“From the ground up” – Ospelt on the war and the PEN dispute – Liechtenstein
«What if the war in Ukraine was considered the zero hour from which a new calendar would come into effect? One in which gradually all invasions worldwide are set up with the same mass and punished if necessary. It would be a start. And until that happens, we’ll help support Ukraine from the ground»: An «interjection» by Mathias Ospelt.
Four and a half years ago, a mini-delegation from the Liechtenstein PEN Club traveled to Lviv/Lemberg at the invitation of the Ukrainian PEN to represent their center at the 83rd International PEN Congress.
This major cultural event, held annually at a different location, was attended by 168 delegates from 60 countries, representing 68 different PEN centres. The invited speakers included: Madeleine Thien, Paul Auster, Philippe Sands and David Patrikarakos.
The theme of the four-day congress in September 2017 is: “Reclaiming Truths in Times of Propaganda”. Which means something like: recapturing truths in times of propaganda.
Two public lectures will reveal what dies was aiming for: “American Account – Threats to the Freedom of Speech in Donald Trump America” and “Putin’s Power Games – Decline of the Freedom of Speech in Russia”.