CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — An annual campus event focused on the European Union, delivered online this year, will include a Swedish ambassador speaking on gender equality, a Swedish hip-hop artist on racial concerns and a U.K.-based theater performance of an ancient Greek play focused on refugees.
Each event in this year’s European Union Day at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign – actually occurring on three different days – is free and open to the public, but registration is required. EU Day is sponsored by the European Union Center.
Karin Olofsdotter, Sweden’s ambassador to the U.S.
Karin Olofsdotter, Sweden’s ambassador to the United States, will deliver the keynote address, “Rights, Representation, and Resources: Gender Equality in Sweden and the EU,” Feb. 26 at 12 p.m.
Olofsdotter will discuss her country’s approach to gender equality; how generous child care and gender-neutral parental leave have economically benefitted the Nordic countries; and why women’s equal access to rights, resources and representation should be important foreign policy concerns.
Swedish hip-hop artist Jason “Timbuktu” Diakité
Swedish hip-hop artist Jason “Timbuktu” Diakité will participate in a moderated discussion Feb. 25 at 3 p.m. about his music, his memoir “A Drop of Midnight” and his podcast “This Moment,” which he produces with celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson. Diakité was born in Sweden to interracial American parents. His podcast with Samuelsson deals with trans-Atlantic perceptions of the Black Lives Matter movement, racism, the effects of COVID-19 on their respective industries and other issues.
“The Suppliants” will be performed by the Out of Chaos Theatre.
The theater performance takes place March 5 at 2 p.m. with an Out of Chaos Theatre interactive production of “The Suppliants,” by the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus. The tragedy tells the story of the Danaids, who fled Egypt to escape forced marriage, seeking refuge and a new home in Greece.
Following the performance will be a panel discussion on current-day refugees in Greece and the Mediterranean, federal approaches to U.S. immigration and the work of local immigration activists.
Links to register for each event are available on the EU Day webpage.
EU Day is an annual event held to provide an opportunity for participants to learn about the EU, its relationship with the U.S. and its role in promoting international relations.
Editor’s notes: For additional information, contact Sydney Lazarus, outreach coordinator for the European Union Center, at 217-244-5648; email lazarus5@illinois.edu.
