The Freedom Sessions are a series of events in The Hague that are sponsored by the Oranje Fonds and realised through local collaborations with communties and small businesses. These events are designed to attract members from diverse communities represented in the city of The Hague so they may interact and share ideas, opinions, and questions that guide debates and conversations about freedom and politics, while enjoying the cultural richness that the city has to offer.
To attract members from different communities of The Hague we provide cross-cultural ingredients such as art, music, storytelling, and food that originate from the communities themselves.
With this approach, The Freedom Sessions hopes to stimulate a multi-cultural space in The Hague where interactions and understanding between local ‘cultural’ groups and ‘traditional’ Dutch residents are encouraged.
Edition 1: Beirut, Lebanon
June 18-19th 2021, De Gracht, The Hague, NL
Our very first edition was about Lebanon and our “Hague X Beirut” project. Guests were able to dive into the Lebanese experience and to better understand challenges that the humanitarian crises in Beirut pose to freedom and human rights.
Vittoria Malgioglio presents Lebanese ‘Artivism’ at The Freedom Sessions (19/06/2021)
During this event, The Hague Peace Projects raised awareness of human rights defenders and artists in Lebanon through the exposition of Lebanese activist artwork (‘Artivism’), as part of the “The Hague X Beirut” project.
Lebanese food at The Freedom Sessions provided by local world cuisine ‘Falafel & Hummus’
From the food, to the music and artwork of Lebanese artists, The Hague Peace Projects collaborated with local businesses to create a safe and reliable space where diaspora and non-diaspora communities could engage and come together around a shared cause. This first ‘in-presence’ event constituted great opportunities for people from different backgrounds to meet, exchange opinions, and have conversations in a positive multi-cultural environment.
The event was sold out and we received 60 guests between 12:00 and 20:00 on June 19th, 2021. Entrance to the event was free. On June 18th, the event was cancelled at the last minute due to extreme weather conditions on the day.
This first series of Freedom Sessions events has been kept small in order to comply with COVID-19 recomendations. With the tentative relaxation of Corona restrictions, the Freedom Sessions looks forward to expanding beyond its currently limited size and invitation only policy.
The Beirut Edition flyer with conversation starters on the back
Quotes
“Thank you for bringing light to a situation that’s so close to my heart. This really shows how interconnected our hearts are. Humanitarian crises bring people, minds together. From The Hague to my beloved Beirut, thank you for organizing this.” Nihal
“Peace & justice is the prime of humanity’s existence. Super privileged and glad to connect with like-minded people. Thank you HPP for this.” Robert
“Thank you for the great evening, delicious food, and beautiful artwork. A wonderfully organized event that HPP should be proud of.” Claire
The HPP would like to give a special thank you to the Oranje Fonds for sponsoring this event, as well as to Falafel en Hummus for the delicious food that was served, Unexplained_Media for playing beautiful music, and to The Golden Stork Hostel for hosting the event.
“I am super proud of the whole team for organizing this event and I’ve been very happy to participate as well! Hopefully to many more like theses and I hope to continue working with you guys.” Lou Touyarou, owner of Unexplained_Media
The Freedom Sessions Beirut Edition was made possible by:
Our Sponsor
Local Collaborators
Follow up Event
ART FOR CHANGE
July 14th, 2021 – Event Now Closed
In collaboration with the American art curator Sergio Gomez we have created an online exhibition where you can walk through the artwork of the participating artists of ‘The Hague X Beirut’. This follow-up event hopes to build on the connections made during the Feedom Sessions.
During this special event on July 14th, 2021, participants will receive a tour of the artworks by the artists and curators themselves. You will get to know the artists and activists in online breakout rooms, and have the chance to win a special raffle prize.
