Voices from Here and There: Literature as a Space for Intercultural Dialogue

As part of the EMV-LII project, the Peace Institute supported three events organised by the Danilo Kiš Cultural Centre as part of the Voices from Here and There literary series, featuring multilingual literature and held at the Tomaž Šalamun Poetry Centre.

On Wednesday, 8 April, a literary evening featured poet and writer Tamara Kovačević and writer Zlatko Kraljić. The evening was moderated by Ajdin Huzejrović. The event introduced two contemporary literary voices and provided an opportunity to discuss their literary work, literary, linguistic and social issues, regional literary cooperation, and the significance of identities rooted in “here and there”.

On Thursday, 28 May, writer Saïd Khatibi and poet Marie-Hélène Estéoule-Exel were presented. The evening, dedicated to introducing two contemporary literary voices, featured a discussion on literary creation, literary, linguistic and social issues, as well as readings. It was moderated by Barbara Skubic.

On Tuesday, 23 June, writer Neven Ušumović and writer Alena Begić were presented. The event, dedicated to introducing two contemporary literary voices, featured a discussion on literary creation, literary, linguistic and social issues, as well as readings. It was moderated by Lidija Dimkovska.

By supporting these events, the EMV-LII project contributed to increasing the visibility of migrant and transnational voices in Slovenia’s cultural landscape and creating a space where multilingualism and cultural diversity are recognised as important social values. The literary evenings brought different communities together, fostered intercultural dialogue and the exchange of experiences, and strengthened the inclusion of authors with migrant backgrounds in the public cultural sphere. The events thus made an important contribution to achieving the objectives of the EMV-LII project by using literature and public dialogue to increase the visibility of migrant communities, encourage cooperation between different cultural contexts, and contribute to a more inclusive, multilingual and intercultural society.