Our initiative, the Maqha Conversations, provides a platform for an alternative and inclusive narrative. The virtual café is open to a wide range of people and offers an open space for interested participants and experts alike to explore cultural differences and commonalities and contribute to a narrative that bonds, rather than divides.

Maqha Conversations brings together people from Europe, West Asia, and North Africa (the EWANA region) to explore socio-political issues through the lens of culture with the aim of increasing mutual understanding between the three regions. They are bi-monthly and take the form of closed 90-minutes discussions. Participation is open to the general public through registration.

We aim to create an environment for new thought leaders to emerge who can provide a discourse on EWANA relations from a people-to-people perspective. Simultaneous translation between Arabic and English opens options for cross-lingual communication and a bi-lingual summary of the sessions makes the information available for a wide audience. Our goal is for the dialogue series to provide a space to discuss underexplored topics that shape relations between and within the countries of the EWANA region, and, as such, create an inclusive network for dialogue on EWANA relations.

This particular focus on increasing mutual understanding between Europe, West Asia, and North Africa, the project offers an innovative platform for inclusive and constructive discourses.