The Question of Syria – Doomed by Hope

For the fourth year in a row, SPACE welcomes you to the annual conference The Question of Syria. During two days of talks, panel discussions and short film screenings, activists, academics, artists and writers will share their reflections on everyday hope as practiced and lived by ordinary people with focus on Syrians and Palestinians.

The Question of Syria 2018 – Doomed by Hope takes its cue from the famous last line of Saadallah Wannous’ speech on World Theater Day (1996): “we are doomed by hope, and what happens today cannot be the end of history.”

The full program is available on this page

Program

Day one: Thursday, October 11

17:00 – 18:30: Trajectory of Hope 
Speakers: Wendy Pearlman (Associate Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University), Nadim Khoury (Associate Professor II at Bjørknes University College) and Golan Haji (Syrian Kurdish poet and translator).

19:00 – 20:00: Cultivating Hope: Tribute to Ghouta
Speakers: Zoé Beau (co-founder of Buzuruna Juzuruna organic farm), Lubna Al-Kanawati (Women Now for Development) and Mahmoud Bwedany (activist and student).

Day two: Friday, October 12

17:00 – 18:30: Solidarity Reading Circle
This reading circle will discuss the concept of solidarity, its form, and practices taking Syria and Palestine as a case study. Moderated by Ingeborg Moa

19:00 – 20:00: Stranger Times: Everyday Criticality and the Fight for Life in Syrian Film
Rana Issa (Assistant Professor at the American University of Beirut)

21:00: Concert with Simona Abdallah – Doomed by Hope in Melahuset