In this edition of Basta! we will screen a documentary about 2009 occupation of Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb, Croatia. After the movie we will have a short discussion with some of the students that were involved in movement back then. At the end we will try to connect the student struggle in Croatia with one in the Netherlands – in the light of recent report about the effects of the recently implanted student loan system. This report stated that first generation students (students from whom both parents did not study) dropped significantly after implementation of the student loan system.
What can we learn from Croatia?
Are the student struggles of Croatia and the Netherlands comparable?
Can we revive the student struggle in the Netherlands ?
Speakers to be announced!
https://www.facebook.com/events/118976241843736/
About movie: “The Blockade is an insight to 35 days of occupation, that was just one of 20 occupied educational institutions in Croatia in 2009. It was grassroots organized blockade of all lectures organised by its students, requiring free education for everyone and fighting against obvious commercialisation of education, in the country that, as an ex socialist country, offered free and open education for everyone, no matter of their material status. Curiosity was this blockade had no leaders, everything was based on principles of direct democracy, long and sometimes tireful discussions on daily plenums, but with a clear opportunity for everyone to take part, suggest, fight and disagree … For some students it was the first encounter with such principles and it definitely shaped them a lot. Today, when higher education is more commodity than basic human rights, and the level of knowledge depend on money you can pay, this film still attract an interest worldwide because of its universal language and the energy that established united power ready to fight the system from below. So far, film was screened in more than 20 European countries + Canada and USA.”
Year: 2012
Length: 93 min. Director: Igor Bezinović
Webpage: http://www.blockadedocumentary.net/english/english.html
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/32787273