There is a project that is involving people from many countries of Europe. Its aim is to discuss the EU issues and protest against Brexit and other events undermining the European Union. In this interview we spoke with Leo Bue, from AEGEE-Aachen, and he told us more about the project, the feedback of some supporters and the situation of basic rights in Europe.

The AEGEEan: What is “Pulse of Europe”?

Leo Bue: Pulse of Europe is a pro-European initiative, which was founded in 2016 as a reaction to Brexit and the presidential elections in the USA. After those elections, there were massive protests against the results. Pulse of Europe wants to be visible beforehand: before the elections in the Netherlands, France and Germany. We do not want to be the “silent majority” anymore, but a visible crowd standing for a peaceful, borderless and cooperating Europe.

How do you think to have an influence upon the vote of the next presidential elections in France, for example, and the ones in Germany?

I think our impact is to be visible as the pro-European crowd. In the past months and years, the critics of the EU became louder and very visible in the media. Now, we want to be loud and visible in favour of the European project.

How can AEGEE people join the project?

The easiest way to join is to participate! There are over 60 European cities where Pulse of Europe takes place every Sunday at 2 pm. You can find them here.

If there is no such event near your place, initiate one on your own! Ask your friends, there is not much effort to announce an event:

1. Contact the initiators from Frankfurt.
2. Call the police and tell them you want to register a demonstration.
3. Ask your (AEGEE) friends to meet at 2 pm in blue and yellow.

Why did you translate your website into so many languages?

The web page is translated into German, French, English, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian. The goal of Pulse of Europe is to be spread all over the continent. So, there is still missing Dutch, Greek, Lithuanian, etc.

Why do you say there is a current threat to peace in the European Union?

We all have seen that people chose Brexit. If other member states decide to leave, the European project is going to fail. I fear a missing discussion between the states’ interests, which could, in worst case, lead to conflicts and war; our own history predicts this.

How can a society oppose destructive and backward-looking tendencies?

Being aware of the danger. Standing up and opposing those who do not care about or welcome this danger. Speaking out about the EU’s problems. Working on the problems and helping to make the EU better instead of destroying it.

What do you mean with “basic freedoms”? What is the situation of the basic rights and the rule of law in Europe?

We can see many problems in different states with freedom of the press and democracy. There is obviously no effective control if a government chooses to violate general European principles or bend them in its favour. Same about the refugee crisis. Same about tax-havens. The same is true for almost every negative development, like the economic criteria that was once agreed on. The EU, or more so the national states, do not live up to the standards they proclaim.

What kind of reform is necessary to improve Europe?

In my personal opinion, the most important reform is the European Parliament’s right of legislative initiative. This means the parliament has the power to make laws proposals independently and could cure a lot of EU problems in a democratic way. Also, the voters have to hold their politicians accountable for what is wrong in Europe and not only focus on their national level.

How can we preserve regional and national identities in Europe?

I do not think that is a problem at all. Maintain your own (regional or national) culture, share it with others and learn about theirs.

Can you tell us the feedback about Facebook and Twitter pages?

It is not bad, Facebook is one of our main tools to spread the message. Most people are supportive, even though we had a few trolls. If politicians speak, it is always a bit tricky since we are non-partisan and people really care about that.

Did you find any supporters until now? If so, from which countries?

Last week, we had 900 participants in Aachen, over 30.000 people on the streets in all cities together. This supports us the most. Here are two comments of AEGEEans that participated in other cities.

“I am taking part in Pulse of Europe demonstrations in Essen, Germany. Last Sunday there were around 450 people. I really liked the atmosphere, everyone was very positive. My favourite part of the demonstration is when they open the microphone to citizens. It is so important to hear what citizens have to say about the topic of Europe and what they value most. Last Sunday an elderly woman approached the microphone and started with ‘I have experienced war in Germany. I never want to see this happening again’. Those are the stories that need to be told over and over again!”

Julia Krebs, AEGEE-Osnabrück

“I was in Stuttgart and Munich: in Stuttgart there were 200 people, in Munich last week 1500. I participated in Pulse of Europe because I feel that I have benefited from so many things since 1989. We did grow up with an ever uniting Europe that is now facing severe obstacles, and we cannot NOT stand up for Europe. I feel goose bumps every time someone speaks at the open microphone and I feel even more European now”.

Caroline Eißler, AEGEE Passau

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari

Theatre, to some a hobby and to others a lifestyle choice, is becoming more integrated in AEGEE. For years, AEGEE-Nijmegen was the only local with an active theatre committee, but, recently, there was an idea for more locals are following suit. The Culture Interest Group decided to go one step further, and have announced plans for a pan-European theatre project; Europe Goes On Stage. A couple of weeks ago, we were notified that this project was to be postponed for now. Nevertheless, the idea sounded inspiring. Therefore, we would like to  show you our initially withdrawn interview with Domitille Simon, coordinator of this project.

Note: this article was supposed to be published several weeks ago and the information presented might therefore be outdated.

The AEGEEan: What, in a nutshell, is your latest project “Europe Goes On Stage”?

Domitille: Europe Goes On Stage (EGOS) is the latest project from the Culture Interest Group (CIG). The aim of the project is to gather all the theatre-lovers in AEGEE and create a theatre troupe within the association. The idea was to produce something purely European, from the theme discussed in the play (we chose Peace from the Greek playwright Aristophanes) to the place where we will perform it: EGOS is not attached to any AEGEE local, the project should make sense anywhere in Europe.

Therefore, we are currently contacting different antennae to find a place for our rehearsals and for the first performance. We want to organise a six-day event in November/December which will include the rehearsals and a performance in front of the local audience. If it is possible, we also thought that we could perform it during bigger AEGEE event such as EPMs or Agoras.

We are also still looking for comedians. We already received some applications from really motivated people but we are still waiting for more! Anyone from AEGEE can apply: the more diverse the group, the better it will be. We all hope that it won’t be a short-lived project and that this is just going to be our first play!

What’s the experience of the core team in terms of artistic know-how?

For now, the core team is composed of three members. Stefania de Martino is from AEGEE-Bergamo. She has a great experience in acting since she attended four acting courses: three during high school and one during her first year at university. Besides this practical knowledge she also enjoys going to theatres to watch plays or musicals.

Oliver Andreevski is from AEGEE-Skopje. He performed arts since high school: he studied traditional dances in the ballet department, which included adapting old traditional dances and rituals on stage. He still does it as his hobby. He also has some knowledge in making costumes, music and singing.

I am from AEGEE-Manchester. I followed three years of acting courses when I was at school and one year during university, but I soon realised that I had more fun directing comedians than acting. I’ve been part of the directing team of the annual play produced by the Francophone society of my university for the last two years.

Will you guys provide the costumes and decor and will you direct yourselves, or will that duty fall on the hosting local or external people?

We will provide everything, from the costumes to the props and the decor. As mentioned above, someone of us have experience in directing so we will adapt and direct the play ourselves. The role of the hosting local will be to find us the location for the accommodation as well as for the rehearsals and the representation. But obviously we will help!

Where and how will you hold the auditions?

We do not aim to gather only theatre professionals. Of course, if you are an experienced comedian you’re more than welcome! But I think what really matters in this kind of project is people’s motivation so we decided not to do auditions. Comedians can apply through a google form and we will evaluate their candidacy on their enthusiasm.

Until which date can people apply to join “Europe Goes On Stage”?

We extended the deadline to the 15^th of October. We already had some really good applications but we are looking for even more motivated and passionate people!

Why did you choose to perform Peace by Aristophanes (of all possible plays)?

I first hesitated between writing a play on our own or adapting a play but I soon realised that writing something original will take ages so we looked for a relevant text on the topic of Europe. We orientated our search on the Ancient Greek theatre because in a way, Ancient Greece is the mother of all European nations and cultures.

For those who never read Peace from Aristophanes and have no idea who Aristophanes is, they will be quite surprised to see that it is far from the idea one could have about Ancient Greek theatre! Peace is a pure comedy. To sum up, the main character, Trygaeus, a producer of wine from Athens, reaches the Mount Olympus, where the gods live, on the back of a dung beetle and realises that most of them already left because War has imprisoned Peace.

During a moment of unattention from War, Trygaeus, helped by people from all around Greece, liberates Peace and her companions Harvest and Festival. The war is over and peace comes back among the Greeks. The play ends by the celebration of Trygeaus and Harvest’s wedding. We thought that the story was quite relevant to the Europe situation in Europe: the only solution to stop the wars that kept destroying Europe was to gather people from the whole continent to bring back Peace.

How will you stage the production; in its original, classical style or will you use more modern styles of theatre?

It will be a modern adaptation of Peace: we are currently re-writing the play in order to give it a European sense. For example, instead of talking about people from different Greek cities we will change it to European cities (and obviously cities where there’s an AEGEE antenna!).

Greek plays are also known to have a Chorus. It used to be a group of people standing in front of the stage and singing. In our adaptation the Chorus will be given to one person and played as a normal character.

Is there anything that we didn’t ask, but that you like to be included into the interview?

As mentioned, EGOS will provide all the props and decor, therefore we need someone motivated to become our fundraiser.

If you want to contact us you can do it through the Facebook page of the CIG: https://www.facebook.com/CIG.AEGEE/?fref=ts

You can also send us an email: europegoesonstage@gmail.com

And if you want to apply (Comedians/Hosting local/ Fundraiser) you just need to fill up this google form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1fcrtxfhw4fY5bv9Xc-2Tb9kTYk9yQLJb7B3m90rfb8Y/edit

Written by Willem Laurentzen

Whether you are a delegate, a visitor or an envoy, you are definitely going to love the workshops planned for the upcoming Spring Agora Bergamo! They are new, they are fresh and interactive, aimed for new members coming as visitors, some of them being for the first time at an Agora, eager to learn valuable things, AEGEE related or not,  from trainers and members with experience. Three of them will briefly be presented in this article and are the following: “Be water, my friend!”, “I was killed by PowerPoint” and last, but not least, “Peace it Up!”. Read more to find out about each one of them and don’t forget to join one during Agora Bergamo! See you there!

Workshop I-A: Be water, my friend!

Held by the Speaker and Vice-Speaker of the Public Relations Committee (PRC), Gerardo Garcia Diaz (AEGEE-Oviedo) and former Comité Directeur (CD) member, Mayri Tiido (AEGEE-Tallin), the workshop will take place on Thursday, 19th May at 12:45 and will end at 14:15. This workshop encourages you to refresh yourself and teaches you how to adapt to different situations, to be like water, as the name suggests, through improvisation theater and role-playing. Although this workshop will be a lot of fun,  a decent level of English is required, so if you are having trouble with that, start revising!

Workshop I-B: I was killed by PowerPoint

As the name suggests, we are all sick and tired of PowerPoint presentations and dull speeches. The means used to spread education & knowledge have changed a lot, the best example for that being TEDx, with events taking place all over, featuring worldwide known trainers, experts and great leaders that inspire us with their speech and stage act. Why shouldn’t you try to be like them? Through tips and tricks presented during this workshop, you will learn how to keep the participant’s attention, leave them speechless and falling in love with your presentation. The workshop will be held by Academy trainer, Ana Potocnik (AEGEE-Ljubljana) and will take place on Thursday, 19th May between 12:45 and 14:15.

Workshop I-C: Peace it Up!

So far, the year of 2016 wasn’t too great when it comes to democracy and peace-making, considering all the terrorist attacks that happened in Paris, Brussels, Istanbul and Ankara. However, it definitely brought us together and motivated us to take our own actions to contribute to a better and more peaceful Europe. The collaboration between the “Democracy in Practice” and the “Your Vision for EUrope”
project has resulted in an interactive and meaningful workshop called “Peace it Up!”, which will offer you this great opportunity to come, share and support your thoughts and feelings about the current situation. It will be held by Noemi Lowy (AEGEE-Debrecen) on behalf of the “Democracy in Practice” project and Adonis Meggos (AEGEE-Peiraias) from the “Your Vision for EUrope” project and it will take place on Thursday, 19th May from 12:45 until 14:15.

For more information you can download the Agora Agenda and the Workshops and Progress Meetings booklet.

Written by Gabriela Geană, AEGEE-București

“If blue helmeted UN peacekeepers show up in your town or village and offer to protect you, RUN.”

Andrew Thomson, Emergency Sex

Few days ago in the evening I was doing my usual stuff on the internet: surfing, surfing and again surfing internet news channels and Facebook/Twitter, when suddenly I noticed this controversial photo which at least for me was both too funny and a real cold shower late at night.

Yes, the photo maybe is too sarcastic but it has many things inside to say to the whole humankind. The UN peacekeeper with his blue helmet just standing nearby the banner of the UN with motto “Involved in Peace”. George W. Bush once made a great statement which I usually use a lot “The World has changed after September 11!”

As much as time is passing from 9/11, as much I understand that Mr. President was totally right. The new grasp of changes is spreading all over the world: political regimes which have been in charge for decades are tumbling down, new political elites are being formed, but just another question is being raised after all this: what will be the next? What shall we expect from the world order which is somewhat becoming something like a global chaos?

In the above-mentioned context the “Syria Case” is the one which shows best how modern international politics work out these days. No, I am absolutely not a pessimist nor a anti-globalization activist, far from it. I am always supporting any globalization initiative as in my personal perception it might be the real key to sustainable development and peace building in the world, but the situation that we see today in international politics mostly looks more like a global chaos, than like sustainable development; Syria is just a good example of that.

Already for 16 months Syria has been involved in civil war and what has been the reaction of global powers? Just meaningless resolutions and statements which in any case could not stop the war, the slaughterous fratricidal war between the Syrian current authorities and rebels. As a result, what do we see? Thousands of Syrians running from their homes to Jordan and Lebanon, big refugee camps on the Syrian-Turkish border, useless diplomatic missions of the Arab League and other international institutions.

In this regard I would like to pay special attention to the position which right now hold the United Nations, as the organization which is responsible for maintaining peace all over the world. During the last decades and particularly since the collapse of the Soviet Empire many researchers and experts of international politics have expressed positions that the UN should be reformed in order to meet the requirements of the world of the 21^st Century, but nobody could have imagined that this powerful, most important international institution may get into such a useless situation as the one it is in at the moment.

Sad to say, but the word “useless” for this moment totally describes the present situation, as one may easily check that even according to Wikipedia “The United Nations (abbreviated UN in English, and ONU in French and Spanish), is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security,economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace. The UN was founded in 1945 after World War II to replace the League of Nations, to stop wars between countries, and to provide a platform for dialogue. It contains multiple subsidiary organizations to carry out its missions.”

Enough of Wikipedia, let’s get back to business: so where are international law, security,  economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace in Syria? A minute of break for thinking…

In the beginning of the 1990s there were big hopes that the end of US-Soviet rivalry, which in the past had paralyzed the Security Council of the UN, would mostly free the UN to become more effective. But these kind of hopes have soon been abandoned as during that period humankind experienced the horrible acts of genocide in Rwanda and massacres and genocide in Srebrenica, Bosnia during which the blue helmeted UN peacekeepers were only following everything as observers and did not even raise a finger to stop the violence.

And another even more ironic fact is just coming to depress me even more: entering the official webpage of the United Nations Organization (http://www.un.org/), you see the following statement while picking the webpage’s language – United Nations: It’s your world!

Taking into account the latest developments in Syria and all over the Arab states during the last year and half, as well as the dark stories of the 1990’s, I do not know how the UN officials think about it, but I totally do not want to have such a world! A world filled with inequality and double standards, a world in which only the strongest states are bringing forward their political goals and interests, a world in which there is no security, no possibilities for guaranteeing economic development and social progress, a world in which human rights and peace are just some things which can easily be put on the negotiations table and could be exchanged for a barrel of oil! That is whole story of present international politics.

Usually in international affairs and politics, each time period has its name (Cold War, Versailles-Washington and etc.), so after making so many remarks and conclusions I have started to think about how the present time period will be called in the future.

Definitely in my opinion it should be called the age of  UNINVOLVEMENT in PEACE, as for a common observer it is obvious that neither the UN, nor any other power wants to dirty their hands with blood. It’s really high time for just RUNNING when we see blue helmeted peacekeepers somewhere in the world.

Written by Armenak Minasyants, AEGEE-Yerevan & Speaker of International Politics WG

“…Children’s games in the streets were suddenly interrupted but they wanted to play more with their Armenian friends, they wanted to listen together to tales of their grandparents in the dusty streets of Van, Kars and Bitlis.

Without telling the reason why our Armenian friends left, they taught us to forget 24 April, to forget the games we played and the stories we were told…”

….

My eyes filled with tears after reading this letter written by AEGEE-Ankara Turkish-Armenian Working Group on 24 April. 24 April 1915 was the black day of Armenian history. For already 97 years on that day Armenians all over the world have commemorated the Armenian Genocide day by the Ottoman Empire.  The genocide was done in the most inhuman way – massacres and deportations, when around 1.5 million Armenians were killed and tortured, many lost their families, others had to escape to various sides of the world. This resulted in the development of the majority of Armenian diaspora communities all over the world. On that painful day Ottoman authorities arrested around 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople. Thereafter, the Ottoman military uprooted Armenians from their homes and forced them to march for hundreds of miles, depriving them of food and water, to the desert of what is now Syria… 97 years have passed since that bloody day, but Armenians have this pain in their hearts, a pain that should not be familiar only to Armenians, but to the whole world in order to avoid this kind of crime towards human beings in

future.

My first visit to Turkey was in 2010 when I was going to sign the Convention d’Adhésion for AEGEE-Yerevan, which became an official AEGEE contact. When I learnt that the Agora would be in Istanbul I was actually very glad as I had wanted to visit Istanbul long time before, but meanwhile, I didn’t know what to expect from Turkey. Surprisingly, I discovered a group of hospitable AEGEEans, friendship and fun.

I met the Turkish-Armenian working group members of AEGEE-Ankara who were opened for cooperation with AEGEE-Yerevan. I discovered so many similarities between Armenian and Turkish people. After that I thought: “I definitely need to contribute to the peace building process of our two nations.” Soon after the Agora the Armenian-Turkish working group of AEGEE-Yerevan was established. Active cooperation has started with the project called AEGEE Virtual Traveller, which gives  both members of AEGEE-Yerevan and Ankara an opportunity to write about the other countries without having visited it. You can check it here: http://aegeetraveller.wordpress.com/. Furthermore, the Turkish-Armenian working group of AEGEE-Ankara visited Yerevan around the Armenian Genocide Memorial day and discussed the future projects about which you will hear in the future.

Summing up, I just wanted to share my story and efforts we all make for our peaceful future. I am really proud to have this cooperation well established and wish good luck to both working groups for their future projects. That is how I see AEGEE contributing to its PEACE AND STABILITY pillar, that is how I am being proud of my association.

Wrtitten by Shushan Khachatryan, AEGEE-Yerevan &
Content Manager of AEGEE Eastern Partnership Project

Group photos by Shushan Khachatryan
Photograph of the Armenian Genocide memorial by M. Megi