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Truths in Conflict - Voices from Belarus

Conference & Festival 24. & 25.5.2024 at Hotel Continental

discussions I photography I music I poetry I performance I dance I workshops I solidarity

Ever since the falsified presidential elections in August 2020 in Belarus and the subsequent demonstrations for democracy and justice, the repression on political activists and independent journalists increased. Today the protagonists of the Belarusian democracy and civic rights movement are either in prison or in exile. The country has fallen silent, apart from propaganda very little information gets in or out of Belarus.

However, the plight of Belarus remains of crucial importance. What happens in Belarus serves as a stark reminder and a warning signal for democracies everywhere, illustrating the fragility of freedom and the need for vigilant defense of journalistic integrity.

The fate of Belarusian journalists is not only of crucial interest for the future of our European neighbor, but also for the international bystanders, having implications that extend far beyond Belarus border. With this event, we want give voice to journalists and artists from Belarus in exile to gain visibility, to raise awareness of the situation in Belarus, to facilitate exchange and transfer of knowledge, to connect belarusian journalists in exile with media stakeholders, activists, scientists and an international audience and to explore the boundaries of journalism through literature and art projects.

Programme

24.5.  Conference

11:00 Opening Speeches

  • Welcoming Words (Speaker: Christine Dissmann, Director of Hotel Continental) 

  • Introduction: Situation of Freedom of Speech in Belarus (Speaker: Maria Savushkina, Belarusian Journalists' Association)

11:30 Input

  • “Belarus’ Crackdown on Media” (Olga Bubich) 

  • “The Story of a Journalist” (Olga Loika) 

12:30 Panel Talk

“What do we aim for? Activism, Journalism, and Fight for Truth”

Introduction: Statement Belarusian photographer

Moderatorin: N.N.

Speakers: Henadz Korshunau (senior researcher at the Center for New Ideas), Kseniya Halubovich (photographer, journalist and filmmaker from Belarus), Aleksandr Shtrykul (zerkalo.io.), Prof. Dr. Katja Artsiomenka (professor journalism and communication Köln), Ingo Petz (germ. journalist, focus political and societal situation in Belarus), Katja Rumiansteva (activist)

15:00 Workshops

  • ·       Cyber Safety (Daniel Moßbrucker)  

  • ·       Mechanisms of Propaganda and informational Warfare (N.N.)

  • ·       How to get started: The German Media Market  (Die Neuen Medienmacher:innen)

17:00 Marketplace

  • ·       Small booths with informational materials for belarusian Journalists and artists in Exile 

    17:30 Speed Dating for Journalists

  • ·       Platform for connecting belarusian Journalists and german Media

19:00 Long Table Dinner 

Join us for a common meal at one long table and informal meet&greet in the beautful garden Hotel Continental

25.5.  Art Festival

Belarus is a country in the geographical center of Europe that was widely represented in world media in 2020 after the massive peaceful protests against the fraudulent presidential elections that ended up with the claimed victory of the country’s dictator Alexander Lukashenka’s who had already been in power for 26 years.

Today, the presence of Belarus in the media remains limited. Other devastating wars and military conflicts predictably shift the focus. Moreover, being a part of Russia’s imperialist plan, Belarus is gradually becoming quietly colonized with people’s voices of resistance silenced or (self-)censored.

The Festival is aims at adressing these issues with the means of art, celebrating the unborken creativity of belrausian artists and bringing together the belrausian community with the Berlin audience.

Untold Stories from Belarus

The group exhibtion “Untold Stories from Belarus” is our attempt to support the counter-memory art movement, show solidarity and empathy, and give more visibility to the burning issues of human rights violation in Belarus - a country with the history of several decades of fight for freedom, respect and dignity.

With works by: Yauhenia Dougaya, Hanna Shot, Nadya Sayapina, Olga Bubich, Vasilisa Palianina

19:00 Images Not Taken

Gallery

Theatre

Images Not Taken is a Performance with Live Music based on the a selection of stories of Belarusian street photographers working during protests 2020 about the photos they, for various reasons, did not make.

Readers: Amina Alieva, Sveta Ben, Hans-Christian Straka

Music: Sveta Ben & Sergej Novitzky

Texts: Olga Bubich.

21:00 Silent Disco

Garden

Dance the night away under the bright stars open air in our garden.