We live in a world full of uncertainties. - A GUIDE TO CAFE KYIV
FREEDOM MUST WIN
We live in a world full of uncertainties.
And yes, I can understand that people in Germany are tired of everything: a tense political situation, an increasingly polarised society, a difficult economic situation, rising prices that make it increasingly hard to pay the rent and the groceries at the supermarket. And yes, there are likely to be more challenging years ahead in Germany, Europe and the world.
But it is precisely at times like these that it is important that we stand together, united by our common European values. These common values are currently being defended on the front line by Ukraine.
Ukrainians are defending our freedom, security and peace - day after day on the front line. And in this world of uncertainties, it is more important than ever that we value the Ukrainian people for protecting not just themselves, but Europe as a whole. And yes, this war may seem far away in the daily lives of many Germans.
But it's not.
In fact, it is (theoretically) only two hours and 30 minutes away by plane.
written by Kira Rjabcew
I (Julia) think it’s hard to put it into better words than Kira did. The full-scale war is going on for more than three years now, and we count a total of 11 years of war in Eastern Ukraine.
11th March - at Cafe Kyiv, a yearly event hosted by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) on all things Ukraine, is your chance to learn more about Ukraine, to show your interest in the country and to acknowledge the extraordinary struggle and resilience of this country.
Maybe you spotted the blue-yellow event posters somewhere in town already?
My dear friends Kira Rjabcew and Benedikt Putz, who I know from studying East European Studies with them and whom I cherish deeply not only for our friendship but for their profound knowledge and diverse disciplinary perspectives that they bring to the table, helped me curate a detailed guide to this extensive and extraordinary event.
A couple of basics on the event:
Cafe Kyiv is happening all day long on 11th of March from 9AM to 10PM in Colosseum Cinema in Prenzlauer Berg
The entry is for free, but you need to register. You can register until Friday, 2PM.
It aims to bring together Ukrainian and German voices to shed light on how the war affects Ukraine and the world from diverse perspectives and across different fields
After an open call a wide range of political, cultural and societal organizations as well as expert, activist, professional voices are getting a stage at the event
Target audience is the wide public - anyone who cares about Ukraine and the future of peace and stability in Europe
But where to start among the more than 120 program highlights?
KIRA’S TIPS:
Kira has just completed her Master's degree in East European Studies. During her studies, she focussed on Russian disinformation in Germany and the EU accession candidate countries Moldova and Ukraine.
This year is the first one, after 2023 and 2024, that I will not be able to attend Café Kyiv myself. So I'd like to share with you my top five personal highlights from this year's programme <3
Info stands (OG, all day)
This may seem a little boring buuuut there are so many great organizations working on, and implementing different projects in Ukraine - just go to the information stands and familiarise yourself with the various projects for Ukraine.
Political conference: Church and War. Religious content behind the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine (9:00AM -9:45 AM, EG Kino 3 - Mariupol)
I think the issue of religion and how Russian leaders use the Russian Orthodox Church for their propaganda is an issue that is largely overlooked. Especially when you consider that the (Russian-) Orthodox Church is a major player not only in Russia and (part of) Ukraine, but also in countries like Moldova, Georgia, Serbia..
Political conference: Vicious Circle of Misunderstanding. Ten Facts You Should Know About Ukraine (12:15PM -13:15PM, EG - Maidan)
This is something I notice quite often: people just don't know much about Ukraine. I am still asked if there is such a language as Ukrainian ☺ (spoiler: yes.) This is your chance to actually learn important facts about Ukraine.
Political conference: Soft Power, Hard Agenda. Russia's Cultural Diplomacy and Influence Strategies in Germany (13:45PM-2:30PM, EG - Maidan)
How could I not mention this topic, given that I have just written my master's thesis on the Russian House in Berlin - the largest Russian soft power institution in Europe. Soft power is often overlooked because, unlike hard power (e.g. the use of military instruments), it is not as obvious. We need to understand that influencing people's "hearts and minds" through seemingly harmless cultural offerings is in fact a powerful instrument of influence that the Russian state uses very actively..
Movie: TEEN ANGST (4:30PM-5:30PM, Kino 3 - Mariupol)
Last November I had the chance to see this incredible documentary (with Julia <3) at the Cottbus Film Festival. The film impressed me deeply. It shows a generation of young Ukrainian women that, despite the fact that war (+ covid pandemic) has been a part of their young lives, separating them from their families and loved ones, there is always a reason to never lose hope. These young women (and director Inga Pylypchuk) are role models for all of us - in this world full of uncertainties.
A bit of event history - how it started and why the name?
In 2023, exactly a year after the beginning of the full scale war, KAS booked the Cafe Moskau on Karl-Marx Allee to re-name it temporarily as Cafe Kyiv and to host the extraordinary event with Ukraine-themed films, workshops and panels for the first time. Cafe Moskau is a protected building, which makes a permanent renaming impossible. However, the building is in private hands and there is no connection to the Russian state. KAS turned the re-naming of it into a powerful campaign, showing solidarity with Ukraine, which remains the main mission of the project.
BENEDIKTS’S TIPS
Привіт! My name is Benedikt and I am a student of Central and Eastern European History. At Cafe Kyiv, I am especially looking forward to the countless opportunities to learn more about Ukrainian history and culture. Here is my top 3 of what to see:
Book presentation German-Ukrainian Stories (5:30PM - 6:15PM):
We often fail to realize that Ukraine is not a distant place that only affects us marginally. This book presentation will help us understand how Germany and Ukraine have been connected throughout history, both on an abstract level through diplomatic and economic ties, and on a very personal level through the biographies of many people.
Holodomor - a bitter lesson for Europe (12:30PM - 1:15PM):
This panel, organized by the Berlin branch of the Pilecki Institute together with the German Federal Archives, discusses one of the darkest chapters in Ukrainian history. As war and Russian aggression have returned to Ukraine, understanding the significance of the Holodomor to the country's history is essential when looking at Ukraine today.
Cafe Kyiv Bookstore (all day):
Last but not least, there is probably no better place to go if you want to learn more about Ukraine beyond Cafe Kyiv. Here you will find both fiction and non-fiction books by a wide variety of authors. If, like me, you are interested in the country's history, I highly recommend Harvard historian Serhii Plokhy's The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine.
JULIA’S TIPS
You probably know me by now, but still: Julia, enthusiast of film, food, and CEE. Fell in love with Ukraine in 2019 and ever since care deeply about Ukraine’s freedom.
Political Conference: Decolonization of the discourse on Eastern Europe (11AM - 12PM, OG Kino 10 - Kyiv)
This topic reflects one of the core motivations that led to starting this newsletter in the first place. The discourse on “Eastern Europe” is still shaped by stereotypes, pre-assumptions and generalizations, often reinforcing Russian post-imperial dominance. This panel addresses how the mainstream discourse all too often fails to recognize the anti-colonial character of the Ukrainian struggle for freedom.
Movie: MALEVYCH (5PM - 6:45PM, EG Kino 2 - Donetsk)
A fiction film on the iconic artist Malevych, telling a story of his controversial black square painting. “What stands behind the “Black Square”, painted in 1915 by the obsessive artist Kazimir Malevych? For his competitors, a fraud, for the Soviet regime, a secret code, for one woman, a love letter, for the people of Ukraine, an ominous foreboding.” - swissfilms
Political Conference: The EU's appeal for the accession countries Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia (5:30PM - 6:15PM, EG Kino 5 - Ukraine Meets Europe)
On this panel focusing on the EU accession process, experts from Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova will discuss the EU's appeal for these countries with German foreign policy experts. At the same time, what value does successful EU integration of these candidate countries have for the European Union?
Дуже дякую for reading our guide on Cafe Kyiv. Could we convince you to come? What resonates with you? What does not?
Kira, Benedikt & Julia
👏