08-09.05.2026

From 8 to 9 May 2026, eight participants representing four partner organizations gathered in Durrës, Albania, for the first transnational meeting of the WAVES project – Women’s Artistic Voices for Equality and Solidarity. Hosted by Eja në Teatër (Albania), the meeting brought together all partners Artpolis (Kosova), Mi-Fugue Mi-Raison (France), and ART-Playback (Ukraine) to launch the 24-month Creative Europe initiative.

Over two intensive days, the partners focused on the detailed planning of project activities across all six work packages. Key discussions included the finalization of the visual identity and communication strategy, and the coordination of urgent timelines for WP4’s artistic research – including the completion of 40 semi-structured interviews and four participatory workshops with marginalized groups by July–August 2026.

The group also mapped out the five capacity-building trainings scheduled for 2026, clarified roles for developing manuals on event organization and cybersecurity, and addressed practical questions around budgeting for the short-term artistic residency.

The meeting concluded with clear deliverables and timelines agreed upon by all partners, alongside the scheduling of a follow-up online coordination meeting to maintain momentum and collaborative alignment.

Rooted in feminist principles of transparency and shared leadership, the Durrës meeting set a strong collaborative tone for WAVES, reaffirming the partners’ commitment to amplifying marginalized voices through participatory feminist art across Kosovo, Albania, France, and Ukraine.

This project is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.