Giving Europe a face
Young adults from seven countries describe life at home in the run-up to the European elections.
It was an evening of encounter and intense exchange: seven Europeans gave 48 young people and young adults a closer look at their home countries at the event “Faces in Europe”. The invitation came from the ecumenical initiative “AnsprechBar”, the youth campaign “Wir gegen Rassismus” in the Diocese of Trier, the Catholic Adult Education Centre in Koblenz and the Koblenz Advisory Council for Integration and Migration. Filip from Croatia opened the evening, joining from Zagreb and speaking, among other things, about the upsides and downsides of mass tourism in cities like Dubrovnik. Conrad then widened the view with his perspective on Portugal: the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution, the housing shortage in Lisbon and the effects of labour migration on the Iberian Peninsula — all described with the knowledge he gained during his time as a teacher at the German School in Lisbon. He put a pointed question to the group: “Who picks the raspberries we buy in the supermarket? Often it is cheap labour, some of it even from Asia.” Anna’s account was deeply moving. Born in Ukraine and now living in Hamburg, she remembered the many people who have lost their lives in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and made clear why we must not grow used to a war in the middle of Europe. She explained the hopes and fears that young Ukrainians carry today. Roberto joined from Rome and described the mood between the Adriatic and Sicily, answering questions such as: what matters to people in Italy when they decide how to vote? Adam, whose roots are in Poland, spoke about recent developments in his politically deeply divided home country. Justin took a critical look at the shift to the right in Austria and showed how ruthlessly populists there campaign at the expense of human rights. Richard also lives in Austria at present but was born in Hungary, and was able to bring in his perspective on a country governed by Viktor Orbán for decades and a recurring source of tension in Brussels. Many in the chat agreed with one participant’s feedback: “A great evening, every contribution was really interesting!” Another event is already coming up: on Thursday 6 June at 7:30 p.m. at the Gecko Lounge (Gemüsegasse 14a) in Koblenz there will be a “Barhockerabend special on the European elections”, where speakers from Solwodi and Greenpeace Koblenz, among others, will look at migration, human rights and the climate from a European perspective. Registration by email to: info@ansprech-bar.de More information here: www.ansprech-bar.de
Photo copyright: Tobias Wolff.