Hay Festival Colombia Digital

Fighting Women is a compilation of interviews of Spanish women who took part in the civil war. Some took up arms and fought at the front, others participated in organizations such as POUM, Mujeres Libres or other anarchist groups. All of them fought against the nationalist forces and for women’s emancipation, and together they achieved social progress such as free, legal abortion. They started a revolution, and to do so they not only had to fight fascism, but sometimes also their own brothers-in-arms. The great impact of these testimonies invites us to reflect on a struggle that belongs to another time and yet is relevant today. Diego Rabasa (Mexico) talks to the film director Ken Loach (United Kingdom) and Isabella Lorusso (Italy), about this extraordinary message of rebellion and justice.

The war in Ukraine and its effects on geopolitics and the economy in Europe are reasons to bring to the fore a debate on the role of European values today. Hay Festival Segovia invites the professor of International Law and jurist José Maria Beneyto and Carmen Sanz, president of the Norwegian Chamber of Commerce in Spain and president of the European Chambers, for this semester of the year. She is participating on behalf of the 14 European Chambers in Spain to talk about the subject.

Event in Spanish

The eminent historian Margaret MacMillan (Canada) lectures at the University of Oxford and is the author of various books that cover, among other subjects, that devastating and urgent matter, one that is a threat in all civilizations: war. Her book, War: How Conflict Shaped Us (2020) examines the role of war in the history of humanity. Since the end of the Second World War, humanity has experienced what Steven Pinker has called “the long peace”, a period in which much of humanity has enjoyed an absence of major wars. However, MacMillan questions this idea and analyses the continuous military conflicts that have occurred since 1945. Her latest book published in Spanish is 1914. De la paz a la guerra (2021), which is an account of the political, social, cultural and economic forces that brought about the First World War. These essays ask us some disturbing questions: is war an inherent part of human nature? Is it inevitable? MacMillan explores these crucial questions with the eminent writer and historian, Enrique Krauze.

How do big corporations and governments use our data to manipulate our behaviour? Up to what point should this be permitted, and how should regulations deal with actions that end up affecting the realities of our societies? Carissa Véliz (United Kingdom) is an Associate Lecturer at Oxford University’s Institute for Practical Ethics, and a regular contributor to publications including El País, The Guardian, The New York Times, New Statesman and The Independent. In her book Privacy is Power (Transworld, 2020) she analyses these matters, as well as others that are of critical importance to our time, arguing in favour of the prohibition of the sale of personal data. In conversation with Mónica Meltis.

The eminent historian Margaret MacMillan (Canada) lectures at the University of Oxford and is the author of various books that cover, among other subjects, that devastating and urgent matter, one that is a threat in all civilizations: war. Her book, War: How Conflict Shaped Us (2020) examines the role of war in the history of humanity. Since the end of the Second World War, humanity has experienced what Steven Pinker has called “the long peace”, a period in which much of humanity has enjoyed an absence of major wars. However, MacMillan questions this idea and analyses the continuous military conflicts that have occurred since 1945. Her latest book published in Spanish is 1914. De la paz a la guerra (2021), which is an account of the political, social, cultural and economic forces that brought about the First World War. These essays ask us some disturbing questions: is war an inherent part of human nature? Is it inevitable? MacMillan explores these crucial questions with the eminent writer and historian, Enrique Krauze.

One of the terrible lessons that the pandemic has taught us is that the worst of the health and financial consequences have fallen on the poorest nations, and poorest populations within nations. This has emphasised the large and growing economic gaps that exist around the world today. Perhaps it would be true to say that each country has experienced its own version of the pandemic, and this event is a moment to reflect on the specific case of Mexico, one of the world’s most vulnerable countries.The journalist Mario Arriagada Cuadriello; the Executive Director of Oxfam Mexico, Alexandra Haas; and the academic, Ana Laura Magaloni will talk to Jacobo García about this extraordinary moment.

El Tema, an original idea by Gael García Bernal and Pablo Montaño, directed by Santiago Maza and produced by La Corriente del Golfo, is a web series of six short documentaries that cover some of the most urgent matters related to the climate crisis in Mexico. The series is presented by the actor, director and producer, Gael García Bernal, and the writer and linguist Yásnaya Elena Aguilar. At this event we present episode five, Océanos, which looks at the coral reefs of the island of Cozumel. The ocean gave us life and is the planet’s main climate regulator. 1% of the seafloor has coral, an ultra-diverse ecosystem that is home to a quarter of the world’s fish species. Yet 0.5% of this has been destroyed by human activity. It is time to stop turning our back on the sea. With Yásnaya Aguilar and Mina Morsán, in conversation with Claudia Ivonne Hernández.

Language: Spanish

Documentary duration: 12 minutes

Although just a few years ago it would have seemed impossible, there now exists a considerable consensus around the idea that Western democracies are in serious danger, faced with the rise of authoritarianism, nationalism, autocracy and the extreme right. The writer and historian Anne Applebaum (United States), winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction for Gulag (2004), presents her most recent book, which tackles these and other themes: Twilight of Democracy. The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism (2020). Applebaum argues that through poisonous, simplistic and seductive messages, authoritarianism uses the media, the social media, political polarization and conspiracy theories to set up a worrying attack on democratic values, values that are defended in her book. She will talk to the jurist and academic Ana Laura Magaloni.

Can books about past wars prepare for future wars? Conversation about the similarities and differences between the war in the Balkans and Russia's war against Ukraine. About this in a conversation between Bosnian writer Ozren Kebo and Ukrainian writer and translator from Bosnian Kateryna Kalytko.

How do we define when a war is won? Is it simply victory on the battlefield? A return of territory and lives saved? Or does victory also include the more intangible, such as the protection of our humanity and trust in the world, and the ability to still feel happiness and love in the aftermath of tragedy and trauma?

Philosopher, writer and translator Vakhtang Kebuladze, journalists Slavenka Drakulich (she will join remotely) and Anne Applebaum (she will join remotely), and Maksym Yakovliev look at what happens after war is over. They talk to the journalist and essayist Tetiana Oharkova about how we should communicate with people who have survived war, whether it’s possible to feel happiness after trauma, and whether wars represent new beginnings.

Closed captions are available for this event in English and Spanish. Click on the "cc" icon in the video frame to select.

Although just a few years ago it would have seemed impossible, there now exists a considerable consensus around the idea that Western democracies are in serious danger, faced with the rise of authoritarianism, nationalism, autocracy and the extreme right. The writer and historian Anne Applebaum (United States), winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction for Gulag (2004), presents her most recent book, which tackles these and other themes: Twilight of Democracy. The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism (2020). Applebaum argues that through poisonous, simplistic and seductive messages, authoritarianism uses the media, the social media, political polarization and conspiracy theories to set up a worrying attack on democratic values, values that are defended in her book. She will talk to the jurist and academic Ana Laura Magaloni.

In 1948, the United States of America enacted the Marshall Plan, an initiative to provide foreign aid to Western Europe to help it recover after the Second World War, and to boost the world economy. A panel of experts discuss how a modern version of the Marshall Plan from countries across the world is needed in the wake of the war in Ukraine.

The war has, and will continue to have, long-reaching and long-lasting effects outside the borders of the country economically. Historian Timothy Garton Ash, journalists Emma Graham-Harrison and Sevgil Musaeva, human rights lawyer Oleksandra Matviichuk (she will join remotely) and Oleksandr Sushko, Research Director at the Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation in Kyiv and member of the Maidan People's Union council examine how the war is affecting money, investment and more. From looking at the long-term dangers of a peace on Russian terms to what Ukraine has to offer to the world and what can be done to communicate Ukraine's economic potential, the group will argue that supporting Ukraine's reconstruction and the full restoration of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity can stabilise global food and energy markets. Journalist Kristina Berdinskikh chairs.

Closed captions are available for this event in English and Spanish. Click on the "cc" icon in the video frame to select.

The chair of the Colombian Truth Commission, Francisco de Roux, will talk about this extraordinary analysis carried out in the country in order to establish a legal and sociological framework given the impact of decades of violence. The work of this commission has become a model for similar peace processes around the world. De Roux will talk to the editor of El País Mexico, Jan Martínez Ahrens.

Through the war with Russia, Ukraine has emerged as an unexpected hero in a battle for freedom in Europe – a battle few could have predicted. The conflict has led many, inside and outside of the continent, to rethink the political and moral ideas that we have taken for granted since the Second World War ended.

Using literature and the ways in which it helps us make sense of critical points in history and how colossal changes affect people's ways of thinking and feeling, a panel discusses ideas of heroism and how literature can help these sceptics of Ukraine understand its quests and feats. Novelist Elif Batuman, writer Kateryna Kalytko, filmmaker Iryna Tsilyk, writer David Toscana (he will join remotely) and novelist Taras Prokhasko will also talk to writer Sasha Dovzhuk about how literature can help people feel with Ukrainians and learn from the mistakes of the past.

Closed captions are available for this event in English and Spanish. Click on the "cc" icon in the video frame to select.

Among the many things wrong with our current socioeconomic system is not just the fact that healthcare is a privilege for the few, but that a whole illness industry exists that is structured around making a profit from those who are unwell, often with serious illnesses. The poet, essayist and lecturer Anne Boyer (United States) won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction for The Undying. A Meditation on Modern Illness, an acute and lucid work that tells of her own experience as a survivor of an aggressive breast cancer, which led her to live through and understand some chilling realities. Boyer is also the author of books such as The Romance of Happy Workers (2008), The 2000s (2009), Garments Against Women (2015) and A Handbook of Disappointed Fate (2018). In conversation with Eduardo Rabasa.

The creation of heroic narratives has been widespread in art and literature across time and cultures. This panel will explore how we mythologize in the modern world, what stories we expect, and whether heroes still satisfy our aesthetic sensitivity in the 21st century.

Emma Antoniuk, philosopher and writer Vakhtang Kebuladze and journalist Peter Pomerantsev explore how we mythologize in the modern world, what stories we expect, and whether heroes still satisfy our aesthetic sensitivity in the 21st century. Chaired by poet Olena Huseinova.

Among the many things wrong with our current socioeconomic system is not just the fact that healthcare is a privilege for the few, but that a whole illness industry exists that is structured around making a profit from those who are unwell, often with serious illnesses. The poet, essayist and lecturer Anne Boyer (United States) won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction for The Undying. A Meditation on Modern Illness, an acute and lucid work that tells of her own experience as a survivor of an aggressive breast cancer, which led her to live through and understand some chilling realities. Boyer is also the author of books such as The Romance of Happy Workers (2008), The 2000s (2009), Garments Against Women (2015) and A Handbook of Disappointed Fate (2018). In conversation with Eduardo Rabasa.

Indian essayist Pankaj Mishra joins Ukrainian philosopher Volodymyr Yermolenko to explore the ways Russia's assault on Ukraine has forced Europe to confront its colonial past and present. Chaired by Ukrainian journalist Sevgil Musaieva.

Bektour Iskender and Panjak Mishra will join remotely

Closed captions are available for this event in English and Spanish. Click on the "cc" icon in the video frame to select.

The Maidan Revolution - or Revolution of Dignity - took place in Ukraine in February 2014 at the end of the Euromaidan protests. Deadly clashes between protesters and state forces in the capital Kyiv culminated in the ousting of elected President Viktor Yanukovych and a return to the 2004 Constitution. An expert panel of contributors explores its significance as a turning point in Ukrainian history. With Kateryna Kalytko, Vitalii Portnykov and Antin Borkovski.

War can both engender clamour and silence. Some people feel it imperative to talk about every life lost and every building destroyed, channelling their emotions into creative expression. For others, war means silence, stripping them of their ability to vocalize trauma and their experiences.

Journalist Luke Harding, writer David Rieff, poet and combat medic Yaryna Chornohuz and Svitlana Povaliaeva explore the emotional and professional space between experiencing and narrating war. Chaired by journalist Tetyana Ogarkova, the panel will discuss who can write about war, how conflict should be written about and the challenges of doing so, and what books can teach us about war.