With rapid developments, openings, and changes happening in the regional creative and cultural scene, it's crucial that timely information and opportunities are accessible to all. Khaleejesque believes in supporting the creative scene in the Arab Gulf countries and is constantly looking for ways to enable creatives throughout their professional career. This goal was the driving force behind the team's decision to develop Radar.
Launched by Khaleejesque, Radar is the first directory for updates from creative and cultural organizations across the GCC and beyond. A first-of-its-kind, carefully curated platform, it includes: general news, opportunities such as open calls, residencies, grants, events like exhibits, major festivals, educational programs, training programs, job openings and internships.
In order to ensure accurate and up-to-date information, Khaleejesque has partnered with key players in the creative industry and developed a centralized platform that lists all the latest updates from these organizations to support the regional creative community. Efficient, accessible, and informative, Radar aims to be the one-stop platform for the latest updates and opportunities for those working in the creative and cultural sector in the Arab Gulf.
Describing the initial idea behind Radar, Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief Fouz Al-Sabah explained, “We noticed many events, open calls, grants, competitions and job posts from creative organizations around the GCC and tried our best to highlight these updates to our audience. It was a labor-intensive process going through tons of social media pages, websites, newsletters, and press releases. By the time we found these updates, they were either with short deadlines or the information was too overwhelming. We thought to ourselves, wouldn’t it be amazing if there was one platform that highlights all regional updates in an efficient way? That platform didn’t exist, so we decided to build it.”
Khaleejesque senior designer, Mahjabeen Ahmedi, said, "After spending a few months researching the post-pandemic creative economy and meeting with our existing network in the industry, we developed an efficient search system that covers a range of updates from the region, with a simple 'what, who, when, where' format under each listing in order to keep the information crisp and clear. Some of the current partners on Radar include: NCIG (National Creative Industries Group KSCC), Almashtal, Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUArts Qatar), M7, and Sadu House. With our current database of more than 200 organizations in the creative and cultural sectors of the Arab Gulf that covers public and private sectors, non-profits, co-working spaces, universities, and more, we're constantly reaching out to more organizations that'll make Radar a comprehensive and inclusive platform."
Radar aims to provide creatives across the GCC access to equal opportunities and professional development. It also serves as a space for engagement with the wider creative community. Organizations working with Radar will have a wider audience reach, opportunities for cross-collaboration between other institutions, and also gives overall support for their programs. It’s a platform that is not just exclusively for creatives and organizations, Radar also offers the general public a better understanding of the regional creative economy, and promotes the untapped potential of creative tourism in the Arab Gulf.
Are you interested in being a part of Radar? If you are an organization based in the GCC and would like to be a partner on Radar, please send an email to community@khaleejesque.com. Alternatively, if you have a relevant listing that you want to highlight on Radar simply submit it through the online form here.
