The Open Nations project brings together refugees, migrants, and members of host communities through performances, workshops, and dialogue sessions.
The goal is to create spaces where people not only share the same room but also get the chance to share stories, experiences, and perspectives.
Through dialogue, cultural experiences become a way to reflect, build relationships, and actively participate in the local community.
Project name: OPEN NATIONS
Theme: Culture, dialogue, integration, and belonging
Target audience: Refugees, migrants, cultural actors, and local communities
Methods:
Cultural events
Theater and performing arts
Facilitated dialogue
Local meeting places
Participatory activities
Key themes:
Identity
Belonging
Home
Change
Integration
Funding: EEA funds and Norway
Project period: 2025 -
Culture creates a reason to meet
OPEN NATIONS is based on a simple but powerful idea: Culture creates a reason to come together.
Music, theater, and other forms of art give people a common starting point, regardless of language, age, or background. The project combines cultural events with facilitated dialogue where the audience is invited to explore themes like identity, belonging, home, change, and community.
The goal is to move from parallel presence to relationships and mutual understanding.
From performance to conversation
A central element of the project is the development of cultural productions that are based on real experiences with migration, integration, and identity.
The performance «O kaip dabar? / You are Welcome Anyway» is a musical comedy inspired by stories of people who have had to start over in a foreign society. Through humor, music, and storytelling, the show explores questions about adaptation, cultural differences, and what creates a sense of belonging. After the performance, the audience is invited to a dialogue with the actors and director, where the experiences on stage serve as a basis for reflection and conversation.
Identity, belonging, and change
The project’s activities are based on themes that affect both newcomers and established residents:
Identity
Belonging
Home
Change
Community
Integration and inclusion
By exploring these themes together, OPEN NATIONS creates space to understand how people experience both differences and similarities, and how local communities can be strengthened through dialogue and participation.
European cooperation
OPEN NATIONS brings together artists, cultural actors, and dialogue practitioners from several European countries. Through cross-border collaboration, methods are developed and tested that use culture as a tool for inclusion, community participation, and social cohesion.
The project is supported by the EEA Grants and Norway.
Contact:
