Diyalog Derneği

What Diyalog Derneği does

Diyalog Derneği is a non-profit cultural association founded in 2006 in Istanbul, Türkiye, that promotes intercultural dialogue, artistic exchange, and creative integration for displaced and migrant communities. The association operates with a small staff (five employees) under Secretary-General Thomas Büsch and is governed by its members through annual General Assemblies; it is not commercially funded, generating resources instead through membership fees and project grants from public-sector cultural institutions (Creative Europe, the Austrian Federal Ministry, Goethe-Institut, Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation, German and Austrian consulates, Art Council Malta, and corporate foundations such as Allianz Kulturstiftung and Vodafone Malta Foundation).

Its programme portfolio centres on the flagship Mahalla Festival (held in Istanbul since 2017 and in Valletta, Malta since 2018), artist residencies and the MagiC Carpets platform — a Creative Europe-funded network of 16 European cultural organizations through which Diyalog places emerging artists on international residencies — plus targeted workshop and media-training initiatives such as Searching Traces (for displaced persons, in cooperation with Goethe-Institut) and Kite-Runner (an online/offline hub for Afghan journalists launched in 2022 across Istanbul, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran). The technology layer consists of web-based collaboration and content platforms — InEnArt, StreetWalking, Sea Elephant Travel Agency, Urban Voices, Sense of Time — used to publish artistic works and extend reach digitally.

Commercial go-to-market does not apply: participation is free, there is no pricing model, and outreach is event- and community-led through festivals, exhibitions, workshops, newsletters, and social media. Customer/mission segments are refugees and migrants, emerging international artists, local Turkish communities, and cultural institutions in partner countries (Türkiye, Malta, Austria, Germany, Italy, Poland, Georgia).

Name

Diyalog Derneği

Legal name

Diyalog Derneği

Website

https://diyalog-der.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Diyalog Derneği is a Istanbul-based non-profit cultural association, founded in 2006, that runs the Mahalla Festival, MagiC Carpets artist residencies, and workshops for refugees and emerging artists across Türkiye, Malta, and broader Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural and Arts Programs

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cultural Heritage & Traditional Festivals (Folk, Ethnic, Indigenous) (MPAGAEAB)

Keywords

• Cultural exchange programs
• Artist residency programs
• Intercultural dialogue initiatives
• Festival management services
• Community arts workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Istanbul

HQ country

Türkiye

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: The association collects annual membership fees from its members as documented in General Assembly meeting agendas
2. European Union and Public Funding: Diyalog receives funding from Creative Europe programmes, Federal Ministry Republic of Austria, and other public cultural institutions

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Diyalog Derneği is a nonprofit cultural association founded in 2006 that designs and delivers festivals, artist residencies, workshops, video camps, and online platforms centered on intercultural dialogue and artistic exchange between local communities, migrants, and refugees. The organization operates programs both in Istanbul and across Europe through the MagiC Carpets transnational partnership network, serving artists, displaced persons, and cultural institutions.

Product overview

Diyalog Derneği is a cultural association that operates as a platform for intercultural dialogue and artistic exchange. Rather than a unified technology product, the organization offers a portfolio of interconnected programs: the Mahalla Festival serves as the flagship annual event bringing together international artists and communities; the Searching Traces and Video Camps workshop series provide media skills training for displaced persons and migrants; the MagiC Carpets Platform enables artist residencies across 16 European organizations; Kite-Runner provides media training and networking for Afghan journalists; and InEnArt serves as an online forum for international artistic debates. These programs are complemented by online projects including StreetWalking, Sea Elephant Travel Agency, and Urban Voices that document and disseminate artistic works digitally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mahalla Festival: Annual cultural festival organized by Diyalog focusing on migration, cultural exchange, and community building across different countries.
• InEnArt
• Sea Elephant Travel Agency
• Searching Traces
• Kite-Runner
• MagiC Carpets

Products and services

• Mahalla Festival A community-based cultural festival organized by Diyalog Derneği that brings together local communities, migrants, and refugees in Istanbul for intercultural dialogue and artistic exchange.
• Searching Traces A cultural program by Diyalog Derneği focused on tracing and documenting intercultural and migration histories through artistic and community-based inquiry.
• Sea Elephant Travel Agency An artistic/cultural project by Diyalog Derneği using the metaphor of a travel agency to explore mobility, migration, and intercultural experience.
• Video Camps Workshop-based video production camps run by Diyalog Derneği that equip community members, migrants, and artists with digital media skills for self-representation and intercultural storytelling.
• MagiC Carpets Platform A transnational artist-residency platform coordinated by Diyalog Derneği in partnership with European cultural institutions, enabling cross-border artist mobility and intercultural collaboration across the MagiC Carpets network.
• Kite-Runner A cultural project by Diyalog Derneği engaging themes of migration, flight, and intercultural encounter through artistic programming.
• StreetWalking A community arts program by Diyalog Derneği using public-space and walking-based methodologies to foster intercultural dialogue among local residents, migrants, and refugees.
• InEnArt An artistic and intercultural engagement program delivered by Diyalog Derneği supporting artists working at the intersection of inclusion, community, and contemporary art practice.
• Urban Voices A community-based program by Diyalog Derneği that amplifies the voices and stories of urban residents, including migrants and refugees, through artistic and cultural expression.
• Sense of Time A cultural program by Diyalog Derneği exploring themes of time, memory, and intercultural experience through artistic practice and community engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• 38 artists from 13 countries brought together in single festival (Mahalla 2022)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• MagiC Carpets Platform (16 European Cultural Organizations)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2022Diyalog became partner of MagiC Carpets platform in May 2022. The platform unites 16 cultural organizations from EU and candidate countries for traveling emerging artists to work in socially engaged art fields. Partners include: Kaunas Biennial (Lithuania - Coordinating Entity), Folkestone Fringe (UK), IDEIAS EMERGENTES (Portugal), Jam Factory Art Centre (Ukraine), Lab852 (Croatia), Latitudo Srl (Italy), META Cultural Foundation (Romania), New Theatre Institute of Latvia, Novo Kulturno Naselje (Serbia), OPENART (Sweden), Openspace.Innsbruck (Austria), Sihtasutus Tartu 2024 (Estonia), Tbilisi International Photo Festival (Georgia), Trempo (France), Wrocławski Instytut Kultury (Poland). Co-funded by Creative Europe Programme.
• Goethe-Institut IstanbulcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing cooperation partner for Searching Traces project and other educational events for displaced people in Istanbul. The Goethe-Institut partners with InEnArt team and Syrian Turkish Cultural initiative Hamish.
• InEnArtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore team partner for organizing festivals, online projects, and artistic programs. InEnArt and diyalog collaborate on projects like Mahalla Festival, InEnArt platform, and various online artistic initiatives.
• arthereistanbulmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for presenting artists at Contemporary Istanbul art fair and Mahalla Festival. Together they highlight the importance of dialogue between artists and cultural influencers.
• African Media Association MaltamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partner for video workshop series in Malta for third country nationals and native communities.
• Sustainable Design Collective MaltamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in organizing video workshops in Malta and in the Mahalla Festival Malta.
• MUZA - Muzew Nazzjonali tal-ArtimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational museum of art in Malta, key venue and organizational partner for Mahalla Festival Malta.
• Heritage MaltamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment heritage organization in Malta partnering for Mahalla Festival Malta.
• Federal Ministry Republic of Austria - Art, Culture, Civil Service and SportmajorOthersMajor funder and supporter of Mahalla Festival 2022 and artist residency programs.
• Art Council MaltamajorOthersFunded artists' participation in Mahalla Festival and supported the platform cooperation.
• Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation IstanbulmajorOthersLong-standing supporter of Diyalog's programs including Mahalla Festival 2022 and other cultural initiatives.
• Consulate General of Germany in IstanbulmajorOthersSupporter of Mahalla Festival Istanbul and other Diyalog projects.
• Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany IstanbulmajorOthersSupporter of Mahalla Festival 2021 Murmuration.
• Austrian Cultural Forum IstanbulmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporter of Mahalla Festival and residency programs for Austrian artists in Istanbul.
• Villa Romana FlorenceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Gravity for All network and Mahalla Festival Malta.
• Creative EuropecoreOthersEU funding programme co-funding MagiC Carpets platform and European Community Awards.
• Vodafone Malta FoundationminorOthersConnecting for Good project funder for community workshops in Malta.
• Caricatura Gallery KasselminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for exhibition 'Schluss mit Lustig' - Tough Times for Cartoonists.
• Italian Cultural Institute IstanbulmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner for Mahalla Festival Istanbul 2017.
• Kulturakademie TarabyaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Mahalla Festival Istanbul 2017.
• Kaunas BiennialcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinating entity for MagiC Carpets platform and nominating organization for artist residencies.
• META Cultural Foundation (Budapest)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMagiC Carpets platform partner and nominating organization for artist Elena Urucatu.
• Latitudo Art Projects (Rome)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMagiC Carpets platform partner and nominating organization for artist Filippo Riniolo.
• Contemporary VallettamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural organization partner for Mahalla Festival Malta.
• Studio 87 MaltaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for Mahalla Festival Malta.
• Allianz KulturstiftungminorOthersFunder for community workshops in Malta through Connecting for Good project.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Goethe-Institut: Germany's global cultural exchange organization, with long-standing cooperation with Diyalog on the Searching Traces project and other programs for displaced people. Operates a much larger network of cultural programs targeting intercultural dialogue and migration.
• British Council: UK's international cultural and educational organization running global arts and cultural exchange programs. Comparable in mission to Diyalog's intercultural mandate but at vastly larger scale and resource base.
• European Cultural Foundation: Pan-European cultural foundation supporting cultural exchange and intercultural dialogue across the continent. Operational overlap with Diyalog's pan-European network mission, but at a substantially larger institutional scale.

Direct peers

• Kaunas Biennial: Coordinating entity of the MagiC Carpets platform and Diyalog's main network partner. Operates a large-scale contemporary art biennial in Lithuania with overlapping focus on emerging artists and socially engaged practice.
• Folkestone Fringe: UK-based MagiC Carpets partner running creative and cultural programs. Closely comparable as a small cultural organization hosting residencies and community-engaged art initiatives.
• META Cultural Foundation: Budapest-based cultural foundation and MagiC Carpets platform partner. Runs artist residencies and cultural programming with a similar emerging-artist focus and Balkan/Central European footprint.
• Latitudo Art Projects: Rome-based MagiC Carpets partner and nominating organization for artist residencies. Comparable as a small-to-mid cultural producer focused on international artist mobility and exchange.

Others

• Allianz Kulturstiftung: European cultural foundation that funded Diyalog's Connecting for Good community workshops in Malta. Comparable as a cultural funder supporting European cross-border cultural projects rather than as a direct operational peer.

Regional players

• Heritage Malta: Malta's national heritage agency that partnered with Diyalog on Mahalla Festival Malta 2018. Comparable in operating cultural sites and programming in Malta, but a public national body rather than a small nonprofit.
• Contemporary Istanbul: Major art fair in Istanbul where Diyalog presents Mahalla Festival artists. Comparable in connecting emerging artists with international audiences in Turkey, but operates as a commercial art fair rather than a community-focused nonprofit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/diyalog_der
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCxXaNm9UGvGbqK0RVfF9F2g
• Facebookfacebook.com/Diyalog-Der-107159504417831
• Instagraminstagram.com/diyalog_der
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/diyalog-derne%C4%9Fi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Diyalog Derneği