Saturday 19th of May | 4:00 p.m. | Kinoteka
Debate: Nationalism in Buddhist Burma. From manipulation to violence
after the screening of “Venerable W.” by Barbet Schroeder
In Polish and English
Partner: Amnesty International Poland
In 2017 the world found out about the ethnic cleansing of muslims in Burma. “The Venerable W” is a depiction of Wirathu, the extremist buddhist leader who skillfully uses techniques of manipulation and control to build up enmity against the muslim minority. Will a charismatic leader, fake news and prejudice lead to genocide? What can be done to prevent it? The film encourages the viewer to consider the universal mechanisms which can lead to terrible war crimes.
The debate will include:
Weronika Rokicka – coordinator of the Amnesty International Poland campaign, political scientist, indologist and an assistant at the Faculty of Oriental Studies of the University of Warsaw.
Lech M. Nijakowski PhD – director of the Department of General Sociology at the Institute of Sociology, University of Warsaw. An advisor to the National and Ethnic Minorities Committee of the Polish Sejm. Laureate of the Stanisław Ossowski Prize of the Polish Sociological Association in the year 2007 for the book ” The symbolic domains. National and ethnic conflicts in symbolic dimension”. Winner of the Ludwik Krzywicki scientific award of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Division I: Humanities and Social Sciences, for the book “The Ecstasy of Revenge. Historical sociology of genocidal mobilization”.
Wojciech Tochman – journalist, writer, author of several documentary books translated into many languages. The most famous of which is “Like Eating a Stone: Surviving the Past in Bosnia” about post-war Bosnia. His books also include “Today We’re Going to Draw Death” about genocide in Rwanda and “Eli, Eli” about slums in the Philippines. He currently lives in Cambodia, where he’s finishing work on his book “Pianie kogutów, płacz psów” (“Crowing of the Roosters, Weeping of the Dogs”) which is scheduled for release by Wydawnictwo Literackie publishing house in the beginning of 2019.
The debate will be conducted by:
Zuzanna Piechowicz – journalist and secretary od the editorial office of TOK FM Radio, she also hosts “A Perfect Sunday” which is a broadcast dedicated to presenting new ideas and intellectual trends. She is a board member of The Association of Young Journalists “Polis” and she runs workshops in media education in human rights. Trainer in projects such “Burma on the Wave”, “Education for Hope” Association as well as “Mjanmar in Action” of the “Cultures of the World” Foundation.
