In preparing this year's programme, it was important for us to raise topics that concern everyone. We’ll be looking at the relationship between free time and technology, which push us towards efficiency – but how do they benefit us? Do they really give us more space for ourselves, or do they force us to be constantly on the move? This year's environmental theme is the forest. Environmental issues tend to be more pressing than we would like them to be. Last year we focused on water because of the decisions being made on deep sea mining. This year, the issue is the amendment to the Forest and Hunting Act, which will decide the future of Czech forests for several decades. Immunity is a concept that has been bandied about very much in recent years, but we will be exploring it not only at the level of the individual, but also of society and the planet. Just as we protect our health, we want to look for ways to care for relationships, communities and our planet. And war, a theme that has haunted us for centuries, will lead us to ask questions about the future of conflict and ways to prevent it.
The fight for free time and the art of “procrastination”
Saturday at the Inspiration Forum will be marked by technology and especially its impact on our daily lives – work, care, home, leisure and mental health. Technology promises to free us from hard and boring work, yet we feel more overworked than ever. Is it really helping us save time and bridge the gender gap in household care? What other factors influence the amount of this work? And how would we even deal with a new portion of free time, which is, in Nick Srnicek's words, “a prerequisite for any meaningful notion of freedom”? Srnicek, along with feminist theorist Helen Hester, will present a history of domesticity and the struggle for leisure. As part of a live recording of the popular Studio N podcast, journalist Filip Titlbach will discuss the impact of technology on mental health and the quality of leisure with neuroscientist and founder of Nevypusť duši Maria Hájek Salomonová.
Into the woods!
On Sunday, we’ll invite you to the forest. Forests teach us how to connect, yet we let them suffer through our actions. Can we find our way back to them and learn from them? Jaromír Bláha, who has been saving Czech forests for more than three decades and will be one of the speakers during the programme, says: “Beavers can revitalize the landscape much faster than engineers. Beavers know exactly where to build a dam to hold back water in the landscape. And they’ll do it for free.” The spiritual importance of forests to First Nations and what their approach can teach us is then discussed by Micmac activist Cheryl Maloney, who reflects on her experience, “One of the most important things I've done in my life was to protect a river right where my ancestors lived before the reserves were created.” As a member of the First Nations, she has extensive experience with initiatives such as opposition to the Alton Gas Project and the Sipekne'katik self-managed fishery. On Saturday, she will demonstrate how forests relate to Indigenous independence.
Immunity in a new light
As part of a day dedicated to new perspectives on immunity, we will also open up the serious topic of long Covid, which, according to the World Health Organization, affects an estimated 36 million people. Designer and performance artist Adam Hrubý will share his personal experience of the disease, saying, “I talk about my life before long Covid as a past life. I can't dance, work, run, sit, walk or stand for long periods of time. Conversation, sounds, light, and most foods hurt me physically. I am more distracted, dumber, slower, more fragile. I don't recognize myself. I miss friendship, culture, music, and connection. And mainly I’m forced to write to my girlfriend.” On the second Friday of the festival, he and photographer Hana Pololáníková will present the circumstances of a silenced global pandemic, including three years of personal experience with the disease, in a joint case study. Philosopher Martin Zach will explain how our view of immunity as more than just a defence is changing.
Current perspectives on global conflicts
How are current global conflicts driven by economic interests and how do inequalities play out in them? How are their dynamics affected by globalisation with its technological advances, distribution of resources and flow of information? And what is the role of women in peace processes? This will be explored in Saturday's programme on the topic of war, with Indian researcher Kirthi Jayakumar and Siri Aas Rustad, who works at the Norwegian Peace Research Institute on issues such as how conflict is related to natural resources or geography. Philosopher Pavel Barša, technology expert Jan Mazal and Eva Kušíková from Doctors Without Borders will bring perspectives on technological developments, modern conflicts and their impact on civilian populations.
The most popular Czech podcasts live
Each evening, the Inspiration Forum will offer a live recording of one of the popular podcasts that have accepted the invitation to this year's event. In addition to shows such as Vlevo dole, Chyba systému, 5:59 or Čelisti, Studio N will also present itself during the Ji.hlava IDFF. Respekt weekly, Voxpot and Heroine magazine will also record their podcasts in front of a live audience.
How to live better in worse times?
In addition to lectures and debates, we're also planning a series of workshops where you can engage in collaborative thinking about the future shape of leisure. There will also be embroidery against war or haptic forest baths, where we will collectively establish a new sensory relationship with the forest. The programme will also include Inspirational Meetings, a new open space style format for collaborative thinking for all those attending the festival. Its theme will be “how to live a better life in worse times”. A series of three-hour informal sessions facilitated by experienced lecturers and tutors from the NaZemi organisation will connect the festival audience, expert guests and the wider Jihlava public in this unique format.