Albert Einstein once said: “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” But how to create understanding in times of (violent) conflict and growing polarization? During this special edition of HagueTalks, the opening event of the Just Peace festival, we will explore this with each other.

The invited speakers have all, in their own way, contributed to creating understanding in times of conflict. Learn the do’s and don’ts of conducting proper dialogues with inspiring meetings, design and music. Hear, for example, from conflict negotiator Fleur Ravensbergen how to really listen to people with conflicting or completely different views.

You can also learn from young designers how to think in new ways about peace, and how to enlarge your emphatic skills. Cognitive psychologist Mariska Kret will teach you everything about non-verbal communication and what we can learn from apes in that. Next to that you can dance with an unknown person during the ‘blind dance’ on the music of The Hague Peace Orchestra and experience the border crossing language of music.

Prior to HagueTalks is the ‘Market of Ideas’. Here you will find innovative ideas and creative ideas from the city on setting peace & justice in motion.

About the speakers

• Fleur Ravensbergen is the deputy manager and cofounder of the Dialogue Advisory Group, a Dutch organization that negotiates during conflict situations. In her work, she talks about peace with members of armed groups to stop their violence. She negotiates with groups from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Iraq amongst others.
• Cognitive psychologist Mariska Kret is a researcher at the Cognitive Psychology department of the Leiden University. She explores how we express our emotions through non-verbal “channels”, how they are picked up and what impact they have on the development of trust, cooperation and competition. She looks for changes in the body and the brain during different emotions. She does not only do that with people. Chimpanzees and bonobos are also included.
• Documentary maker Chaim Litewski worked as a media producer for the United Nations from 1991 to 2016. In this role he has exposed hundreds of conflicts, humanitarian disasters and human rights around the world, including the war in Yugoslavia and the genocide in Rwanda. What has he learned about during that time about how you relate to the grief of others?
• Designer Dorota Gazy presents her graduation project ‘Court Dance’ in which dancers represent the role of law, victim and offender to generate insight into the dynamics which occur in court. This dance will be performed live.
• Designer Daan Wubben created a new language. A language with which we can make the abstract numbers about victims of violence in the media tangible again. The work of this and other students can also be seen in the Museon on the 23^rd and 24^th of September in the exhibition ‘Visualising Peace’.
• This programme also marks the beginning of the new initiative ‘The Hague Orchestra for Peace’, under the guidance of Amer Shanati. Musicians from diverse countries come together and play new compositions in which connectivity is key. They see music as the perfect language for peace because it communicates across borders, both collectively and individually.
• The Syrian-Palestinian cartoonist Hani Abbas is present during the whole program. He translates everything that happens on stage into cartoons. During the war, Abbas has fled from Syria to Geneva. In 2014, he received the Editorial Cartoon International Prize from Kofi Annan.

Moderator is Georgina Kwakye.

Location + Tickets

This edition of HagueTalks will take place in the Peace Palace. The event is fully booked and registration is closed. You can watch the live stream though. See the HagueTalks or Just Peace Facebook page.

About this programme

This edition of HagueTalks is the opening event of the annual Just Peace festival which this year takes place from the 21^st to the 24^th of September. The Hague celebrates the international UN Day of Peace with this festival. This programme is formed by the collaboration between all partners of the Just Peace festival and by financial contributions of the Municipality of The Hague and the Vfonds.

About HagueTalks

HagueTalks is an interactive series of debates which revolves around thinking about peace and justice. Read more about HagueTalks.