A non-stop conveyor belt of invigorating initiatives, Eastern Europe continues to be a land of fascination for those of us stuck in the sterile West. However, while cities like Kiev, Belgrade and Tblisi are regularly touted as the ‘new Berlin’, negative stereotypes will persist for as long as this region’s countries continue to be seen as a breeding ground for dubious political orientations.

In both cases, these representations are fuelled by a Western media with a less than comprehensive understanding of these territories. Happily, there are new media platforms emerging in the East, which are not just contributing to the region’s cultural dynamism but are also spreading narratives that challenge our perceptions of Eastern Europe.

With Nadia Beard (The Calvert Journal), Lucia Udvardyová (Eastern Daze), Petrică Mogoş (KAJET Journal), Laura Naum (KAJET Journal) and Oscar Rickett (Journalist)