Fourth Leonidas Donskis Memorial Conference and Concert
On September 21, 2021, the Fourth Leonidas Donskis Memorial Conference will be held at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas. The Donskis memorial Conferences are held in memory of Leonidas Donskis, the prominent Lithuanian scholar and opinion maker who unexpectedly passed away on that day five years ago. The conferences are meant to keep the memory of him alive, and discuss topics that were close to his heart.
The conference will be live-streamed on Vytautas Magnus university Youtube channel.
Lithuania is a country that in the twentieth century went through a very turbulent period. It was occupied three times and lost large parts of its population: during the Germany occupation virtually the whole Jewish community was exterminated, while during the Soviet occupation almost 10% of the population was exiled to Siberia, from which many did not return. How to remember these issues in museums and public space is a constant matter of debate, and also of conflict in society.
Lithuania is not the only country that has to deal with these issues, but could definitely learn from other countries how to remember the past in an honest and balanced manner. For that purpose we have decided to organize the Fourth Leonidas Donskis Conference with the theme: “Difficult Dilemmas – the Role of Museums and Public Space in Remembering the Past”.
During the conference a group of prominent museologists from The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Lithuania and experts in the use of public space from Ireland and South Africa will give their views on these matters and enter discussions with the audience.
The conference will be organized in a live mode in accordance to the COVID measures that will then be in force. After the conference a reception will be held at the Valdas Adamkus Library, during which the exhibition “Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov – Person of an Era” will be opened. After the reception a Leonidas Donskis Commemorative Concert will be held at the M.K.Ciurlionis Gallery on Putvinskio 55 in Kaunas.
Because of COVID-19 restrictions in Lithuania we urgently request all participants to register on-line and thus help speed up the registration process. Only those in the possession of a national or European QR code will be allowed to attend. For the concert registration and a QR code are obligatory.
More information about the conference program could be found here.
