“Common Language for Common Sense: Search For Meaning in Polarized World” is the focus topic of the X LMF

On May 16-18, 2024, the LMF anniversary conference will be held in Lviv. Speakers and participants will seek common ground and define the roles that media, civil society, international organizations, national authorities, diplomats, and other process participants play in these endeavors.

“Common Language for Common Sense: Search For Meaning in Polarized World” is the focus topic of the LMF conference. The location is one of Lviv’s shelters. The civilized world is ominously polarizing and plunging into internal discord precisely at a time when solidarity and collective efforts are most needed. The balance of the post-war world order is disrupted: in regions where nations haven’t waged war against each other for half a century, precedents and threats of aggressive war are re-emerging. In 2024, elections will take place in over 80 countries, inevitably leading to increased conflict and division in society. Radically populist candidates are increasingly triumphant in elections in democratic countries, willing to reject the fruits of decades of integration.

“The time when the breaking news about Russian invasion ensured the world’s solidarity with Ukraine has passed. Now, in order to be heard and receive support, we must engage with the global community on equal footing, articulate ourselves, and understand others,” says the head of NGO Lviv Media Forum, Olga Myrovych.

The keynote speakers of the X LMF programme will be Oleksandra Matviichuk  — Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2022, head of the Center for Civil Liberties, and a human rights lawyer and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak – an American literary critic and philosopher, professor at Columbia University. She is a co-founder of the theory of postcolonialism, focusing in particular on the role of women in postcolonial discourse.

For some of the speakers and participants, this will be their first visit to Ukraine. They will be able to see with their own eyes what they have read and heard about in the media, including the consequences of a rocket attack on a residential building next to the shelter where we are holding the conference. They will also be able to talk directly to Ukrainian journalists and hear their stories about their work during the war.

“In times of war, when our country vitally needs the support of the world, everyone who can communicate with various foreign environments, convey the Ukrainian point of view to the indifferent and sceptical, establish contacts with the media and opinion leaders, should do so. The enemy is successfully using soft power tools, including participation in international conferences, to promote its agenda. We have to be more effective, more inventive and more persistent to prevent Russia from swaying part of the world to its side,” says Halyna Tanay, Lviv Media Forum’s Chief Operating Officer.

The X LMF program is formed by two threads: Common Language and Common Sense. Over three days, speakers and participants will work together to find common ground and define the role of media, civil society, international organisations, national authorities, diplomats and other stakeholders in this search. The participants will take part in workshops, discussions, public interviews, presentations and masterclasses.

Since 2013, LMF has been the largest media conference in Eastern and Central Europe. Last year, we revamped the format to concentrate on issues crucial for garnering international support for Ukraine during the all-out war.

The full program can be viewed at the link provided.

Video broadcasts of some panels will be available on the Facebook page of the Lviv Media Forum, and text broadcasts of all events will appear on X (Twitter) of Euromaidan Press, the conference’s information partner.

The digital portal of Ukrainian foreign broadcasting The Gaze is one of the information partners of X LMF.