Europe and the European Union, known, unknown and mythologised, will be the main topic of the afternoon program for the general public, which six Moravian universities have jointly prepared for the Scala cinema. The four Brno schools – the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts (JAMU), the Masaryk University, the Mendel University in Brno and the University of Veterinary Sciences Brno – were joined by the Palacký University Olomouc and the Tomas Bata University in Zlín.
“We believe that today, when Europe is experiencing a severe test of trust in democratic institutions as a result of the Russian war in Ukraine and the related energy crisis, there is a need to talk more about freedom of speech and the media. Wars are no longer only fought on the battlefield, but also on the information field. The debate of invited guests from the ranks of university experts and the media should also answer the questions of how to find one’s way in a world full of information and misinformation and how universities can help with this orientation,” said Tereza Fojtová from Masaryk University.
The guests of the discussion, moderated by YouTuber Karel “Kovy” Kovář, will be Minister for European Affairs and Rector Emeritus of Masaryk University Mikuláš Bek, political scientist Miloš Gregor, expert on media and ethics Jan Motal, expert on risky forms of communication in the online environment Kamil Kopecký, Rector of JAMU Petr Michálek and journalist Ivana Svobodová from Respekt magazine.
The motifs of Europe will also be heard in the music. The world premiere of the anthem of the European Union in a new arrangement for percussion instruments is ready. The author is Martin Opršál, professor at the JAMU Faculty of Music and artistic director of the Percussion Ensemble. The ensemble will also perform in the next part of the program, including a large cast in Ivan Trevino’s sextet “Catching Shadows”.
The European afternoon will also include a big quiz for the guests about Euromyths, prepared by university students of the community organization Euforka. There will be a competition for train tickets across Europe. The end of the program will be a screening of director Kristýna Pěničková’s eight-minute documentary Alternative Truth, which reflects on whether there is one truth in the era of the boom of various information channels or whether everyone can have their own interpretation of the truth.
The event will take place thanks to the support of the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports as part of the project Communication of priorities and topics of the Czech Presidency to the Council of the EU with a focus on the issue of higher education and training and with the media support of the university magazine Universitas.
Time schedule of the event:
15:00 Opening speech, European anthem performed by Percussion Ensemble
15:15 Panel debate on freedom of speech and media and disinformation related to the EU
16:15 Break
16:20 Euroquiz prepared by university students from the Euforka organization.
17:00 Music performance by Percussion Ensemble
17:15 Kristýna Pěničková’s film Alternative Truth
17:30 The end
Contact for more information: Tereza Fojtová, Masaryk University, +420 724 517 335, fojtovat@sci.muni.cz