Casa Árabe

PROGRAMMES

Tribune, Conferences and Debates

Casa Árabe’s Tribune is a forum for debate and conferences designed to spread information, analysis and knowledge about different aspects of the Arab and Muslim world. It is interdisciplinary in content and covers socio-political, economic and social matters.

Bookstand. Books and words

Casa Árabe’s Bookstand makes new publications by Arab authors or on Arab subjects better known, and provides a forum for debate with authors and with specialists and commentators.

These activities take place in our headquarters and at book fairs and literary festivals.

To publicise books by Arab authors or about Arab subjects, we have published reading guides: Mil y un libros para asomarse al mundo árabe, (A Thousand and one books to introduce the Arab world), its equivalent in Catalan, La mar de llibres, and Simsim, devoted to children’s and young people’s literature.

Economy. Socio-economic and Business Programme

Casa Árabe aims to promote and accompany economic and business relations between Spain and Arab countries through its socio-economic and business department. This carries out analysis, provides information about Arab economies, organises seminars and publishes reports and studies.

Casa Árabe Economy and Business Bulletin

This is a bi-monthly publication of current affairs that analyses economic and business relations between Spain and Arab countries, and the development of Arab economies and businesses. It is published in paper and digital form in Spanish and Arabic.

Sociopolitical Forum

The Sociopolitical Forum monitors and analyses the main social and political events in Arab and Islamic countries, and seeks to spread knowledge about leading players in these fields. It uses two instruments: the Sociopolitical Watchtower, a bi-monthly magazine of political analysis, and Records of Memory, which rescues the individual Arab or Muslim as historical protagonist. In a series of in-depth interviews, the individual can reconstruct a collective memory through his or her individual reminiscences. Records of Memory is published in paper and on DVD.

Muslims of the West

This programme provides information and analysis about the plurality of Islam and Muslims in the west. It organises seminars, undertakes research projects and takes part in debate on these questions, aiming to provide and foster knowledge and empirical scientific studies of the subject.

Viewpoints. Film and documentaries

Our film programme, Viewpoints (Nazarat), aims to show new Arab productions, fiction and documentaries, and make their makers and actor better known.

Casa Árabe supports Arab filmmaking in festivals like Cines del Sur (Cinema of the South) in Granada, Cinema in Movement at the San Sebastian Film Festival, the International Festival of the Animated Image, Animadrid, the Sinima Festival, Soria, the Amal Festival, Santiago de Compostela, and the Tangiers Film Festival.

Voices. Musical performances

Casa Árabe’s Voices (Aswat) programme seeks out contemporary Arab musical works and fusions, presenting today’s most important and innovative Arab musicians and performing artists in their respective countries.

Exhibitions. New creators

Casa Árabe’s exhibition programme highlights creative contributions by the most avant-garde and innovative contemporary Arab artists. It seeks to express the diversity of the Arab world through photography, installations, videoart, architecture and every means of artistic expression and communication.

American Arabia. Spain / Arab World / America

This multidisciplinary programme aims to make the Arab contribution to American national identities better known. Simultaneously it promotes Spain’s role as a bridge between the Arab world and America in every dimension: historical, human, political, economic and cultural.

The programme operates in Spain, in Arab countries and on the American continent.

Education. Classes, courses, seminars

Casa Árabe carries out educational activities centring round workshops of calligraphy and Arab cinema, in addition to multicultural activities in primary and secondary schools. We prepare teaching materials, and work with groups of Arabist researchers in the field of Arabic language teaching.

In the academic field, we direct and organise courses in collaboration with universities, and specialist seminars for professionals linked to the Arab world.

Ramadan. Annual festival

During the month of Ramadan, Casa Árabe organises the Festival of Ramadan Nights in Madrid’s Lavapiés neighbourhood, in collaboration with Madrid City Hall, the EWCID and neighbourhood organisations. Musical performances, film shows, workshops for children, and food tastings are celebrated over several days. Casa Árabe engages with the neighbourhood to mark this important Islamic event which is not just religious but also social and festive.

Public diplomacy

Casa Árabe is an instrument of public policy that contributes to Spain’s external activities in Arab countries. We promote visits to Spain of officials and important personalities in the Arab and Muslim world; support Spanish initiatives in the region; and put leading figures and Arab elites in contact with their Spanish counterparts in all professional spheres.