2018

Seduction – Is Resistance Futile?

In its 10th year, the festival explored the theme of seduction in its historical dimension and probed: What does seduction actually mean? Is it confined to sensual and epicurean pleasures that can intoxicate us and break our good intentions or even our will? Historically and individually, we humans have constantly striven for something higher and are seldom satisfied with things as they are. And yet, to the extent that our needs remain unsatisfied, temptations grows. We then abruptly become sensitive to other viewpoints, (political) ideas, and approaches. Modern-day populists are still (or once again?) using simplistic, sometimes even ideological answers to our increasingly complex problems in a globally networked world. But, there’s an answer to seduction: refusal, and in many cases even resistance. Often the voice of conscience whispers to us not to give in to seduction. Resistance can be the mere rejection of an idea, disobedience, non-conformity, or even political resistance and (armed) struggle against injustice.
In order to understand our present time with its manifold temptations and the all-too-great need to resist, we ought to know our history.