Reset! Live Podcast #5 at Abrupt Lab (Brussels)

Reset! is joined forces with the Brussels-based festival Abrupt to power the talk Club culture and the Independent Cultural Sector: ‘Foreign Agents’?

Since the adoption of a law last May, Georgian NGOs receiving at least 20% of their funding from foreign sources are required to register under the label of “foreign agent.” This decision, inspired by Russia—where a similar law has been in effect since 2012—threatens the survival of many independent media, cultural associations, and civil society organisations. In such a context, how can these structures continue to operate and carry out their activities? During the protests against this law, clubs, festivals, and collectives from Tbilisi’s electronic music scene mobilised and took a stand against this legislation. In response to this law, which “alters the European trajectory of (their) country and (brings them) back into the Russian sphere of influence,” this independent cultural sector advocates for unity and solidarity among these organisations. This solidarity has also been expressed for over two years with their peers in Ukraine, where the electronic scene and independent cultural ecosystems play a crucial role in the current struggle against Russian imperialism.

With:
Mariana Berezovska (Standard Deviation | Ukraine / Germany),  Liza Bezvershenko (Promote Ukraine | Ukraine), Mariam Morchadze (Independent Culture Researcher, Georgia)
Moderation : Nino Davadze (Mutant Radio / Reset! network | Georgia)