A series of events on the tragedy of the war of aggression against Ukraine, which has been ongoing for three years, and on respect and tolerance in general.
Location: Yehudi Menuhin Forum, Bern
Free entry – Donations welcome (Kollekte)
"Culture is also infrastructure. I would say it is the most important infrastructure of a society"
— Former Federal Councillor Moritz Leuenberger, 2009, at the opening of the 18th Art Exhibition in Trubschachen.
February 20 | 19:30 | Concert by the Mariupol Chamber Orchestra
A concert in remembrance of the destruction of the Mariupol Opera House and the many people who sought refuge there and were killed.
See details about this event here
February 21 | 19:30 | Musical-Literary Evening
Poems by Ukrainian writer and Peace Prize laureate Serhiy Zhadan: "Chronicle of One’s Own Breath."
Reading by: Katharina Lienhard – speaker
Musical contributions by:
Anastasiia Yakovchuk – Cello
Tatjana Yakovchuk – Vocals
Yuliia Shevchenko – Bandura
Nikolay Pushkarev – Piano
Serhiy Zhadan was born in 1974 in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine. He has received multiple awards for "The Invention of Jazz in Donbas." In 2022, he was awarded the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. Zhadan lives in Kharkiv and has been a soldier since May 2024.
February 22 | 09:30 – 11:00 | Keynote Lecture & Panel Discussion
Keynote Lecture:
"Ukraine’s Struggle for Freedom in a Historical Perspective" By Dr. Christophe von Werdt, historian of Eastern Europe and President of the Ukraine-Hilfe Bern
Panel Discussion:
Art and Culture Under Fire – A Role for Switzerland?
Moderation:
Dr. Christian Schoenenberger, former Ambassador.
Panelists:
Irina Cherednychenko, teacher, Managing Director of Ukraine Aid Bern
Prof. Andrej Lushnicky, President of the Ukrainian Association in Switzerland
Alec von Graffenried, Municipal Councillor of Bern, President of the Bern section of the European Movement
Dr. Christophe von Werdt, historian of Eastern Europe and President of Ukraine-Hilfe Bern
Further Events:
February 24 | 18:30 | Politforum Käfigturm Bern
Swiss Neutrality in the Ukraine War: An Illusion?
February 24 | 19:30 | Mansarde, Stadttheater Bern
Time Travel Through the Present
Scenic readings of Ukrainian theater texts published in German. In expert discussions, Bernese historian of Eastern Europe, Christophe von Werdt, examines the causes of the ongoing war, while translator and editor Lydia Nagel provides insights into the Ukrainian theater scene.
Moderation: Dmitrij Gawrisch, author and journalist.
Download the program in German (PDF)
Donations collected will go towards the Ukraine Culture Network's aid fund.
Thank you very much for your donation to Ukraine Aid Fund
