Lea Ypi and Åsne Seierstad on Europe Today

08 Jul Lea Ypi and Åsne Seierstad on Europe Today

The conversation between Albanian writer Lea Ypi and Norwegian author Åsne Seierstad opened the second day of the XVIII KROKODIL Festival, bringing the audience discussions on diverse European experiences, migration, history, and political divisions.

Starting from the fact that they come from different parts of Europe, Ypi and Seierstad spoke about where Europe begins and ends, pointing out the different ways in which this concept is understood. Lea Ypi explained that she has often received such questions and tried to provide various definitions, but realized it is best not to give them because these questions come with the assumption that they will be dissected. The only definition she agrees to provide is that Europe is a place where things happen. She emphasized that this tells us nothing about borders or locations, nor whether those things are good or bad, but only that it depends on us what will happen and in which direction things will go. Seierstad reminded the audience that Norway is not a member of the European Union and noted how she has often noticed that people do not distinguish between Europe as a geographical concept and the European Union as a political community.

The speakers also touched upon the issue of migration, as well as the differing understandings of Marxism in the West versus countries with experience of socialist regimes. While in the West Marxism is often viewed as a philosophical tradition, for many people in Albania and other countries of Eastern and Southeastern Europe, it represents a part of lived history. Ypi said that she noticed, not only in Albania but also in other post-communist countries, that Marxism does not just represent philosophy, but the history and daily life of people who lived under that system. She considers it a challenge to think about socialism again in the 21st century because one must navigate both perspectives so that they do not exclude one another.

This was followed by a question about freedom, where Lea explained the core of the idea: that freedom exists as both an idea and an ideology. A transition occurs where the ideology surrounding freedom changes, but the commitment to the idea remains the same. For her, freedom makes sense philosophically only in relation to responsibility and morality—that is, by accepting responsibility for one’s actions. Åsne’s standpoint was also interesting; she pointed out that if she had to choose what the word freedom means, it would be Norway. For her, freedom means being able to camp wherever you want and to swim in any river you like. She emphasized that Norway is a free country because, in her view, it rests on nature, not on culture.

Ypi then took a strong stance on the issue of migration, something she stated she could talk about forever. For her, migration is the most important issue when discussing the failures of contemporary politics on both sides. The first element of her critique is the need to understand that migration is not a problem of culture, religion, or belonging. The problem lies in borders and their contribution to the disparity of wealth and power that actually drives migration. She reminded the audience of how the Nazis attempted in every possible way to ostracize Jews from society—how it didn’t matter who you were, because if your last name was Levi, you got that small star and went to a camp. She expressed concern that the process currently happening in Europe, which begins with the selective deportation of certain categories of people, will end with anyone named Muhammad or Abdallah being in a concentration camp. Åsne agreed, emphasizing the necessity of hearing the voices of migrants. She also mentioned attending a concert by the band “Krpa,” which includes two migrants who sing about the things currently happening in Norway.

The topic of conversation also included the student protests in Serbia. Seierstad noted that they are being talked about outside the country’s borders, but that Western states primarily perceive them as an internal political issue of Serbia, unlike protests in other European countries which are more often seen as issues of broader European significance. Ypi began on a pessimistic note, quoting from her new book The Unworthy: “Dear boy, there are nations that create history; that is not us. Our history has already been created.” However, she ended optimistically, speaking about the chain reaction effect perfectly seen in the example of protests that occurred in Serbia and subsequently in Albania. She believes that a civil society that opposes the system in coordination with multiple countries is the way to make hope less naive and the chances for change greater.

The conversation was highly inspiring for the audience, who joined in with questions, and Adriana Zaharijević concluded it with a quote from Hannah Arendt, rounding off the discussion on Europe, freedom, and political responsibility.

Kristina Vasić and Katarina Jurčević, KROKODIL’s journalists for a day

Photos: Marija Piroški and Jovana Pantelić