We are pleased to announce the launch of the British-German Democracy Forum, a partnership between Goethe-Institut London and Cumberland Lodge.
This three-day forum, held in the inspiring setting of Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park, will bring together visionary, engaged young people from across the United Kingdom and Germany, to discuss key aspects of our democratic life and shared past. Delegates will include students, social influencers, artists and cultural producers, politicians, representatives of civil society initiatives, community organisers, writers, intellectuals, and inspiring public figures.
Colonialism & Difficult Histories
The inaugural British-German Democracy Forum takes place on 25-27 October 2021 at Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park. Delegates will have the opportunity to examine and compare contemporary approaches to Colonialism & Difficult Histories, in the British and German contexts.
Curated by Lord Woolley CBE (former chair of the advisory group for the UK’s Race Disparity Unit) and Eric Otieno (social theorist and political economist from the University of Kassel, Germany), this forum provides a platform for open discussion and debate on how colonialism and coloniality have shaped modern national trajectories, and how democratic societies might constructively confront ‘difficult histories’.
Explorations of the rise of nationalism and uneven citizenship will intersect with conversations about the role of arts and the media in helping to re-balance power structures and interrogate narratives of our collective past. Artists, museum directors and post-colonial experts will reflect, alongside policymakers and academics, on opportunities to confront contentious issues from the past more constructively, with an eye towards a more peaceful, open and inclusive future.
Chatham House Rule
Discussions will be held under the Chatham House Rule, as is the custom at Cumberland Lodge, to encourage frank and open discussions. Guest speakers are asked to waive the rule for their presentations where possible, to allow us to share their contributions with a wider audience.
Participation
Attendance at this forum is by invitation only, to help ensure diverse participation due to the limited number of places available.
Participants are asked to arrive by 3.00pm on Monday 25 October 2021, and stay for the whole event, which ends with lunch at 12.30pm on Wednesday 27 October.
Please email Sarah Galvin (Programme Administrator) at programmeteam@cumberlandlodge.ac.uk with any enquiries, and let us know if you are interested in getting involved.
Accessibility
Cumberland Lodge is committed to being accessible and inclusive. We are pleased to offer en-suite bedrooms that are suitable for guests with physical impairments or special mobility requirements, and their carers. We have an access lift in the main Lodge, a hearing loop in our main conference room, and a published policy on accessibility, which can be found here.
If you have any questions about accessibility for this event, please contact our Programme team at programmeteam@cumberlandlodge.ac.uk and we will be happy to help.
