Confrontations
We live in a world that is increasingly divided by inequality and torn by latent conflict. Society is bereft of global unity and the great divides that have shaped our cultures for so long are blurred and shifting. Divides between ‘us’ and ‘them’ proliferate although their borders fluctuate, sometimes giving way to improbable alliances. These conflicts are blown out of proportion, while more fundamental oppositions are hushed.
The advent of the individual and the diversification of societies have generated the proliferation of demands and multiplying of rights. How can individuals be confronted with one another in a system that tends to neutralise conflicts to the benefit of dialogue and democratic debate? Democracy is no longer a forum for debate on the orientation of society and general interests. Generally, today's society tends to avoid confrontation. We often only have discussions with people who share our view of the world. Everyone walls themselves in to find reassurance in their beliefs. However, avoiding confrontation is on the opposite end of free choice, a path that leads to simplistic views, dogmatism and eventually dictatorship. Debates that take place are often limited to sterile arguments or fall on deaf ears. The 2015 edition of the Festival des Libertés will strive to enhance the practice of debate and will question various modes of confrontation. Maybe differences would not be as harrowing and relations would not be as tense if there was a true forum for constructive confrontation.