9 April, 2016, at 6 pm
EPEKA Gallery, Maribor

On Saturday, 9 April 2016, at 18:00, EPEKA Gallery hosted a public lecture by Adib Abdulmajid, a Syrian journalist, who gave an in-depth insight into the background of the conflict in Syria.

Adib Abdulmajid is a Syrian journalist with whom we delved into the background of the conflict in Syria, captured the real dimensions of the conflict, found out what it means for political elites and the international public, and proposed possible solutions to end this international conflict in the Middle East. Adib Abdulmajid also shared with us his field insights on the biggest enemy of the Western media, the Islamic State.

Syrian journalist, researcher and analyst Adib Abdulmajid holds a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from the University of Damascus and a Master’s degree in Managing Cultural Diversity from the University of Tilburg. He is also the founder and director of ARA News, a news agency covering current events in war zones across the Middle East.

His favourite habit of peacefully smoking shisha in the bars of Damascus was interrupted shortly after graduating in his early twenties by the escalating political situation in Syria. He decided he had to do something about it. His activist nature is reflected in his actions, which the Syrian secret police considered inappropriate for the Syrian regime. His life’s journey therefore led him to the Netherlands, where he still lives. There he had the opportunity to deepen his understanding of the current war in his homeland, not only through educational approaches, but also by actively spreading the voices of his home nation, which in turn is reflected in the creation of an uncertain future for his homeland.

The public lecture was held as the closing event of a nine-day international youth exchange entitled “Today them, tomorrow maybe you”, a project which aimed to start an intercultural dialogue on local, regional, national and international refugee issues across Europe. It promoted a view of European citizenship as a common living and economic space for all citizens and residents of Europe, even if they do not reside in the European Union. Our partners from Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy, Macedonia, the Netherlands and Turkey joined us in Maribor from 2 to 10 April 2016.