Start small, build up gradually: creative incubators in the Arab region

The working visit was part of Mideast Creatives, a programme run by Hivos and DutchCulture aimed at incubators for creative entrepreneurs in the Middle East.

The guests were Tarek Omar from Cairo Hacker Space (Egypt), Nawres Naser from Science Camp in Basra (Iraq), Adnen Ben Haj Yahia from El Space in Tunis (Tunisia) and Omar Assaf, founder of the Shif Incubation Center in Tripoli (Lebanon). Among other things they visited FabCity, the temporary campus for innovation on Java Island in Amsterdam, and rolled up their sleeves for a case at Stichting Ondertussen, a growing community of cultural entrepreneurs, refugee relief workers, and artists and designers with a refugee background.

In the Mideast Creatives programme, Hivos helps creative entrepreneurs develop the business aspects of their enterprise, while DutchCulture brings in the expertise of Dutch cultural professionals and stimulates exchange with the Dutch creative sector.