director, dramaturg and producer. Following a Master’s Degree in Gender, Development and Globalisation, and an Undergraduate in History, she has been dedicated to creating live relationships between arts projects and social justice causes.

As an artist, credits include the Watermill, National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, and Shakespeare's Globe. Her documentary short film mosaic/فسيفساء was selected for the BFI London Film Festival and Sheffield Doc Fest. She has produced theatre work for Theatre503 and public live artwork for The Walk Productions.

She has worked as an Associate for Shubbak Festival in London, and was previously Associate to the Artistic Director on Little Amal’s European Walk in 2021.

For the past 6 years, she has led qualitative research for social justice organisations. She sits on the Board of Trustees for the Young Vic and the National Student Drama Festival. Layla is currently based in London, and is hoping to work more in the South-West Asian North African (Arab) region in the years to come.

Louisa has worked as a theatre producer and programmer in a wide range of contexts from London’s West End to women’s prisons and healthcare settings. She currently works as Regional and Engagement Manager for Perth Festival Australia's longest running multi-art form festival founded in 1953. She was an Australian ISPA fellow 2020-2024 (International Society of the Performing Arts). She has worked as a programmer in South Australia programming and producing for a range of regional communities and venues, including building national tours for new Australian work.

Prior to relocating to Australia, Louisa worked as a producer in the UK for some of the UK’s leading theatre companies and venues including Headlong Theatre, Clean Break and Soho Theatre in London. She has volunteered with a range of arts and teaching organisations in the West Bank, Palestine and is slowly learning Arabic.

My journey in theatre began as an actor, performing in major and student productions at the Lebanese American University (LAU). This early experience ignited a deep passion for the stage and prompted me to explore the technical side of theatre. I started learning about lighting, sound, and operating systems at Al Madina Theatre, where I built a solid foundation in the technical aspects of stage production.

In 2011, I became the Technical Director of Babel Theatre in Beirut, a pivotal role that allowed me to gain extensive hands-on experience. I was involved in preparing the theatre for festivals and worked on a wide range of international performances. My responsibilities covered lighting, sound design, production coordination, and administrative tasks. This period was essential in shaping my understanding of how to bring a theatrical vision to life from both an artistic and logistical perspective.

After several years, I transitioned into documentary filmmaking, exploring a different form of storytelling. However, my passion for live theatre never faded. This passion eventually led me to return to the stage, and in Brussels, I co-founded an ASBL (non-profit organisation) dedicated to producing and promoting theatre.

In 2024, we organized our first theatre festival, EFTA (European Festival for Theatre & Arts), a project that brought together diverse artistic voices and encouraged collaboration. I believe that theatre festivals are powerful platforms where artists can meet, share experiences, and learn from one another. They create vibrant cultural exchanges that fuel creativity and innovation across borders.

Marina Kakoulli (Limassol, 1993) holds a Master's Degree in Cultural Management from Panteion University of Athens, as well as a Bachelor's and Integrated Master's Degree in Theatre Studies with specializations in Acting and Directing from the School of Fine Arts, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Since 2016, she has been active in the field of performing arts, focusing on theatre, contemporary dance, and performance. Her work spans directing, dramaturgy, and workshop facilitation, alongside roles in production, administration, curation, and program management within various institutions and cultural initiatives. She has collaborated with independent artistic groups and with Organisation Lemesos 2030 – European Capital of Culture Candidate City as part of the Outreach Working Group, serving as Outreach Coordinator and Collaborator in designing participatory methodologies. In 2023, she joined the Cyprus Youth Clubs Organisation as a youth worker, engaging closely with young people and fostering creativity within the community.

In October 2023, she was appointed General / Artistic Director of Dance House Lemesos and curator of the Open House Festival.

Her main areas of interest include the interaction between art and sociopolitical reality, the conditions of experiencing and consuming cultural goods, and the development of policies and programs related to the sustainability of contemporary artistic production.

My name is Mohamad Yehya Tahan, I’m a cultural worker, archivist, and emerging festival maker based in Tripoli, Lebanon. With a background that bridges social engagement, historical research, and artistic production, I’m passionate about creating and preserving cultural experiences rooted in community and memory.

I hold a Bachelor's degree in Political and Administrative Sciences and a one-year diploma in historical editing and research from the Lebanese University. I began my professional journey working with NGOs such as Médecins du Monde and CESVI, focusing on harm reduction and child protection. Over the past year and a half, I’ve shifted toward the arts and culture sector, working with Rumman Tripoli on event production, public relations, and administrative coordination.

In parallel, I’m pursuing an independent archiving project focused on the history of Cinema Radio in Tripoli. This project led me to complete an intensive workshop on film reel cleaning and preservation—skills I’m using to document and protect a fading part of our city’s cultural legacy.

I’ve been part of Rumman Music Festival #03 and am currently contributing to Rumman Music Festival #04 in a production role, I’m also volunteering with Oakenfest, handling behind-the-scenes work and PR.

Fluent in Arabic, English, and French, I move between research, curation, and production with a growing commitment to community building, and cultural continuity. As I develop my practice, I aim to deepen my experience, take on more senior roles, and continue contributing to a more connected and conscious cultural landscape in Lebanon and the region.

Mohamed Biyjeddiguene is a cultural operator and artistic director from Agadir, based in Casablanca, Morocco. He is currently co-designing Abaraz, a new community festival in Tafraout (southern Morocco) that brings together Amazigh indigenous music, particularly Ahwach, with experimental sound practices. Co-created with local artists and cultural actors, the festival seeks to bridge ancestral heritage with electronic sonic experimentation while strengthening community ownership of cultural initiatives.

Mohamed has worked in many cultural projects as a freelancer during the past 7 years. He is the co-founder of the Moroccan Association for Electronic Music (AMME), through which he has developed and is directing flagship projects such as Abtal Digital, Tekchbila, Conversons, Teknics+. Within AMME, he also manages Hss.Hss, its label and economic branch dedicated to producing music and events, as well as managing a music venue (Ablinka) currently in development. His work consistently explores the intersections of traditional and experimental practices, positioning music as both a space of creation and of cultural transmission.

He graduated from ENCG Agadir and completed a training in cultural project management at the Racines Carrées Incubator. He is also an alumnus of several international fellowship programs, including the CrossCulture Program in Strengthening Civil Society (ifa & Berlin Art Institute), the Global Cultural Relations Programme (Cultural Relations Platform, 2022), and the Professional Fellowship with Legacy International (Washington & Detroit, 2024) hosted at CultureSource.

Nadine Ali is a visual artist based in Cairo, Egypt. A Fine Arts graduate majoring in painting, Helwan University. With a growing passion for contemporary art and its history, the artist’s contributive, experimental and educational journey started by participating in Studiokhana for contemporary art and cultural development’s (Student’s Council) program. As well as participating in the exhibition “We are seldom in two places at once” curated by Studiokhana as a culmination of a series of workshops regarding photography, text-based art, performance, sound and installation art. While using different mediums such as photography, painting, and personal writings as a means of self- expression, the artist focuses on topics concerning the body as a psychological entity with layers to be explored, and how the body’s functionality gains its validity, in spite of the possibly assumed deformations, in her photography and text-based installation “Inmate, Companion” that was exhibited in Darb1718 in Cairo. The artist is also keen on exploring many aspects of the art world, the local art scene through writing and researching. The use of language and words to construct bodies of text has been a skill and a tool the artist uses to expand her professional and personal interests in art and many different fields. Her work has been exhibited in different venues around Cairo such as Darb1718, AUC Tahrir Culture Center, and CIC Contemporary Image Collective.

Omaid Sharifi is an artivist and President of ArtLords — a movement of self-styled artivists who use art for positive social transformation and advocate for artistic freedom worldwide. A former fellow at Harvard University, Atlantic Council, and Asia Society, Omaid also served as a board member of CIVICUS, a worldwide alliance focusing on strengthening citizen action and civil society, a founding member of the Catalyzing Committee for the Global Artivism Initiative, and a recent Solidarity Award winner by Vital Voices.

anda Hamo is a dedicated researcher specializing in culture, environment, and the critical analysis of public policies. She is currently pursuing a degree in Political Science (Diplomatic and International Relations) at Damascus University.

As a cultural practitioner and community organizer, Randa has founded several nonprofit cultural initiatives, including Malva for Arts and Culture, Teatra Hinar, Al-Ghorfa Theater, and Qanwej for Afrin Intangible Heritage—a platform preserving and promoting the intangible heritage of displaced communities from Afrin. She is also the consulting for Malva Studio, focusing on youth engagement in storytelling and creative expression. Randa is a graduate of the 2018 Fa’el Program for Managing Cultural Projects in Difficult Contexts and a researcher of local cultural policies in North and East Syria. She also completed the Beirut DC Program (2022), where her work explored the intersection of cinema, environmental resources (especially water), and cultural identity.

From 2017 to 2023, Randa managed numerous cultural programs and festivals. These include the 2019 Fa’el Cultural Festival, the first Duroob Festival on Intangible Heritage in Qamishli—supported by the British Council and copartner Ettijahat—and the 2023 Fa’el Program in North and East Syria, which implemented several grassroots cultural initiatives through micro grants.

She led the "Malva Story" program for adolescents, culminating in storytelling performances and short animated films created by youth. The last recent cycle was completed in 2022.

The most important research on culture was music Syria map. Randa has contributed to several international forums, including the Fa’el Forum and been speaker for Cultural Policies and Alternative Solutions in Beirut, where she was invited as a keynote speaker; and the 2022 World Heritage Conference, at the invitation of the World Heritage Protection Fund, where she presented the Duroob Project as a case study in cultural heritage preservation.

She also provides capacity-building workshops on cultural project management in fragile settings, with a focus on strategic planning and empowering local institutions to strengthen the cultural fabric of their communities.

Ruby Glaskin is an independent producer with 15 years experience, specialising in queer performance, artist development & international exchange. Until recently she was the Executive producer and co-founder of Milk Presents, a leading UK queer performance company, which she led for 13 years. For Milk Presents she produced touring productions, outreach activity and sector development training, working with multiple venues and festivals including The Southbank Centre, Young Vic, DECAF, Caravan, Sydney Mardi Gras, Perth Fringe, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Homotopia Festival, Manchester Pride and many more. Alongside this work Ruby also led In Good Company, a Flagship artist development programme in the U.K. As part of this she curated the Departure Lounge Festivals (Derby Theatre) & Check-In Festivals (Attenborough Arts Centre), which showcase work-in-progress from emerging artists and new commissions from established contemporary artists in the UK such as Jamie Wood, In Bed With My Brother & Theatre Re.

More recently Ruby has led a six-year programme of Swiss-UK exchange with Pro Helvetia. For this she curated & produced a showcase of work that sits within the Edinburgh Festival Fringe at Summerhall and in London at Brixton House. The Swiss Connection UK programme also delivers a year-round programme of international exchange between the UK & Switzerland including organising delegations from each country to attend festivals & a series of residencies for Swiss artists with arts organisations in the UK. Alongside this she produces global touring trans performance artist Krishna Istha, touring work to festivals globally (Auckland Pride, IPAF Copenhagen, Auwirleben Bern, Dublin Fringe, Melbourne Fringe) with a new production set to premiere at Battersea Arts Centre in 2026.

Ruby lives in Brighton, although can often be found in London or Zürich too. She’s always keen to discover a new way to get somewhere by train, loves her dog and would happily consume her body weight in olives.

Sherene Stewart is a proud First Nations Taungurung / Filipino woman, curator, artist, director, and producer who lives and works on Boonwurrung and Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Country, in what’s now known as Melbourne, Australia.

Since 2015, she has co-founded, curated, and produced programs for various arts organisations—including YIRRAMBOI Festival (from 2017 to present), Ouss Entertainment, BlakHEART Festival, City of Melbourne (Events & Tourism), Creative Victoria’s First Peoples Road Show, Its A Mob Thing Music and Health Festival, and the Victorian NAIDOC Ball & Pride Night.

In 2022, Sherene was appointed as Creative Lead for YIRRAMBOI, the internationally renowned biennial First Nations arts festival hosted in Naarm/Melbourne. With her appointment, she brought a strong commitment to anti-hierarchical, collaborative approaches, centering cultural safety, equitable participation, and amplifying diverse First Nations voices on a local, national, and global scale.

Sherene vision for First Nations arts is rooted in reclamation, truth-telling, healing, resistance, and joy. She has described YIRRAMBOI as "a joyful act of resistance"—a space where 80,000+ years of cultural knowledge is celebrated. In continuing the legacy of YIRRAMBOI, Sherene emphasized that it is evolutionary, explorative, diverse, and deeply rooted in purpose, aiming to amplify “voices of now, presented in unwavering truth” and to platform expressions across mediums that defy Western notions of "art".

Tammo is a freelance creative/cultural producer, tour manager, distribution agent and aspiring curator. Based in Berlin he works internationally for contemporary dance and performance as well as festivals.

With a focus on transnational and transdisciplinary projects, he is passionate about travels and the social impact through arts, always looking for ways to connect, improve international mobility and staying curious towards the digital. He is particularly interested in finding ways for fair and equal artistic work and exchange on a global level.

Currently Tammo is collaborating for several projects by artists and companies such as Choy Ka Fai, Public in Private, Ixchel Mendoza, Lina Gomez, Armin Hokmi and formerly also neon lobster/Florentina Holzinger. With most of them he has been touring throughout Europe and also globally in places such as Singapore, Indonesia, Argentinia and Lebanon.

Since 2025 he is associated with the Creative Europe Project “Nextstage”, which supports international exchange between young creative producers. In this frame and also earlier he facilitaded workshops on international work and communication. He is part of produktionsbande – network for performing arts producers in Germany. He also works as a photographer.

Tammo studied communication, media and photography in Leipzig, Lyon and Santiago de Chile.

Yamen Mekdad is a London-based Syrian artist, researcher, and community organizer whose work explores radical forms of collaboration. Recently, he moved back to Damascus after the fall of Assad. His practice focuses on the relationship between sound, geography, and the human condition.

Drawing on his deep engagement with field recording, filmmaking, archiving, radio, and grassroots organizing, he has co-founded the collectives Dandana, Sawt of the Earth, Makkam, and Sadaa Sound Syndicate. He is the Creative Director of the Syrian Cassette Archives and Rock Paper Scissors, as well as the co-founder and audio curator of the Syrian Arts and Culture Festival (SACF). He also directed Sawt Syria with Boiler Room.

Mekdad’s practice is rooted in sonic research and the activation of fragmented or endangered archives, creating spaces where memory, music, and social history converge. His work has been featured on platforms such as SOAS, NTS, and AlHara Radio, as well as at numerous international festivals and art institutions. Most recently, his film Shapeshifting premiered at Sheffield DocFest—an essay-film that explores the fractured Syrian psyche in the two years leading up to the Assad regime’s collapse, as reflected through the underground music scene in Syria and across the Syrian diaspora in Europe.

Yazan Abu Al Itham is an accomplished Communication Principal with extensive expertise in crafting clear, impactful messages and guiding organizations toward effective communication strategies that drive tangible business results. With a strong background in strategic planning, he helps institutions develop narratives that not only resonate with their target audiences but also strengthen brand identity and credibility.

Beyond strategy, I bring a creative dimension to my work, integrating graphic design to transform complex ideas into engaging, accessible visuals. has the ability to merge creativity with strategy allows me to deliver communication solutions that are both innovative and results oriented. i have a proven track record of designing campaigns, leading initiatives, such as Abdul Hameed Shoman Cultural Days for 7 years and our 10 years Music program and the AHSF Ambassadors in 5 Jordanian universities.

I also has considerable experience in events management, where he ensures that every detail—from concept to execution—aligns with the overall communication objectives of the organization. Whether through large-scale conferences, corporate events, or community initiatives, he consistently creates experiences that engage audiences and amplify key messages.

Passionate about clarity and creativity, Yazan thrives at the intersection of strategy, design, and execution. my professional journey reflects a commitment to helping organizations communicate with purpose, strengthen stakeholder relationships, and achieve measurable impact through well-designed communication frameworks.

Yasmine is a production manager at Breaking Walls Festival, an international contemporary dance and dance film festival, which she has organized in four editions, she has participated in the production and stage management of NÜT Dance Company and MN theater crew, as well as assistant stage management and coordinating of the Cairo Jazz Festival and the Film Seeds Project, recently she joined Nahda Arts School "NAS" as executive manager.

Yasmine is active in art and cultural sense; she is a performer and has some experience in contemporary dance and physical theater.

Since 2021, she has attended several workshops and training by Nahdet El Mahrousa.

In 2023, Yasmine completed the Capacity Building Programme of Arts Management by the DeVos Institute of Arts Management, supported by the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. This educational push led her to attend the Culture Development Diploma at Cairo University and completed this year.

In September 2024, she participated in the Cannonball Festival in Philadelphia, USA, as part of a placement and cultural exchange program between the Breaking Walls Festival 

Meloria (Yeji Choi) from Seoul, Korea, is an independent producer working across music, film, street arts, circus, and dance. With a background in classical composition, she discovered her passion for festivals through street arts, connecting diverse works and artists with the audience, and pursued a Master’s degree in Arts Management. She gained early experience through the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture’s festival academy, learning from seasoned professionals how to prepare for a career in festivals.

She began her career at a classical music management company producing the Seoul International Music Festival (SIMF), where she worked on international exchange and event planning. She also worked with the M-PAT classical music festival and the DMZ Documentary Film Festival, managing educational programs, fundraising, and overall coordination. Additionally, she contributed to street arts festivals in Ansan and Goyang as a program producer.

From 2022 to 2024, she worked with SIDance (Seoul International Dance Festival), focusing on international collaboration, touring, and education. In 2024, she joined the Busan International Performing Arts Market (BPAM), managing international delegate programs and coordinating presenter support.

Meloria continues to collaborate with Korean artists including 64ksana (music), FORCE (circus), and Modeun Company (dance), supporting their domestic and international presentations. She aims to build cross-genre, cross-cultural collaborations through her diverse network developed across festivals.

She also actively engages in professional development. In 2023, she joined a promoter training program by the Korean Arts Management Service (KAMS), which enabled her to attend WOMEX, the world’s largest music market. In 2025, she will participate in the Festival Academy by the European Festival Association in Jordan, working alongside emerging and seasoned festival leaders.

'm Youhana Nassif, a 32-year old guy from Cairo, Egypt.

I'm the founder and director of ANIMATEX: Egypt's biggest animation film festival and platform.

I am very passionate about animation and I see it as one of the most versatile mediums that can speak to people from all different ages and backgrounds, and my mission is to return Egypt and the region back on the animation map.

I started ANIMATEX 6 years ago and since then I've been gaining experience in Ideation, proposal writing, business development, event organization, web development, festival programming, media and communication, social media, publicity, content creation, logistics and everything in between.

I've also been working for 9 years as an adventure designer, designing hiking trails and trips and operating and guiding them in different parts of the world, mainly our region the middle east.

I'm touched by nature, art and music, and my other hobbies include analog photography, reading, swimming, playing with street cats and dogs and walking aimlessly.