The Havlovské Dialogues were held for the first time on "home ground" at the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Cairo. This year's fourth Egyptian edition of the conference focused on the multifaceted relationship between art and social development.
This year's edition, subtitled Art for Social Development focused on the role of art as a tool for social change, community empowerment, and social cohesion.
Czech Centers, together with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Cairo, the Václav Havel Library, and The Dialogue Company, invited experts, artists, and cultural professionals to discuss how artistic and creative initiatives can respond to current social challenges and contribute to social development.
The conference program was structured into several thematic blocks that combined panel contributions, artistic perspectives, and interactive formats. The morning session was dedicated to presentations of good practices in the field of art and social development presented by Nouran Akrab (Dawar for Arts and Development), Marwa Karout (Alwan wa Awtar), and Roman Černík (Moving Station Plzeň). Their presentations were complemented by a discussion with the audience.
This was followed by a block focused on the perspectives of the artists themselves, where filmmaker and cultural manager Nada Riyadh and visual artist Jiří Žák shared their experiences. The program also offered space for informal meetings, networking, and presentations of the involved initiatives.
The afternoon part of the conference focused on practical work and active participation of attendees through parallel workshops. The dialogical circle on the role of art in social change was led by the organization Ambassadors for Dialogue, while the storytelling workshop was prepared by the Mortagal platform under the guidance of Mohamed Farouk and Laila Hosny. The conference thus connected professional reflection, personal experiences of guests, and specific tools for working with art in social and community contexts.
The event was moderated by Rana Gaber from the partner NGO Ambassadors for Dialogue .
Organizers and partners
Embassy of the Czech Republic in Cairo
Czech Center Cairo
Ambassadors for Dialogue
Václav Havel Library
