In less than few days, the fifth editon of Biennale Democrazia will start. This edition, that begins on March 29, is particularly rich with 240 panelists, 106 events and 15 different venues, included new places that will host Biennale Democrazia panels also outside the city centre.

The theme this year is Emergency Exits and we have a high number of international guests among our speakers. For instance, Gabriella Coleman, professor at the McGill University of Montreal and expert of Anonymous and Wikileaks and the journalist and blogger Evgeny Morozov, known for his analysis about the social and political effects of new technolgies will be there to discuss about technological issues.

Looking at the political area, we will have Christiane Taubira, former French secretary of Justice: she is a prominent figure of the left wing party and she promoted the national law who allowed gay marriage. At Biennale Democrazia, on March 31 she also talk about her own view on terrorism and the way we can protect our freedom while facing the terroristic threat. In the same field we are pleased to host Josep Borrell, former European Parliament president, who will talk about the future of Europe on March 31.

Emergency sometimes means talking about natural calamities, their prevention and the post-disaster reconstruction: Edward Blakely, who has been responsible of the rebuilding of New Orleans after Katrina hurricane, will talk on March 31 about the citizen’s role on preventing a natural catastrophe and managing the “day after”.

Elisabeth Kolbert, staff writer at The New Yorker and Pulitzer Prize for her book The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History will talk about the relation between humans and nature on March 30.

The following day, March 31, the Turkish novelist Hakan Gunday talk about migration, focusing on the aspect that the travel that thousands of people are facing looks like a gamble with their own life.

Escaping poverty and starvation is one of the reasons that pushes people to leave their own countries taking so great risks: on April 2, this topic will be the core of the speech of Martín Caparrós, Argetinian writer and novelist.

The relationship with Western culture and Islam is often considered as an emergency. On this topic we will have different views: from Olivier Roy, the French political scientist, who will deepen the issue of secularization and democracy on saturday April1 to Tariq Ramadan, academic, philosopher and expert on Islamic studies who will propose his view on religion and democracy.

Finally, another interesting moment, scheduled on April 2, is a dialogue between the Danish female imam Sherin Kankhan and Mariachiara Giorda about the relationship between women and religion, emancipation and oppression.

If you would like to have a look on our programme, here you find the entire scheduling.