On December 6−7, the 8th Forum «In Search of Lost Universalism» was held in Berlin, delving into themes ranging from the current agenda to timeless issues. The Forum brought together outstanding experts, graduates of the School, its partners and donors, providing an opportunity to acquaint themselves with the organisation’s initiatives and engage in the atmosphere of an intellectual exchange.
The Forum was attended by 130 participants from Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Poland, Israel, USA, United Kingdom, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Norway, Bulgaria, France, Croatia, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.
The Forum received support from international donors and German colleagues, with guests from the European Commission in attendance.
The Heinrich-Böll Stiftung was the partner and co-organiser of the Forum, led by Walter Kaufmann, Head of the Heinrich Böll Foundation’s East and Southeast Europe Desk. Their venue once again provided the space for the Forum. Along with the sessions (panel expert presentations and discussions), books published by the School were presented and two exhibitions were organised.
The first exhibition presented the portraits of political prisoners from the School community (experts and project participants). Four of them (escaped from prosecution after the opening of criminal cases) had the opportunity to attend the Forum.
The second exhibition showcased portraits of Ukrainian victims. Every day, starting from February 25, 2022, a Russian artist Viktor Melamed paints the portraits of civilians killed in Ukraine and publishes them on his Instagram and Telegram. His portraits have become poignant symbols of the anti-war movement across various countries and were presented at the Forum.
Both topics — political repression and the brutal criminal war are keystones to the Forum, providing a context for discussing any other issues.
Other important themes of the Forum included decolonisation, transitional justice, artificial intelligence and human freedom, all falling under the overarching theme «Beyond War and Repression — Building Momentum for Change and Cooperation».
Presentations by the School graduates and initiators of various anti-war civic initiatives became an important component of the Forum. It is not the first year that the participants of the Advanced Programme shared their activities and projects that received impulses for development due to their participation in the School programmes. The «Voices of the School» panel united graduates of the Advanced Programme 2023 from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Georgia. They presented educational, analytical, activist, socio-cultural and media projects for the Russian diaspora, local and international communities, documentaries and many more. Such presentations served not only as an indicator of the effectiveness of the School, but also offered speakers opportunities to expand their audience, establish new contacts and opportunities:
«Of course, it was exciting to present the results of a small, but significant project for me. On the other hand, the meetings after that were even more exciting, when the Forum participants approached, asked for specific details, exchanged contacts, suggested ideas for the development of the project. It was incredibly pleasant and useful to receive feedback, especially such a constructive one» — participant