Radio Lab

Voices in Exile: Stories from Afar

Let’s turn the microphone around, giving journalists in exile the chance to share their stories. For once, they step out of their usual roles as interviewers to become the ones being interviewed. Through dynamic conversations, this radio set delves into their personal journeys of resistance and adaptation, uncovering the human side of exile. Beyond their individual experiences, the light is shed on the independent media landscapes they left behind—exploring the challenges, successes, and various perspectives of their work under pressure.

In partnership with Voix en Exil, Les Contistadors & Hôtel71

Voices in Exile: Stories from Afar

Let’s turn the microphone around, giving journalists in exile the chance to share their stories. For once, they step out of their usual roles as interviewers to become the ones being interviewed. Through dynamic conversations, this radio set delves into their personal journeys of resistance and adaptation, uncovering the human side of exile. Beyond their individual experiences, the light is shed on the independent media landscapes they left behind—exploring the challenges, successes, and various perspectives of their work under pressure.

In partnership with Voix en Exil, Les Contistadors & Hôtel71

Ecocide: How to Mitigate the Ecological Consequences of War

With:

Vira I dd/mm/yy (UA)

Moderation: Olha Udovenko (Gasoline Radio, UA)

We may rebuild cities, but we may never fully mitigate the ecological consequences of war. We often consider the harm caused by war in terms of lost lives and destroyed cities, and neglect the immense damages that warfare also inflicts on our environment. The Ukrainian origin, and now Lisbon based collective Vira I dd/mm/yy that works to minimize and pursue the damages that the Russian warfare has on the Ukrainian environment, will intervene for this discussion.

Ecological Intervention through Multidisciplinary Art and Media tools: The Role of Sound in Ecosystem Preservation

With:

Yuliia Shumishyna (Biorhythm, UA)

Vlady Che (ϙue I UA)

Moderation: Olha Udovenko (Gasoline Radio, UA)

How can culture represent a new entry to questions of ecology? This panel will illuminate how multidisciplinary arts and media tools can play a role in the mediation around the preservation of our ecosystem.

No Festivals on a Dead Planet: Strategies for Sustainable Events

With:

Andrii Yankovskiy (Cultural player I UA)

Moderation: Olha Udovenko (Gasoline Radio, UA)

Through a focus on the impact that festivals can have on their environment, we will aim for new strategies to design less impactful events. Might the trend toward daytime outdoor events overtaking nighttime clubbing be one element of our solution ? How can we be more considerate “guests” of nature while organizing events outside ?

Listening Session—Field Recordings as a Means of Archiving and Understanding our Environment

Moderation: Olha Udovenko (Gasoline Radio, UA)

Gasoline Radio’s exploratory project about the Folklore of the Hutsul region, resulted in a documentary as well as an album and ambient sound recordings. Moderated by the Gasoline member Olha Udovenko, the Listening Session highlights Gasoline’s project “Heritage” and investigates how sound, and especially field recordings can be a strategy to preserve heritage.

Frontlines of Truth: Disinformation in Reporting on Aggressive Power Structure and the Role of Independent Media

In times of information warfare, reporting in contexts of adversity—whether in Hungary, Palestine, or Ukraine—demands more than journalistic rigour; it requires resilience against a tide of disinformation designed to cover up the truth and manipulate public opinion. This panel will delve into the challenges journalists face when exposing abuses of power, the tactics used by aggressive regimes to distort narratives, and the vital role of independent media in defending democracy and human rights. Journalists and researchers will share firsthand experiences from conflict zones and contested spaces. As independent players, they navigate censorship, propaganda, and threats to uphold their commitment to truth—while resisting the erosion of facts in the face of authoritarianism.

Powered by 444

With:

Szilvi Német (Lakmusz.hu, | HU)

Meera Selva (Internews Europe | UK)

Terrell Jermaine Starr (Black Diplomats | US)

Moderation: Yago Álvarez (El Salto | ES)

Democratising the Internet with Independent Media: The Need to Build New Spaces from Scratch

Today’s digital landscape often feels dominated by gatekeepers—tech giants, algorithms, and monetised platforms that prioritise profits over people and verified information. This panel explores how these challenges are reshaping the way we consume and create information online. The need to understand the tech issues confronting media organisations—censorship, data centralisation, diminishing reach, and algorithmic bias—and ask how independent media can pioneer alternative spaces is pressing. What does it take to build a truly open and equitable digital ecosystem from scratch? How can technology, collaboration, and creativity empower media to thrive outside traditional platforms? It is about reclaiming the internet’s potential and charting a path forward for independent voices to work towards democratising the informative digital space.

Powered by Krytyka Polyticzna and VD News

With:

Agustin Ferrari Braun (University of Amsterdam | NL)

Paulina Januszewska (Krytyka Polyticzna | PL)

Samuele Maccolini (VD News | IT)

Moderation: Heritiana Ranaivoson (Vrije Universiteit Brussel | BE)

Each day, a journalist welcomed music personalities and artists from the lineup to discuss their artistic practices and future of music.

Independent Media: A Continent at the Crossroads by European Lab