SPACES OF FREEDOM: UNLEARNING HISTORY, – SHOWCASING FEMALE LITERARY CREATIVITY FROM THE WESTERN BALKANS – INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE FESTIVAL BERLIN

25 Jul SPACES OF FREEDOM: UNLEARNING HISTORY, – SHOWCASING FEMALE LITERARY CREATIVITY FROM THE WESTERN BALKANS – INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE FESTIVAL BERLIN

“Spaces of Freedom: Unlearning History – Showcasing Female Literary Creativity from the Western Balkans” is a two day event conceived and realized by the Belgrade based KROKODIL Festival. It aims to provide a relevant presentation of the contemporary literary scene of the six countries/three language groups that comprise the so-called Western Balkans. Six contemporary female authors, expressing themselves in both poetry and prose, will be presented through readings and short onstage interviews. They will also engage in lively debates tackling some of the most burning topics of our day and age particularly via the prism of a female perspective from the South-East corner of the European continent. 

EVENING 1

Friday 6 September 2024, 8PM

Seitenbuehne at Haus der Berliner Festspiele

With: Rumena Bužarovska, Diana Çuli, Barbara Delać, Lejla Kalamujić, Barbi Marković, Ane Paška and Adelina Tërshani 

Moderated by: Mima Simić

Tickets: https://tickets.kbb.eu/kbb.webshop/webticket/bestseatselect?eventId=14594&el=true

During the dynamic 130 minutes long program, six female authors: Diana Çuli from Albania, Adelina Tërshani from Kosovo, Rumena Bužarovska from North Macedonia, Lejla Kalamujić from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Barbara Delać from Montenegro and Barbi Marković from Serbia/Austria will be presented through the combination of live readings in original languages supported by subtitles with translations in English and short onstage interviews. The break in the middle of the program is reserved for a Croatian musical innovator Ane Paška and her unique music-scenic ritual which is merging theater, music, text, and video into new performance forms, creating her distinctive and authentic style. The program is presented by Mima Simić, herself an accomplished author and translator as well as dedicated LGBTQI activist who also happens to be a regular, idiosyncratic and well-loved presenter of KROKODIL Festival in Belgrade, Serbia.

The program is Co-funded by the European Union.

EVENING 2

 Saturday 7 September, 6PM

Hinterbuehne at Haus der Berliner Festspiele

Tickets: https://tickets.kbb.eu/kbb.webshop/webticket/bestseatselect?eventId=14618&el=true

TALK1. REVOLUTION AND DEMOCRACY ARE FEMININE…

Moderated by: Milena Berić

With: Rumena Bužarovska, Diana Çuli, Mima Simić and Adelina Tërshani

Conversations will be realised in English language.

In many languages, the words for ›Revolution‹ and ›Democracy‹ are feminine. Yet, official histories and political theories often attribute social and political upheaval to male figures and values. From the Middle East to Eastern Europe and the Balkans, women have played crucial roles in transformation processes. Today, the world faces unprecedented challenges that demand the highest levels of empathy, love and solidarity. Will women change the world?

“THIS IS NOT A PERFORMANCE ABOUT YOUR BEAUTY”

Ivana Sajko presents an excerpt from her performance about the prejudices women face in the patriarchal societies of South Eastern Europe and the continent as a whole.

TALK2. …AND SO ARE CULTURE AND PARTICIPATION.

Moderated by: Frauke Seebass

With: Barbara Delać, Lejla Kalamujić, Barbi Marković and Ivana Sajko

Conversations will be realised in English language.

These are strange times, where everything is political and societies are drifting apart, where people meet like strangers. Existing rifts are deepening, fueled by far-right and identitarian groups. Cultural spaces can offer a refuge from fear and hatred when these seem to dominate public discourse and a sense of democratic fatigue prevails. How can culture and participation help to heal broken ties?

Talks on feminine (cultural) activism in the Western Balkans are realized in cooperation between KROKODIL Association from Belgrade and Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb), Berlin.