Inizjamed is a voluntary non-governmental cultural organization (registered as a Voluntary Organization in Malta, VO/0355) founded in 1998 in Malta that is committed towards the regeneration of culture and artistic expression in the Maltese Islands and actively promotes a greater awareness of the cultures of the Mediterranean. Inizjamed is a secular, non-partisan organization that acknowledges that every generation must seek to create its own language and both respond to realities of its day and look beyond them. Inizjamed is a project-based organization whose lean internal structure reflects its emphasis on concrete action and fruitful collaboration with all those with whom it shares common goals. Inizjamed believes that cooperation and partnership are far more effective in the long-term than competition. Inizjamed is interested in promoting the understanding of intangible heritage in the Mediterranean through collaboration with The Phoenicians’ Route members. It specialises in literature and the exchange of literary experience through translation, with particular focus on the Mediterranean. It is interested in exploring and promoting the relationship between language, heritage and changing identities in our region. In our work we are interested in researching ways how our identities are related to our intangible heritage, and how we give value to our heritage, and through our identities, in relation to cultural experience, expression, literature, translation and historical references in ways that highlight the connection to our ever-changing cultures and identities. With a focus on the contemporary, the innovative and the dynamic, the initiatives undertaken and promoted by Inizjamed seek to open up identities, exchange experiences and value culture and the arts in a Mediterranean context. Social dynamics and political realities are valued and projects are sensitive to the various social and political currents faced by the Mediterranean today. Ever since it was set up by a group of young men and women involved in different fields, Inizjamed has established strong partnerships with organizations and individuals both in Malta and in other countries. Inizjamed is a founding member of the Association that runs the Biennial for Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean and an affiliate member of the Forum of Justice and Cooperation based in Malta. Through its Global Citizenship Education programme Conectando Mundos, Inizjamed had widened its field of work towards issues of international development and cooperation. Since May 2007, Inizjamed is a member of SKOP (Solidarjetà u Koperazzjoni) – The National Platform of Maltese NGDOs. Since it was founded in 1998, Inizjamed has been nominated three times for the Youth in Society prize awarded by the Government of Malta for the work it carried out in 1999, 2000 and 2003. Inizjamed has also run major projects funded by the European Union, the British Council, the University of Malta, and UNESCO.
Main Activities have included: i) literary encounters and performances mainly for emerging Maltese writers working in collaboration with artists from other fields; ii) community arts projects; iii) workshops led by internationally-renowned foreign authors; iiii) publication of Maltese literature in the original and in translation; iiiii) training courses etc.
The internal structure of Inizjamed differs from a hierarchical one with an executive committee and a pool of dormant members; rather, there is a central coordinating team of persons who are members of the organization. The project coordinators bring with them competences, experiences and contacts that enrich both the participants and the organization itself. Inizjamed also has a team of Maltese and international advisors who are experts in fields as diverse as sociology, the visual arts, cultural studies, the environment, development cooperation, fair trade, and design, and a supervisory board whose task it is to see that the organization’s structure and projects reflect its cultural manifesto and guiding principles.
