As spring comes into full swing in Europe, the traditional 1st of May is followed by a series of Marxism festivals. In Holland, the International Socialists organised a two day event, hosting a myriad of discussions, film screenings, meetings and musical performances. The language will occasionally be Dutch, but the list of speakers is international so there will also be plenty of opportunities for those who don't speak Dutch.
During the course of weekend of the 9th and 10th of May, the following speakers will shed their light and engage in discussion on the depression, its causes and opportunities, climate change, NATO and Afghanistan, Obama and what he means for imperialism, 10 years of Chavez, the food crisis, the state of the unions, and much, much more:
Arnold Heertje (economist)
Ronald van Raak (Socialist Party MP)
Linda IJmker (Milieudefensie; Environmental Defence)
Mohamed Rabbae (Een Land Een Samenleving; One Country, One Society)
Lindsey German (Stop the War, UK)
Cees Ladestein (OR Nemef / FNV)
Maina van der Zwan (International Socialists)
Hajo Meyer (Een Ander Joods Geluid; A Different Jewish Voice)
Sotiris Kontogiannis (SEK, Greek Socialist Worker Party)
Nora el-Jebli (Moslima Polder Brigade)
Henk Overbeek (University of Amsterdam)
Mike Gonzalez (socialist from Venezuela)
Rebecca Gomperts (Women on Waves Foundation)
Peyman Jafari (author of 'The Other Iran')
Marjolein ’t Hart (University of Amsterdam)
Erhan Can (organizer with Dutch labour Union, the FNV)
Sara Farris (Sinistra Critica, Italy)
Marienella Yanes (filmmaker Red Oil)
Erkan Dogan (socialist from Turkey)
Miriyam Aouragh (Oxford University)
Antonio Carmona Baez (IIRE)
Volkhard Mosler (Die Linke, Germany)
Sjaak van der Velden (IISG)
Bart Griffioen (head editor 'De Socialist')
Mani Tanoh (socialist from Ghana)
Kees Kalkman (VD Amok)
So for those of you who live in Holland, I very warmly invite you to join the festival.
For those of you who live in Britain, this kind of festival is organised in an even more grandiose style in London, spanning five days with several events simultaneously. The list of internationally renowned speakers is just extraordinary. I plan on going there as well to see in real life some of the people who have been real sources of inspiration to me: Tariq Ali, Tony Benn and Slavoj Žižek in particular. So if you are in Britain, mark the 2nd to the 6th of July in your diary and make sure you do not miss this opportunity!
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Sidenote: there is a student conference at the U. of Amsterdam this month, though this one has more to do with conflict in general, and the role of identity, media, and democracy in particular.
ReplyDeleteI've never been to a student conference before, so I'm hoping it won't be as inaccessably ivory-tower minded as the ones I've been to so far.
The Conflict and Communication Conference
The problematic aspects of the concept ‘conflict’, and the understanding of the communication involved has substantial bearing on our conception of the world today. Conflict is intrinsically involved and manipulated through both its representation and the anaylsis of by means of communication.
The Conflict and Communication Conference will approach the concept of conflict and communication from a range of forms and analyses such as: Democracies, specific regions undergoing violent conflict, identity in a globalizing world, the power of imagery within the media, and the conflict of such imagery.
The two-day Conference will consist of five groups of speakers covering the topics:
- Conflict and Democracy
- The Continuum of Conflict in Latin America
- Art and Conflict
- Postnationalism and Identity
- Conflict in the Media: The Power of Images
Dates, Times, Locations:
Tuesday, the 19th of May
10.15 – 12.00 at Universiteitstheater 3.01, Nieuwe Doelenstraat 16-18
Conflict and Democracy
13.15 - 17.00 at Roeterseiland E E.0.20, Roetersstraat 11
The Continuum of Conflict in Latin America, and
Art and Conflict
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Wednesday the 20th of May:
10.15 - 3.15 at Room A, ISHSS, Prins Hendrikkade 189b
Postnationalism and Identity, and
Conflict in the Media: The Power of Images.
This is a free conference, however, we will be accepting donations that will go towards the Division Emma Children's Hospital.