On 11 March at 6:30 p.m., Docudays UA, together with PEN Ukraine, is organising a public discussion titled Rare Resources of Democracy: How to Defend the Free World?, dedicated to the challenges facing democracy in Ukraine during the war and in a global context. We will discuss the transformation of our state, the role of civil society, and the possible contours of a new world order.
The world based on international law is becoming increasingly fragile, and threats to democracy are intensifying on all continents: authoritarian regimes are questioning the universality of human rights, the politics of force are prevailing over rules, and institutions are losing effectiveness and trust. Democratic countries must defend their values. And in this chaos, Europe is our key ally.
As part of the event, we will also screen the short documentary film essay At All Hours and None (dir. Davide Minotti, Valeria Miracapillo), which was included in the Long Live Rare Resources! selection following a nomination by the German documentary film festival DOK Leipzig. It is the story of Turkish writer and human rights defender Asli Erdogan, imprisoned for advocating human rights and released thanks to a PEN solidarity campaign. The film shows how one person, in their own place, can fight for a democratic society, even if the only thing they possess is the power of the word.
Speakers:
Volodymyr Yermolenko, philosopher, writer and publicist, president of the Ukrainian PEN;
Maksym Butkevych, journalist, human rights advocate, public figure, veteran with experience of captivity, member of the Executive Board of the Ukrainian PEN.
The discussion will be moderated by Myroslava Barchuk, journalist, documentary filmmaker and TV presenter.
The event will take place on Wednesday, 11 March, at 6:30 p.m. at the PEN Ukraine space in Kyiv at the following address: 14a Lukianivska Street (Kontraktova Ploshcha metro station).
Free admission with prior registration: https://forms.gle/8Zy2Vc27yCos1Bvq7
The event is held with the financial support of the European Union and the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine.
