Ten years have passed since the collapse of Lehman Brothers ushered in the great Western financial crisis. Since that day, history has returned with a vengeance. From ongoing economic stagnation in large parts of the West to rising extremism, from threats of an end to liberal democracy to challenges to neoliberal globalization, the world appears in a state of flux. But while events are racing forwards, can the same be said of ideas? Our conceptual toolkit appears tragically unable to describe our present and shape our future. Why is that? And what are some of the categories that we should radically re-interpret today?

In the context of the international literature festival berlin, the civil society network European Alternatives seeks to explore these questions with activists, artists, and intellectuals from around the world.

 

Programme

10.30 Welcome

10.45 Intro to What Comes After the Nation State? By Daphne Büllesbach (European Alternatives) [D] Welcome words by Thomas Krüger (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung) [D]

11:00 - Panel: On Democracy Beyond the Nation State
With: Ulrike Guérot (European Democracy Lab)[D], Maya Goodfellow (Journalist/SOAS University)[GB], Niccolo Milanese (European Alternatives) [FR/GB]

12.45 Live-text-sound-video. Nicoletta Esinencu [Moldova]
Staged reading of the text »F. .ck You Eu.ro.pa« by Selin Kavak (D) with sound design by Milena Kipfmüller (D) and video by Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese (Lesotho/D)

13:00 Panel: Solidarity and Cities of Change
With: Mimmo Lucano (Mayor of Riace) [I], Gesine Schwan (Humboldt Viadrina Governance Platform)[D], Raúl Sánchez Cedillo (Fundación de los Comunes, Madrid) [E], Manuela Bojadzijev (Leuphana Universität Lüneburg)[D]

15:00 Live-text-sound-video. Sivan Ben Yishai (Israel/D)
Staged reading of an excerpt of ‘Daddy loves you’ by Sivan Ben Yishai with sound design by Milena Kipfmüller and video by Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese.

15:15 Lecture: Movements Beyond the Nation State: The International Women’s Strike by Tithi Bhattacharya [USA]

16:30 Live-text-sound-video. Lehman Brothers and Ariel Nil Levy [Israel/D]
Staged reading by Ariel Nil Levy of Lehman Brothers protocols of the night of September 15, 2008, with sound design by Milena Kipfmüller and video by Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese

16.45 Panel: 10 Years of Lehman Brothers Collapse — O Brother, Where Art Thou?
With: NN (...) , Brett Scott (Author) [GB / South Africa], Ann Pettifor (Prime Economics) [GB], Harald Schuman (Tagesspiegel) [D]

18:45 Lecture Performance “Live together, die alone” - by Felipe G. Gil [E] Felipe G. Gil shares a personal and biographical journey using a new AV format conceived by the Sevillan cultural collective ZEMOS98, called the Audiovisual Source Code.

20:00 Live-text-sound-video. Maren Kames (D), Katharina Schultens (D) and Mehdi Moradpour (D) Staged reading of the text »die katastrophenberichte häufen sich, ich fühl sie nicht« with sound design by Milena Kipfmüller and video by Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese

20:15 Panel: What’s More Extreme Than the Center?
With: Ellen Überschär (Heinrich Böll Foundation) [D], Alberto Alemanno [I/E], Lorenzo Marsili (European Alternatives) [I] Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk (Razem)[P]

22:00 Closing performance by Babylon Berlin Orchestra with Adrien Braud : Clarinet (France), Michael Glucksmann: Guitar (Israel), Muhammad Rafat: Percussion (Syria) and Wesam Karema: Accordeon (Syria)

In Parallel — throughout the day
»Wir gehen schon mal vor« — Project exhibition of European Alternatives for a future beyond the nation state

»Print for Politics!« — Drop-in poster-printing workshop with the collective “This Town Needs Posters” from Croatia (between 1 – 5pm).

 

Partners & Supporters

In collaboration with the International literature festival Berlin

Supported by the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, Heinrich Böll Foundation and the EACEA Programme of the European Commission

Organised by European Alternatives