The Finnish Cultural and Academic Institutes at #StopHatredNow 2022!

May 4, 2022 | Events

16–21.5.2022

We are excited to announce that The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux, together with the Finnish Institute in the UK and Irelandthe Finnish-Norwegian Cultural Institute, and the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York, are part of #StopHatredNow 2022, the full programme is out now!

The intercultural and anti-racist platform #StopHatredNow takes place virtually from the 16th to the 21st of  May 2022. The event creates new discourse on diversity, inclusivity, power structures and intersectionally feminist strategies. This year’s theme is Practising Coexistence.

#StopHatredNow, organised in collaboration with several art and cultural organisations, creates discourse on diversity, inclusivity, power structures, otherness, and intersectionally feminist strategies. This year’s event strives to find ways of coming together and to actively practise coexistence. The programme focuses on community, collaboration, action, sustainability, and questions regarding accountability. The goal is to empower others (and one another) so that even in the midst of a crisis, people continue to have the strength to actively dream and practice coexistence.

The programme for 2022 offers free-of-charge lectures, keynotes, discussions, workshops, and artistic outcomes.

The first day of the event, aimed in particular at institutions, focuses on actions and accountability. The day begins with a keynote by Michelle A. Tisdel, and continues with a panel discussion moderated by Koko Hubara from Arts Promotion Centre Finland on what cultural workers can and should demand from institutions when it comes to equality. The day is also host to discussions on inclusivity, accessible residencies, and emotional labour.

On Tuesday, the programme goes back to basics with themes such as intersectionality, DEI terminology, resistance, and change.

Wednesday, on the other hand, focuses on things that are deeply entangled; Amiirah Salleh-Hoddin speaks about mental health in relation to racialised minority groups, while Renaz Ebrahimi, Teo Ala-Ruona, and Kemê Pellicer discuss criticality and how it can be an act of care.

On Thursday, the event looks to the future. In his artist talk, Kiila ry’s Farbod Fakharzadeh ponders collective memory and oral history as a site for resistance, while Iiris Laisi and Ainu Kyrönseppä discuss art in the times of eco crisis and the possibilities of building a future.

On Friday, the event moves to Cultural Centre Caisa, where the topics continue in a panel discussion on criticality and its necessity in culture production as organised by The Finnish Cultural and Academic Institutes. Why do we need to be critical about our culture production? Criticality has always played an essential part in the fields of art and culture. What does critical cultural production and research look like at the moment? What are some of the main questions, topics and tools present in the field? What can we learn from research and how can we apply new findings to our practical work? How can we underpin cultural production with research?  How is the cultural field practicing ethical coexistence? We welcome you to join us in a conversation about criticality and cultural production in the cultural field today.

Critical Culture: Criticality in Cultural Production with Aurélie Disasi (Belgium), Vishnu Vardhani Rajan (Finland), and Antoni Hætta (Norway), is the final instalment of the In Conversations with the Finnish Institutes discussion series, which has been organised online from late autumn 2021 to spring 2022. The series is organised by The Finnish Cultural and Academic Institutes and is produced and moderated by Monica Gathuo.

This panel discussion is produced by The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Beneluxthe Finnish Institute in the UK and Irelandthe Finnish-Norwegian Cultural Institute, and the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York, and is organised in partnership with Stop Hatred Now.

The #StopHatredNow programme also includes free workshops, many of which are in English. Miriam Attias returns with her popular workshop on identity politics, polarisation, and conflicts, while Sainabou Sillah talks about how one could (and should) talk about anti-racism with children. The workshops conclude with Self-Help Session for the Striving Feminist by Sophia Wekesa and Sonya Lindfors.

As the Institute, we are very excited that the first part of our Healing & Dealing programmeDealing will be part of the Stop Hatred Now! The Whiteness Workout facilitated by Lehmus Murtomaa is aimed at white people, and one can participate via Zoom on Monday or live on Tuesday. The workshop is for those who are interested in increasing their fitness in terms of whiteness as a structure, its manifestations and expressions. The workshop is for anyone who sweats over these issues and feels the need to get in shape in order to combat white supremacy.

The workshop does not entail any physical activities, it is rather an emotional exercise that will have your brain working. The workshop will go over the basics of whiteness and all newcomers are welcome.

16 May 2022, 17:00–18:30 (EEST), Online

The language of the workshop will be determined by the group (Finnish/Swedish/English).

Registration: https://forms.gle/6n2cyzqaVHoFwjtAA  Please register by the 15th of May.

17 May 2022, 17:00–18:30 (EEST), Stop Hatred Now at Caisa.

The workshop will be in English.

Registration: https://forms.gle/8pudPkfnwBrn817C8  Please register by the 15th of May.

#StopHatredNow is completely free of charge. It is mainly held in English, with some events in Finnish. The language of each event is marked in the schedule. Some events are print interpreted. The platform is organised both virtually and live on 16–21 May 2022.

The event is produced in collaboration with Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Caisa, the City of Helsinki, Culture for All, The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux, Frame Contemporary Art Finland, Globe Art Point, Goethe-Institut Finnland, HIFF – Love & Anarchy, Interkult ry, Kiila ry, MiklagardArts, Ministry of Education and Culture, New Theatre Helsinki, Punos ry, Uniarts Helsinki, UrbanApa, and Zodiak – Center for New Dance.

Check out the entire programme.

#StopHatredNow is a platform that works for a diverse and tolerant Finland. The event is organised by several art institutes and intercultural and anti-racist organisations. The platform focuses on communality, empowerment, collaboration and the sharing of knowledge and resources. The platform was created to be long-term, and it can host events of various forms. The first #StopHatredNow took place in 2016.

Sebastian (2024): Finnish Director Mikko Mäkelä’s Queer Drama Hits Belgian Cinemas in November

Finnish-British director Mikko Mäkelä’s latest film Sebastian (2024) hits cinemas across Belgium 27.11.2024. Read Joséphine’s Gram’s insightful review.

“ONE DROP gives Blackness space to breathe” – Joséphine Gram on Sonya Lindfors’ latest work in Brussels

Our Programme Assistant Joséphine Gram shares what it meant to her to experience Sonya Lindfors‘ ONE DROP at Beursschouwburg in Brussels.

Sonya Lindfors returns to Brussels with a powerful confrontation of race, rhythm, and resistance

On 18 and 19 October 2024, acclaimed Cameroonian-Finnish choreographer Sonya Lindfors returns to Beursschouwburg, Brussels with her groundbreaking performance, One Drop.

Boys Won’t Be Boys & the softer side of masculinity – Eero Nurmi ruminates on the Oulu shows

Discover what the socially-oriented Dutch theatre production Boys Won’t Be Boys stirred up in our EDUFI intern Eero Nurmi during his time supporting the performances at Oulun teatteri.

Join us in Brussels as our next EDUFI intern

Apply to become our next EDUFI intern. The 5-month internship starts in January 2025 at the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux office in Brussels. Application deadline 10.10.2024 16:15. Good luck!