The NET project aims to professionalize and structurally strengthen the cultural sector in the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan-Iraq (KRI). The focus is on the qualifications of festival managers through a comprehensive training programme that covers central aspects of festival organization such as programming, budgeting, event planning, marketing, curation and management. The aim is to enable local cultural practitioners to independently develop and implement innovative and sustainable festival formats. Festivals are a central instrument of cultural representation and social visibility in the KRI. At the same time, however, in many cases they are neither innovative nor sustainable due to a lack of professional structures, qualified personnel and public funding. This is particularly evident in the largely unused cultural infrastructure, such as the citadel in Erbil, the castle in Akre or the tobacco factory in Sulaymaniyah, which offer great potential for cultural events but are hardly ever used. In addition, political paralysis and bureaucratic hurdles mean that the Ministry of Culture is hardly active in supporting cultural workers. Interested parties can apply with their own festival ideas via an open call. Selected participants take part in a modular training program. They then develop specific festival projects in groups and apply for financial support. The three most convincing concepts receive funding for implementation. They are accompanied by mentors. The implementation takes place in cooperation with regional cultural institutions. The project aims to revitalize the cultural landscape in the KRI in the long term. It promotes not only individual qualifications but also exchange and networking between cultural institutions. The combination of education, practice and partnerships creates new impetus for more resilient and inclusive cultural work in the region.

The NET project has partnered with The Festival Academy to design this tailor made online capacity building programme fit to the participants’ needs, to provide follow up mentoring and for the co-curation of the experts.

The project responds to the lack of professional cultural managers in the KRI, the low innovative strength of existing festivals and the unused cultural infrastructure. It counters the isolation of cultural actors, the bureaucratic inactivity of the Ministry of Culture and strengthens sustainable structures through education and networking.

The focus is on young cultural professionals and prospective festival managers in the KRI, especially people with their own festival ideas. Employees of existing cultural institutions should also be addressed to promote knowledge transfer and sustainable networking.

The target groups will be reached via an open call and by directly addressing them via existing cultural institutions, networks and social media. Information events, digital campaigns and cooperation with local partners are planned. The project will be made visible through targeted public relations work in social networks, local press and via the Goethe-Institute. Workshops, mentoring and public presentations of the festival ideas will also promote reach and commitment.