Lampa Festival 2024

FES supported the organization of Belarusian panel discussions during one of the leading regional festivals of ideas, the Lampa Festival, which took place on July 6-7, 2024, in Cēsis, Latvia. The Belarusian discussion tent at the festival attracted many important Latvian and regional experts and decision-makers.

The festival highlighted several significant discussions on various topics, with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's visit as the standout event. Tsikhanouskaya attended panels focused on Belarus’s future, its possible integration with Baltic states, and its journey towards the European Union.

A special session of the event, conducted under the patronage of FES, titled “Welcome! Prison.BY," featured Leila Rasima, a Member of the Latvian SAEIMAS and head of the Human Rights and Public Affairs Commission, as well as the head of the group of deputies in support of a democratic Belarus. The panel concentrated on the issues surrounding the regular flow of Latvian citizens to Belarus for shopping, relaxation in sanatoriums, and admiring the clean streets and efficient governance under the regime. It also addressed how Belarusian propaganda operates and what truly happens inside the country.

## Short Information About the Event
Lampa is a two-day festival that takes place in Cēsis at the end of June or the beginning of July — a picturesque town located 90 km north of Riga. The purpose of the festival is to strengthen democratic conversation culture in the region, foster civic engagement and active involvement in social and political processes, and encourage lifelong learning in an ever-changing world. It usually attracts over 20,000 attendees from Latvia and abroad.