Am I the only one who remembers the man from San Sebastian?
– Not that few actually. The Basque country was a pilot, our first time to organize a Dome Talk from across Europe, far away from our offices in Cologne and Vienna. And so much had to be prepared in advance: topics, the location, interpretation, permits, flights, and rooms for the crew, where and when the Austrian and German co-builders should meet on the day of the event. And most importantly, how to actually build the dome? During the time of previous talks, its inventor had come up with a new and faster system. While the Austrian side had already practiced a few times, the construction was entirely new to the Democracy International staff. As we arrived one day early, we were still able to explore and get excited for the next day. Beautiful city, beautiful location on one of its main squares with a view of the sea and right at the entrance to the old city. And we managed to ‚recruit’ some activists campaigning for the Basque Republic in a demonstration throughout town for our upcoming talks.
„Ah, don’t look so nervous man
We’re just here to lend a hand“
The following day, the construction went surprisingly smooth in the enjoyable mild morning temperature of early summer San Sebastiàn. We were done at noon and had the time to cool down a little. Many people had already passed the Europe-Dome and admired the structure. Children wanted to play in and on it. Quite challenging to respond to all the inquiries, as the interpreter, Sonia from the initiative eCivis, was supposed to arrive only shortly before the first talk and as our Spanish was more than rusty. But we managed, also with hands, feet and some `Fr-anish’. While the dome itself attracted much positive attention, we could also get a grasp of people’s (dis)satisfaction with national and European politics. Some turned away as soon as they found out what our construction was aiming at. Phrases like „they are stealing our money“ or „they are all corrupted“ were not uncommon.
„I don’t want to spoil the fun
But am I the only one?“
Another cultural peculiarity that we had underestimated: siesta. Our first talk was scheduled for 2 PM. However, after 1 PM, the previously much-frequented square suddenly emptied out. Another thing we hadn’t experienced like this in foregoing talks: Despite the simultaneous interpretation English discouraged many people from joining in. A few people from Donostia to the US still made it under the dome, giving the talk a rather intimate character – so intimate that the right, supportive kind of hugs became an active part of the conversation. Other topics raised were the education in the EU, solidarity, the felt distance to European actions and institutions by everyday citizens and the state of democracy in Spain and abroad.
To co-conspire, commiserate
All it takes is a little bit of love
And an awful lot of hate“
And the challenges continued. During the first talk, a young, vivid Moroccan immigrant to the Basque country joined the discussion. Due to his interest in the topic, he came back for the second round. While he very much respected all rules of the dome – dialogue and respect for each other and each other’s positions – another participant seemed to have skipped reading – and used the conversation as a disrespectful outlet against immigrants. Unfortunately, due to our only basic knowledge of the Spanish language, it took us some time to realize what was going on. When the participant would not calm down and kept refusing to enter into a real dialogue, we eventually banished him from the Public Sphere. So far and hopefully also for the future the only encounter of this kind!
„Am I the only one
Who remembers the man from San Sebastian?
While we obviously regret what happened, the incident then became the starting point of a fruitful discussion about European cooperation at different levels and solidarity. Luckily, our Moroccan representative was happy to stay and tell us more about his life in the Basque country and about how Spanish citizens felt alienated and abandoned also by European politics. So, to answer DeVotchKa’s question – Definitely not the only ones to remember the man from San Sebastiàn. And certainly, we took a lot more with us back to Vienna and Cologne than this memory.
„All I want is one more time
Some of yours and some of mine.“
Sure, we all went back to where we came from, but we’re far from being done. That’s the principle of the European Public Sphere, we all devote our time and come together. One more time is not enough, though. That is why, while our Austrian Tour is still running, we’re full of ideas of where the next trips could take us: the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, 10 stops in Central and Eastern Europe or a Brexit Tour.
Some takeaways and food for thought for future talks:
- the local language is the language of the talk
- Timing is key
- What are our strategies to mobilize and engage with those who feel too disappointed by or suspicious of politics to participate or abide by the rules?
