One Thousand and One Nights starts with 100 talks about cities and culinary culture

Torun, Poland

Europe is multicultural and multilinguistic. At all countries there are some nationalistic and conservative trends, and some animosities between the nations who don’t understand each other in spite of open borders within the European Union. The more common meetings and events presenting culture the less misunderstanding between people coming from different countries. As it was very well observed in the film “Babette’s Feast” common meal brings people closer to each other. Also as we all know a single relationship makes a base for improved relationship between nations and supports intercultural understanding. The main action is planned for one year for the reasonable number of participants, but the result of this project will be available also online, and can be replicated by many others.

Our aim is twofolded: we want to sustain contact with our foreign members by giving a new impulse through their real presence, and we wish to invite new people interested in culture. Our ultimate aim is to organize 6 exciting events with presence of 50 guests from European countries giving 100 short presentations: 50 dedicated to European cities, and 50 to traditional cuisines. As speakers will be invited to illustrate their presentations with 20 pictures, we expect to get 2000 images which will be made available on virtual platform to anybody interested in learning more about Europe. Meetings will take place in an attractive social ambience like illustrated by “Babette’s Feast” film. which is not so common in present time, when we all run to reach our goals within imposed dead-lines.

6 European Evenings, followed by the Pecha-Kucha nights for the first time organized in our city will take place on a basis of competition. We plan to send invitations to universities from all European countries and advertise the project on a number of portals. To get the best presentations 50 scholarships will be offered, each 500 € worth covering travel, and basic living costs in Torun. In addition 3 prizes (1000 €, 750 €, and 500 € worth) will be established for the best Pecha Kucha presentation awarded on a basis of Internauts votes. This should make the events attractive especially for the young European citizens as apart the small fee they can also learn about such a new way of concise presentation as Pecha Kucha is, and use this idea to organize something similar at their sites.

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If the project is chosen we are looking for participation in our European Evenings followed by the Pecha Kucha nights with presentations about cities and national cuisines. We would also need help in evaluation of the delivered presentations when selecting the winners