Freedom 3 – I Will Not Give You Up

The view from my apartment in Bratislava was beautiful, I could see right over the city and beneath my window, there were candles lighting all the time. We had a packed schedule every day at VŠMU, but there was fun to be had too. We got to visit some amazing venues that would not usually be open to the public, so we really got a behind the scenes glimpse at everyday life in Bratislava.

We took part in a workshop at the Staré Lýceum run by Post Bellum, an organisation that uses role-play to simulate life under a communist regime. I played a journalist who secretly distributed an underground newspaper, married to an outspoken artist who put our lives at risk with his anti-government views. At first, this was a bit of craic, but the facilitators ensured we became very aware of  just how dangerous it could be to oppose the regime. Some of the older participants were teenagers when the Soviet Bloc came down and there was a palpable fear amongst them about how things were starting to change again, how freedoms are starting to be curtailed.

We attended a contemporary dance recital with two performances from African artists exploring the experience of black immigrants in Europe. This event was specially arranged for us and took place first thing in the morning. I would have preferred to see this at night because you would need a drink after them. They were devastating. Particularly the piece called L’Expat where we saw a voice being taken away, a young man being gagged, it was so upsetting, but brilliant.

Over the week, the candles outside my apartment doubled in number and so I went to read the little plaque on the wall above them. It was a dedication to two young people who lost their lives in a terrorist attack on the LGBTQ+ community. It was the anniversary of the attack and people were continually stopping by to pay their respects and leave flowers and light a candle.

Maybe it was because Freedom was the theme of the week that I was so aware of where it was under attack. I came away realising that democracy doesn’t look after itself. It needs transparency, accountability and people who are prepared to speak up when those things are threatened.