Our history

Akhtar is a non-profit association, born in November 2018 in Geneva. 

Its name comes from Persian and Arabic and means both “star” and  "light". It was chosen as a symbol of hope and good luck.
 

Our organisation was founded by artists who, brought together by their shared love for dance, wished to challenge the norms and prejudices around non-academic arts and introduce them to a wider audience.
 

Akhtar's goals are: 

• The revitalisation and democratisation of the cultural panorama of French-speaking Switzerland; 

• The advancement of performing, visual, and plastic arts.

• The creation of links between artists and the promotion of artistic exchanges and collaborations.
   

Integrating their dance practice into a wide framework of solidarity and sharing, the founders of Akhtar have been conducting workshops and delivering performances free of charge for several years. They collaborate with institutions that wish to provide moments of discovery and artistic expression to their beneficiaries.

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Hence, it is entirely natural that they opted to come together and establish an association, facilitating the coordination of their endeavour and expanding the reach of their activities.