Civil society for democracy, democracy for civil society
This year, the opening session of the festival will be titled “The Future of Democracy: Civil Society Experiences”. The session will discuss how civil society organizations can contribute to the democratization of society; how they can build more participatory, transparent, equal, accountable and powerful structures; and what civil society can do in building a common future.
The festival will include workshops, panels, plays and various performances for two days with the participation of civil society organizations from different cities in Turkey, working in different fields of rights. Civil society organizations will also talk about their work at their stands.
You can check the festival program here.
Palestinian Resistance will also take place at the festival
As Israel's offensive against Palestine is marking its first year, the events in Palestine will be discussed at the festival. The session will be titled “Ignored War Crimes in Palestine and the Role of Civil Society in Confronting Crimes Against Humanity”.
The panel will discuss the crimes against humanity in Palestine, the current situation and what civil society can do against what is happening and how it can contribute to solidarity networks.
Power Stories from Civic Space are here
Power Stories, in which we listen to the organizing journeys of people from different parts of Turkey who have been tested with different problems and turned this test into a struggle for social healing, will also take place at the festival this year.
At the Civil Voices Festival, eight different narrators of power stories will talk about solidarity, empowerment, not giving up and what real power is through the human condition in the face of adversity.
Voices of solidarity at the Civil Voices Festival
Civil society organizations working in the cities affected by the February 6 earthquakes will share their experiences in the fight against disaster. Lotus Kadın Derneği, Kurye Hakları Derneği representing the moto couriers who quickly delivered the needs to the areas where transportation was the most difficult in the first days of the earthquake, and Defne Kadın Kooperatifi, one of the organizations that survived by holding on to production after the disaster, will take part in the festival.
Teatro Ayntâb will tell the story of the volunteer movement called “Art is Everywhere” after the earthquake and perform an improvisational performance.
Animals living on the streets were not forgotten
Violations of animal rights, which have recently come to the agenda with the amendments made to the Law on the Protection of Animals, will also be discussed at the festival. The relationship between the violations faced by animals living on the streets and other areas of rights will be discussed in the event titled “New Others: Animals Living on the Streets”.
To view the festival website: sivilsesler.org
You can download the program as PDF from the document below.
