At the end of summer, on August 20 and 21, the seventh LAMPA Conversation Festival will take place in Cēsis. If the epidemiological conditions allow for meeting and having conversations in person, the festival will move from its traditional location in Cēsis Castle Park to new places of conversation around the town, and will also be available for viewing on the festival website and other platforms. As usual, anyone can organize their event at LAMPA – ideas can be submitted from March 1 to April 15.
“The program of LAMPA Conversation Festival is as unpredictable and full of unexpected surprises as any compelling conversation. Each year, we create it alongside many organizations and activists, therefore, we invite each private, state, and non-governmental organization and each creative mind to submit their event to the seventh LAMPA. We have chosen RESPECT as the head theme this year since we believe that a conversation without respect becomes a fight. There are, however, no topic limitations to event applications, and they do not necessarily have to match the head theme of the festival,” encourages Egita Prāma, program curator of LAMPA Conversation Festival.
Like previous years, anyone may submit an unlimited number of events (1 hour or 1 hour 30 minutes long) and, after successfully passing the competition, each of them can be organized on the stages offered by the festival. The topic, contents, scenario, and participants of the event are freely selected by the event organizer, and the format is restricted only by imagination – from earnest conversations and vigorous discussions to theater games and educational workshops. The common languages of the festival are Latvian, Russian, and English. However, if an event is planned in English, the organizer will have to ensure simultaneous interpretation into Latvian to provide everyone with an opportunity to take part in the conversation. Meanwhile, the team of LAMPA will take care of technical provisions, the general mood of the festival, and live-streaming of events. If the epidemiological situation prevents us from experiencing conversations in person, the festival will take place online.
The festival is free for attendees, so festival expenses are covered by donations, grants, and co-payments from event organizers, the amounts of which depend on the selected place and time. However, as each year, the team of the festival offers support. Swedbank Latvija offers free participation on the Sustainability Stage to organizations and individuals whose events are related to environmental sustainability, social sustainability, and good management practices. DOTS Foundation for an Open Society offers a limited number of free-of-charge positions to individuals for events covering any topics, and to associations and foundations organizing events related to the topic of civil society.
The number of festival events is limited, so all applicants, both organizations and individuals, are entering a competition. All applications will be reviewed by festival organizers and partners: DOTS Foundation for an Open Society, Swedbank Latvija, ad agency Armadillo, communication management agency Deep White, Cēsis District Municipality, German Federal Foreign Office, and British Council in Latvia. Applicants will be informed of competition results by May 10, 2021.
If you wish to submit your event in English, please contact LAMPA program curator Egita Prāma at [email protected]