Raatihuone, event for invited guests
What is the meaning of freedom of speech and free media in the story of independent Ukraine? What can we learn from the experience of Ukrainians? What is the meaning of free speech in the war and the coming massive rebuilding? To hear and discuss about this topic we invite Ukraine experts. The invited guests also have a chance to tour the historical City Hall and its art collection.
As the evening’s keynote, we hear the first ever Tampere Freedom of Speech Declaration.
Keynote Myroslava Gongadze, Head of Voice of America, Eastern Europe
To deliver the first Tampere Declaration and be our main speaker, we have invited the awarded American Ukrainian journalist and media leader Myroslava Gongadze who works as the Head of Eastern Europe Bureau of the global media network Voice of America (VOA).
Our guest of honor actively works for advancement of freedom of speech causes, also as a mentor for Ukrainian journalists and the driving force behind Ukraine´s best-known journalism prize, the Prize of Georgiy Gongadze. In September 2023 Ms. Gongadze herself receives the Inamori Ethics Prize, given to outstanding international leaders for their life-long work that has made humankind better. In her daily work Myroslava Gongadze reports on news events and interviews key people across the whole Eastern Europe.
Unfortunately, Myroslava Gongadze has also closely witnessed the most tragic moments of Ukraine’s freedom of speech history. Her husband Georgiy Gongadze was one of the early creators of independent Ukrainian news media, the Founder and first Editor-In-Chief of the Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda. His disappearance and violent murder shocked Ukraine and caused a huge international outrage in 2000, and the political and judicial scandal that followed almost took down then-president Leonid Kuchma. For more than 20 years, Myroslava Gongadze has continued to search for justice in the murder case of her husband and the critical young journalist Georgiy Gongadze (1969-2000), as well as rule of law.
Myroslava Gongadze’s freedom of speech keynote is followed by an expert discussion, in which comments are expected from news journalists Antti Kuronen (YLE) and/or Jussi Konttinen (Helsingin Sanomat), the international affairs expert of Finnish Journalist Association Salla Nazarenko, the chairperson of Reporters Without Borders Finland Yrsa Grüne-Luoma, the researcher of public service and sustainable journalism Anna Maris (SWE), and the professor of Turku University School of Economics and chairperson of the Pan-European Institute Kari Liuhto.
The evening is hosted and opened by Tampere Mayor Kalervo Kummola. On behalf of the Finnish Cultural Foundation guests are greeted by the chairperson of Pirkanmaa Fund’s Board of Trustees, Helena Hiilivirta. We hear Ukrainian and Finnish music by Lukas Stasevskij (cello) and Justas Stasevskij (piano).
The discussion will be moderated by Editor-In-Chief Matti Posio and journalist Yuliia Shchetyna.
