“In a world shaken by the cruel laws of market and finance, and smitten by absurd cries from devotees of racial and religious purity, I believe that the choices each of us makes in everyday life constitute the starting point on which to build a fairer society, one whose existence will not jeopardize the planetary ecosystem and indeed our very humanity.”
– Politics of the Everyday, Ezio Manzini
ABOUT US
Timcheh e.V. is a non-profit organization founded in March 2020 in Köln by a group of friends. The term “Timcheh” (reads Tim-che [tɪm-t͡ʃə]) means a ‘small Caravansary’. As a part of a Bazaar – the liveliest and socially most diverse hub in cities of Iran – it offers a space to pause, meet and interact. Timcheh e.V. wants to recreate such a space, in that we meet as travelers, migrants, and locals. It invites us to listen, observe, and reflect on our diverse, yet familiar cultural motifs. We believe creating such spaces could be a starting point for collaborative projects that trigger necessary discourse and actions to deal with the challenges ahead of society and humanity.
A community always depends on its members: Due to the context and history of the founders and members of Timcheh, the current focus of the organization is on the empowerment of the Iranian diaspora in Germany. However, we believe that life in the diaspora is a shared experience beyond cultural backgrounds. We would be happy to have members from other backgrounds to build on shared diasporic experiences and explore new perspectives.
Objectives
Our core mission is to offer a physical and virtual cross-cultural platform for projects that involve minorities and underrepresented voices in German society, particularly those from immigrant backgrounds. Through social and cultural engagements, Timcheh wishes to bridge the divide between the diaspora and the host community, fostering mutual integration. We want to trigger and support projects that catalyze positive societal changes through collaboration and creative endeavors.
Our objectives can be summarized as follows:
Empowerment
of the diaspora
communities
With Timcheh we wish to create a space where the diaspora community doesn’t merely exist, but belongs – a feeling of home. Creating an environment where neither identities dominate, but rather coexist. Beyond just attending a certain event, we want our community members to feel a sense of ownership. To experience a place where they aren’t just guests, but integral parts, leading conversations and shaping experiences.
Promoting
transdisciplinary
collaboration
We aim to build an enabling ecosystem in which collaborative projects thrive. Timcheh wants to be a platform that brings like-minded individuals, creatives and researchers from various disciplines together to collaborate on projects focusing on the important discourses in the society. Timcheh facilitates acquiring necessary resources and infrastructure to enable conceptualization, planning, and implementation of such projects.
values
We firmly believe in diversity and embrace individuals of all backgrounds. We stand against all forms and systems of oppression, including racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, antisemitism, classism, and ableism. We oppose (neo)-colonial practices, wars, and sanctions.
In Timcheh, we want to create an empathetic environment, where collaboration replaces competition. We aim to challenge and unlearn unhealthy approaches to teamwork. Our aim is to provide a space for exploration, trust-building, the freedom to make errors, active listening, and ongoing learning.
Also at our events, we want everyone to feel safe and comfortable. We attach great importance to creating an environment that is as respectful as possible for all visitors and to prevent any form of discrimination and harassment. At our events, there is usually an awareness team on site, a specially trained team that is present to mediate and offer support in any case of conflict.
Sustainability and inclusivity are two central pillars in all Timcheh projects. We cooperated with the Munich-based project office WHAT IF for sustainable culture to learn about possibilities to limit the negative environmental effects of our events. Our sustainability efforts include, however, not only environmental measures (e.g. using reusable materials, short travel distances and environmentally friendly logistics) but also social sustainability (e.g. fair payments to the artists and volunteers).
We want to make our events accessible to all people. This is an ongoing process that we are continuously working on. We know that barriers can be as diverse as the people who encounter them. Therefore, it is our intention to reduce barriers as much as possible and to transparently communicate the barriers we encounter in advance. With regard to the accessibility of our events, we are being advised by the Cologne-based organization Mittendrin e.V. We welcome questions and suggestions about accessibility and sustainability that help us to organize our events to best meet our values.
governance
Although Timcheh has a flat organizational structure, there are clear tasks and roles among us. Our ‘Active Members’ either work exclusively on individual projects or are also engaged in the fundamental tasks of the organization (Core team). We see our structures in a constant process of learning and development.
Financially, Timcheh is highly dependent on donations from individuals and institutions, as well as on public funds, to maintain the infrastructure and finance the projects. Individuals who only want to support us financially can do so, for example, by becoming supporting members. Since we are not profit-oriented, all revenues are spended or invested in the pursuit of the community goals.
If you want to learn more about our memberships or how you can support us financially, visit our ‘Get Involved’ page.
press
“When Tehran lights up Köln, pull up your experimental electronic caravan and celebrate”
Temf 2021
January 28, 2022
cdm.link
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