For many Europeans, Central Asia still remains a blank spot on the map. The only exceptions are travelers who, upon returning to Europe, share stories of breathtaking landscapes, delicious cuisine, and the hospitality of local people.
The SEnECA project – Strengthening and Energizing EU–Central Asia Relations – aims to raise awareness about this region. The goal of the project is to bring Central Asia closer to Europe and its citizens, who previously had little contact with the region.
For this reason, the Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA), a member of the SEnECA consortium, is organizing a two-day photo exhibition at the Centre for Fine Arts “BOZAR” in Brussels from April 4 to 5, 2019. The exhibition will showcase the beauty, culture, and traditions of the Central Asian countries, the daily lives of their people, and will encourage reflection on the similarities and differences between Europe and Central Asia.
The photographs for the exhibition were selected through an international photo competition that received over 300 submissions from professional and amateur photographers around the world. Six winners from Germany, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan were invited to Brussels to take part in the exhibition’s opening ceremony.
The opening will take place on April 4 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and will include two panel discussions. The first panel will discuss what the planned EU strategy “Connecting Europe and Asia” means for Central Asia, while the second panel will explore the role that education and culture can play in bringing together citizens of Europe and Central Asia. The discussions will feature EU policymakers such as Philippe van Amersfoort, Deputy Head of the Central Asia Division of the European External Action Service, as well as representatives of civil society, researchers, and other stakeholders from the EU and Central Asia.
Following the panel discussions, participants will be able to view the photo exhibition and engage in a debate with the winners of the photo competition.
More details are available on the official project website: https://www.seneca-eu.net.
This project is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 770256.
