EVZ Conversations! – archive of episodes
© Stiftung EVZ
© Stiftung EVZ
The abduction of children is one of the most cruel war crimes committed by Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine. Together with experts, we examined various legal, political and social aspects. How are these war crimes carried out? What happens to the stolen children? Who can get them back and how can the perpetrators be brought to justice?
There won’t be any accountability for the responsible persons if Ukraine does not win the war.
The event was held in cooperation with the Maxim Gorki Theater.
In a hybrid event, representatives of the three Nobel Peace Prize laureate organizations of 2022 discussed the human rights situation in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine and the different challenges faced by the respective civil societies since the full-scale Russian war of aggression in the three countries.
Putin is not afraid of NATO, he is afraid of freedom, or of the idea of freedom, because it’s right on the border with Russia.
The following took part in the discussions:
Moderation: Dr. Andrea Despot, Chief Executive Officer of the EVZ Foundation
The event was carried out in cooperation with the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities in the context of its annual theme 2023|24 "Project: Enlightenment!".
The instrumentalization of history by Russia in the war of aggression against Ukraine has far-reaching consequences for the European culture of remembrance. Experts from politics, academia and civil society discussed how certainties in the culture of remembrance are increasingly called into question and what needs to be done to address this issue.
It is the policy of modern Russia to instrumentalize the past and to erase Ukraine as a subject from this past. It is obvious that the Russian Federation has been preparing this war during the last 20 years.
For this episode, we invited activists from Ukrainian organizations to the German Foundation Day 2022 in Leipzig. What is the situation concerning culture, education and minorities in the country that has been attacked by Russia? How can Germany support Ukrainian civil society?
The following took part in the discussions:
Moderation: Mattia Nelles, Ukraine expert
We talked to experts about Ukraine's memories of World War II, memorial work, Europe as a joint space for remembrance, blind spots in the German and European culture of remembrance, continuities in prejudiced structures, for example anti-Slavic racism in Germany.
National Socialism was indeed a transnational experience for the whole of Europe. That will have to be established first. Almost everyone in Europe had experienced National Socialism. But that's where the similarities end.
Has Ukraine's history been Europe's blind spot for too long? This panel discussion highlighted gaps in memories and knowledge and also questioned simplistic images in social media. It explored question of how more understanding and empathy for Ukraine can be achieved.
Ukraine never really managed to get on our mental map after 1991.
The following took part in the discussions:
Moderation: Katrin Kowark, Head of Communications of the EVZ Foundation
Putin's ostensible "fight against Nazis in Ukraine" is a historical distortion and dangerous propaganda. The battle of the memory narratives relating to Second World War and National Socialist crimes forms a second level in Russia's war of aggression. In this first episode of EVZ Conversations!, we joined experts in their search for interpretations of the historical and political situation two months after the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine.
I am certain, for example, that the culture of remembrance, as it has developed, is going to break down. We have been talking about learning lessons from history for decades. So what lessons can we learn now that something is really happening? We've said we mustn't look away. But we do look away. We see pictures on television. We have a bad conscience, but what are we doing?
The following took part in the discussions:
Moderation: Dr. Andrea Despot, Chief Executive Officer of the EVZ Foundation
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