Until February 28, 2019, all are invited to apply to organise an event at the fifth Conversation Festival LAMPA, which will take place on June 28 and 29 in Cēsis, where it will light up Cēsis Castle Park with compelling conversations and exciting ideas. The theme of this year’s festival is ‘daring’ – daring as a precondition that helps not only the individual but also society as a whole to develop, set lofty common goals, begin something new and accept the challenge of the unknown.
In order for a conversation to be genuine and deep, a person needs the courage to say what he or she thinks, to listen to opinions that may differ, to say “I don’t know” or to admit a mistake. One must be open, honest and take responsibility for one’s own ideas. As Latvia begins its 101st year as a state, the Conversation Festival LAMPA is based on the conviction that we need a courageous conversation about the future of our country, where each of us individually – and all of us together – play a role.
“LAMPA advocates important conversations that reach deeper, beyond popular knowledge. Therefore, having chosen ‘daring’ as the theme of the festival, we say no to shallow chatter and dim visions that lull our attention to sleep and deepen apathy. For festival participants, this means choosing courageous themes, becoming open conversation partners and offering a variety of opinions for people to listen to. In order for this diversity of opinions to continue to prosper, and for the LAMPA to shine ever brighter, we invite everyone to take part in the organisation of the festival. All who hold LAMPA’s values dear and wish to expand their own horizons as well as those of society are invited to propose events for the festival programme,” says Ieva Morica, the director of the Conversation Festival LAMPA.
Anyone who has something to say – individuals as well as organisations from the private, state and non-governmental sectors – can apply to organise an event at the festival. There is no limit to the theme or format of an event, so organisers can let their imaginations fly: from serious conversations, informative workshops and exciting discussions to theatre performances and thoughtful installations. However, because the number of events at the festival is limited, all applications will be evaluated in a tender process according to their concordance with the festival manifesto and the criteria for event submissions.
The Conversation Festival LAMPA is a non-commercial event, and entry for festival-goers is free of charge. All festival costs are covered by donations, grants and co-payments from event organisers. However, this year the festival organisers and supporters are again offering grants to cover co-payments, which allows event organisers participate in the festival free of charge. Swedbank Latvia, the festival’s patron of educational content, offers co-payment grants for education-related festival events and invites event organisers to create content about and related to contemporary issues in education. Associations and foundations organising event dedicated to civil society topics are encouraged to apply for co-payment grants from the Federal Foreign Office of Germany. Foundation for an Open Society DOTS co-payment grants are available only to individuals hosting events related to themes other than the ones listed above.
For more information and the event application form, visit : https://festivalslampa.lv/en/pieteikumi
About the Conversation Festival LAMPA:
LAMPA is a place for valuable conversations and offers more than 200 events for the exchange of ideas, the sharpening of minds and the expanding of horizons in an ever-changing world. The main goal of the festival is to strengthen the culture of democracy, discussion and respectful conversation in Latvia.
The Conversation Festival LAMPA is organised by the Foundation for an Open Society DOTS, Swedbank Latvia, the Deep White communication management agency, the Armadillo advertising agency, Cēsis Municipality and the British Council in Latvia. The festival receives financial support from the Foundation for an Open Society DOTS, the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, State Cultural Capital Foundation, Swedbank Latvia, the British Council, Open Society Foundations and the businesses Latvijas Finieris, EkoRija and Enefit.