The Dilemma of Return. Public Discussion

What does it mean to return — to a place, a community, a cultural tradition or a sense of belonging? How do experiences of displacement, historical rupture and political change shape our understanding of home and our relationship with the places we come from?

The Dilemma of Return brings together thinkers and cultural practitioners from Armenia, Poland, Georgia, Lithuania, and Ukraine to explore return as both a personal experience and a broader cultural, ethical and political question. Drawing on their work in intercultural dialogue, philosophy, literature, media and cultural institution-building, the participants will reflect on how societies rebuild relationships with their past, negotiate belonging and imagine a shared future.

Participants of the conversation

• Arsen Kharatyan, Armenia. Journalist and media entrepreneur specializing in independent media, democratic movements and political developments in the South Caucasus; founder of AliQ Media, an Armenian-Georgian media platform.
• Krzysztof Czyżewski, Poland. Writer, philosopher and cultural practitioner whose work focuses on intercultural dialogue, borderland communities, collective memory and the role of small cultural centers in building relationships across differences; co-founder of the Borderland Foundation.
• Zaal Andronikashvili, Georgia. Literary and cultural scholar specializing in Georgian, Soviet and post-Soviet literature and culture, with a particular interest in the relationship between cultural narratives and political change.
• Viktoras Bachmetjevas, Lithuania. Philosopher specializing in ethics, particularly the thought of Søren Kierkegaard and Emmanuel Levinas, and the questions of responsibility, identity and human relations.
• Sasha Dovzhyk, Ukraine. Writer, researcher and cultural organizer working at the intersection of literature, contemporary culture and the experience of war; founder of INDEX: Institute for Documentation and Exchange in Lviv.

Moderator

• Weronika Czyżewska-Poncyljusz, Poland. Educator and cultural practitioner specialising in intercultural dialogue, socially engaged art, memory studies and local community development; Director of International Programmes at the Borderland Foundation and Programme Director of the Dilemma Academy.

The public event will take place as part of "Dilemma Academy", which is being held in Ukraine from 6 to 11 November. "Dilemma" is an international intellectual and artistic initiative, initiated by the Borderland Foundation in Poland, bringing together writers, philosophers, scholars, artists and cultural practitioners from Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Caucasus.