Journalismusfest Friday Club
With DJ Zidi Chaos (Cairo) from Cairo, based in Vienna. DJ Zidi presents a Funky House set infused with disco/funk vibes, seamlessly transitioning into occasional Arabic, Kurdish, and Balkan dance tunes. A dynamic fusion that will have your restless leg syndrome kicking in for weeks. And Project Allstars: Music: House
Jamaram meets Jahcoustix
Jamaram, who have been considered as the unsinkable eight of reggae ever since their foundation at the turn of the millennium, is far from done! The band stands for peace, cosmopolitanism, and respect; but also against war, intolerance, and isolation. Join Jamaram and Jahcoustix in the fight against the decline of clubs and festivals, against courtship through the phone and couch potatoes with junk and schnaps and Netflix. It´s a massive workout for the legs and sweating is guaranteed!
Ö1 – In Conversation
The fact that he knew the Tyrolean State Anthem off by heart, a song that pays tribute to the heroic death of freedom fighter Andreas Hofer, could have been interpreted as outstanding ambition. And it goes without saying that he mastered the Tyrolean dialect too, he grew up in Tyrol after all. But Emran Feroz, born in Innsbruck, describes that all of this was not enough in order to be perceived as a Tyrolean. In the late 1970s, his father made his way from Kabul to Europe by bus, where he wanted to study. And since his home country was subsequently invaded by the Soviets, he did not want to go back there. Years later, Emran Feroz visited his father’s homeland as a journalist and human rights activist; because he wanted to better understand the situation in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban seized power in 2021, he has been a popular expert on an international level. After his book “Der längste Krieg. 20 Jahre War on Terror” (The Longest War. 20 Years of War on Terror) he has now published his autobiography: “Vom Westen nichts Neues. Ein muslimisches Leben zwischen Alpen und Hindukusch“ (All Quiet in the West. Muslim Lifestyle between Alps and Hindu Kush).
Reporter Slam
After its premiere at the 2023 edition of Journalismusfest, Germany’s most entertaining stage performance for journalists is back in Austria. The Reporter Slam entails five journalists reporting from their investigations in a varied manner. But there is only one who can become slampion of the night. Who? Our audience will decide. Our guests cover the entire German-speaking area – Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol and Luxembourg – ensuring an exhilarating but informative opportunity to round off the night. The winner of the night will be able to participate in the Berlin yearly finale.
In Jungles. In Deserts. In War Zones.
In Angola, Gabriele Riedle encounters two Queens, meets militia members (former criminals) in a slum that is closed down on a regular basis, and feels a well-known Angolan journalist’s frustration of rooted in the whiteworld’s lack of interest in Africa. Unlike most reporters today, Riedle does not write in the present tense, which conveys a sense of immediacy—but rather in the “literary” past tense. She composes her sentences just like music; because she is convinced that documenting “what is” is impossible, and that each report makes a conscious or unconscious allusion to narrative traditions such as adventure novels. To her current book, a poetic novel about the work of war reporters, she even adds the subtitle “Eine Art Abenteuerroman” (A Type of an Adventure Novel).
Russia’s War in Ukraine
Dealing with the enduring Russian aggression against Ukraine and the subsequent invasion poses a substantial challenge for media and culture professionals. Both document war events, want to incite reflection and inspire to take individual action.
Documentary films represent a potent genre in order to capture the complexity of the war in Ukraine and to convey the humanity of the people affected. It facilitates a record of the cruelty of war, whilst still pointing out the power of resilience and hope of people.
This panel will discuss the challenges of documentary films about Ukraine and the culture of remembrance of the Soviet occupation in the Baltics by referring to occupation museums as cultural institutions. With the visual input of photos and videos, this debate will also shed light on the post-colonial heritage in Eastern Europe and the ongoing ramifications of Russian imperialism and colonialism on politics in this region.
What Can we Learn from Pandemics?
Climate change and globalisation are driving the spread of new and known pathogens on a global scale. Diseases like malaria, dengue fever, leishmaniosis have become prevalent in Europe too. This keeps producing new challenges for infectiologists. From a healthcare policy perspective, there is an international question regarding the global distribution justice of vaccines and medications. Whether it is the plague, flu pandemics, or Covid-19, pandemics all share one common denominator: they change societies.
A Close Look at Karl Kraus – Guided Tour through the Brennero Archive
Karl Kraus (1874-1936), the great Austrian writer, satirist, language and media critic, published The Last Days of Mankind (1918), which is now considered world literature, and had a substantial influence on the public realm working as an editor of the newspaper Die Fackel (The Torch) (1898-1936) for decades: On the occasion of his 150th birthday, this guided tour pays tribute to him.
The Police, Serving and Protecting?
Time and again, headlines bring attention to violence committed by police officers. In 2022, only in Austria, over 300 suspected cases of excessive police violence were registered. They report of racist attacks, radical right-wing chat groups and violent actions against climate protesters. An esprit of corps within those groups often hinders mutual control. On the one hand, people affected therefore have hardly any chance to have their cases independently resolved; and on the other hand, colleagues slowly undermine the reputation of good police officers. What change do we need to see?
Lawsuits Jeopardising Democracy
SLAPPs – strategic and abusive lawsuits aiming at intimidating and halting critical coverage or activities by environmental or human rights NGOs. SLAPP stands for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation. Sometimes, their aim is not even to succeed in court. Rather, their purpose is to prohibit critical public participation, one of the building blocks of democracy. Behind the suing parties, we often see financially powerful companies, lobby groups or political parties and organisations who have more money on their side than the defendants—so much more that they can put up with losing the case. The lawsuit, or just threatening to file one, aims at intimidating the other party. After abundant political efforts at European level, in spring 2024, the EU adopted a directive to protect people affected. Its implementation requires action by the individual member states.
