Dr. Dea Vidović, senior assistant and collaborator on the CULTMED project, participated in the international Futures Philanthropy Gathering of Leaders titled “Building Bridges: Reclaiming Agency,” held from April 2 to 5, 2025, at the Tilal Utique art residency in Tunisia.
The international event brought together representatives of foundations from Europe and Africa, as well as artists, scholars, and experts, with the aim of exploring how future thinking can inspire the imagination of a shared intercontinental future and open new spaces for collaboration. Special emphasis was placed on re-examining the role of philanthropy in building more equitable relationships between the Global North and South by moving beyond historical narratives and stereotypes, and fostering partnerships based on mutual respect, shared values, and a fairer distribution of power. Participants discussed both the challenges and opportunities of creating authentic dialogue based on trust, as a key condition for achieving systemic change.
Dr. Vidović took part in the gathering as an invited member of the Futures Philanthropy program network coordinated by Philea, and also due to her years of experience managing a cultural foundation. During the discussions, she highlighted the important role of IRMO in researching Africa, as well as the significance of the global Culturelink network, which the Institute coordinated, in connecting and facilitating knowledge exchange among cultural policy researchers across continents. She particularly emphasized the current efforts of the Culturelink Center to reaffirm its commitment to strengthening dialogue and cooperation between cultural policy researchers from the Global South and North—especially in the context of jointly envisioning the future of cultural policies.
The international gathering was held in a location described by organisers as “somewhere in between”—at the premises of the Kamel Lazaar Foundation, situated in the magnificent Tilal Utique, near Tunis and the ancient city of Carthage. This region is steeped in rich maritime history and a Mediterranean cultural mosaic shaped over centuries by Phoenician, African, and Hellenistic traditions. Today, Tilal Utique represents a place that places art at the heart of humanity, seeks to build bridges between continents, and serves as a platform for dialogue and meaningful gathering.
The third edition of the Futures Philanthropy Gathering of Leaders was organised by the European network Philea (Philanthropy Europe Association) in partnership with the Kamel Lazaar Foundation, Porticus, and Together Foundation.
