Arts and disability | British Council

Since 2021, the British Council has been taking gradual steps to advance the art and disability agenda in Jordan utilising connections and links with local, regional and UK partners. Through a systematic series of programme interventions, the British Council is proud to champion the agenda of inclusion and art and disability in Jordan to encourage a more accessible and inclusive arts scene.

Arts for All Week

The British Council in Jordan initiated the action under this programme through utilising building local and regional relationships with the sector through the Arts for All Week which was a scoping in action exercise that included a series of sensitisation sessions, seminars, sectoral dialogue-sessions with UK and regional experts and showcases of art and disability work from Jordan and the region. As part of this week, stakeholders in Jordan were introduced to the extensive British Council’s published reports Reflections on Change and Time to Act. The week culminated by producing a needs assessment report by Art to Heart Palestine to guide future programmatic interventions in the area.

SyncArabi

The regional and UK connections made through the Arts for All Week paved the way to the first of its kind SyncArabi leadership programme launched in partnership with the esteemed Shubbak Festival in the UK and the Global Sync Leadership Programme. This specialised coaching and mentorship programme took place in Amman in February 2023 and was aimed at enhancing the leadership skills and artistic impact of 8 disabled artists and cultural leaders from Jordan and Palestine. marked a pioneering step as the first of its kind in the MENA region.

Read more about SyncArabi through visiting the blog written by the Co-Director of Shubbak Festival: Sync Arabi at the raw intersection of disability and mobility justice in the arts.

“I cannot speak for the others, but I certainly left Sync Arabi giddy with the power of a collective dream.”

Alia Alzougby, Co-Director. Shubbak Festival

Watch the Think Sync Arabi Film to join the "Journey with our 8 artist activists in this film in which they reflect, chew, laugh, rage and choose hope in an overwhelmingly ableist cultural sector, wherever the non-normative body finds itself in the world."

Photo by Belal Rabah, at the launch event of Masmou3 featuring the Amplified film team and some members of Prince Ali Center for the Deaf, Sep 2023

SyncArabi Delegation to the UK – July 2023

Building on the success of the Sync Arabi leadership training programme and the feedback received from participants, the British Council supported an inclusive delegation to explore the art and disability scene in the UK. The visit which was made possible in partnership with Shubbak Festival aimed to facilitate connections with artists and establish a network of active participants and potential partners within the scene. The delegation also had the opportunity to attend part of the Shubbak Festival performances, which was announced as an accessible festival for the first time. Comprising of three disabled artists and four cultural experts/leaders from Palestine and Jordan, the visit took place in July 2023.

Art and Disability Under Siege Online Panel –June 2023

Dr. Dina Kiwan and Dr. Maha Shuayb from Disability Under Siege led an online panel featuring four of the Sync Arabi leaders. As described by the Shubbak team - the panel organiser -the guest speakers shared their unique insights into not only surviving but thriving despite what can often feel like an overwhelming convergence of circumstances. This conversation moves beyond binary narratives that categorise the Disabled body as either helpless or superhuman, delving instead into a more nuanced understanding of the disabling impact of deeply entrenched structures. It also explores how cultural resistance serves as a tool for abolition within local contexts.

Amplified Film’s Impact Campaign

As part of our commitment to supporting new voices in the local arts scene committed to inclusivity in the Art, the British Council has supported the impact campaign associated with the Jordanian short film “Amplified” by Madd Moshawash Productions. The campaign aims at creating a space for inclusive storytelling and to highlight the significance of disability-friendly film sets in Jordan and the Arab world.