2005: It all started with a blog
In 2005, the Alsharq project was founded by Christoph Sydow, Robert Chatterjee and Christoph Dinkelaker as a student blog. Its goals were a) to cover developments and events in West Asia and North Africa (WANA) that other media did not report altogether and b) to provide a less Eurocentric coverage of WANA in general, taking into account different perspectives from the region as well as written sources in the original language (Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, etc.). Today, under its new name dis:orient, the blog is one of the most important German online media for a profound, independent, critical and post-colonial coverage of the WANA region.
2010: The first study trips
Since 2010, Alsharq no longer just writes about the target region, but also enables interested people to engage directly with the social and political realities on site. While in the beginning mainly political study trips to Lebanon and Israel & Palestine were offered, many other destinations within the WANA region and beyond have been added over the years - and the portfolio is constantly growing further.
2015: Organisational Division of the Alsharq REISE GmbH from Alsharq e.V.
In 2013, Alsharq e.V. was founded with the goal of contributing to the political education about the WANA region in Germany. Two years later, in 2015, Alsharq e.V. received its official recognition as a non-profit organisation.
The educational work of Alsharq e.V. included the aforementioned blog, for which a coordination office was created by the organisation. Alsharq e.V. also organised numerous events and seminars to promote cultural, political and social exchange between Germany and the WANA countries. In 2015, the Alsharq Reise GmbH was founded as a company with the task of taking responsibility over the political study trips.
2018: Fusion with LIqa e.V., Foundation of Disorient
In 2018, Alsharq e.V. merged with Liqa e.V., an organisation which - among other activities - organised exchange programmes between students from Arab countries and Germany. Under the new name dis:orient we organise events on topics and discourses revolving around WANA and their interactions with Europe. Also, our journalistic work plays an essential role in the work of the association.
Cooperation between the association and the company
Although the registered association dis:orient e.V. acts independently from Alsharq REISE GmbH, cooperation ties between the two organisations are very close. United in their common goal to promote the dialogue between Germany, Europe and the WANA region, to reduce prejudices and create a better understanding, the organisations are in a close exchange.
