How to divide humanity into two unequal parts in four days (photos)

photo by Natalya Agarelyshava

A traditional summer camp of the Flying University took place near Lepel. This year it was dedicated to games and game practice of university building.

Summer School 2016 was held in picturesque places on "Liukzhyna" manor at the bank of Liukzhyna lake. The participants were able to reflect on the thesis of a Game as the world where we live. The EuroBelarus Information Service joined the university's intensions.

The games thinkers are playing

The first day of the camp opened with a plenary session, during which the philosopher and methodologist Uladzimir Matskevich has launched a theme that intentionally or not, has become a leitmotif of the entire camp, namely, Bromberg memorandum after Strugatsky brothers. The report was based on the thesis of the memorandum that says that the humanity will be divided into two unequal parts in accordance with the parameter that is unknown to us, and a smaller part will get ahead of the bigger part forever, which will happen of the will of some super-civilization that will be absolutely alien to humanity. The speaker encouraged the participants to think of who and where we are in this changing world, and to which part of the humanity we can ascribe ourselves. According to Matskevich, the Flying University is thus "the border crossing point" that divides humanity and makes the civilization selection.

Day continued with an open program. During the program, the philosopher Ihar Padporyn has reflected on non-authoritarian thinking, designer and poet Mihal Anempadystau spoke about the history of revolt and actualization of the concept "Intermarium”, philosopher Mikhail Bajaryn tried to imagine a situation, where the philosophy would be born in us by itself and bring national truth. A heated debate occurred during the presentation given by the publisher Edward Kuftseryn on the possibility of forming national elite in an authoritarian society in the situation of today’s global challenges. According to the presenter, the definition of the elite in Belarus is now devalued, commercialized and, actually, opposite to its original sense: we all are aiming at the best and elite. But is formation and development of a true elite actually possible in a society of pseudo-elitism?

The first day of the educational camp ended with a larp (live action role-playing game) run by a cultural studies expert, project manager, and producer Margarita Korzun. During the larp three young producers were presenting their projects to the six jury members from different areas in order to get the main prize – money for the realization of their ideas. After the larp, the participants talked about their own feelings, how they managed to represent their characters, how much they coincided with them, what was hard and what was easy for them, what made them happy, scared, surprised, and what made them think...

New Homo Ludens

The plenary session on the second day started with a presentation on University and Games by the coordinator of the Flying University Tatsiana Vadalazhskaja. How do we compare these categories and how do they affect the understanding of the meaning and prospects of Schools of Masters of Games and the entire Flying University?

On that day the creative director of Talaka.by Ivan Vedenin shared his thoughts about the "Community of Flying Students" and gave a master class in visual thinking. Poet, translator Igor Kulikov presented a new model of the Belarusian language, which allows to form words in Belarusian with a more adequate meaning and etymology without using foreign borrowing. The speech of the linguist has developed into an unscheduled philological discussion with the doctor of philosophy, doctor of sacred theology, Iryna Dubianetskaja.

The highlight of the second day of the camp was the solemn admission of new members to the university corporation of the Flying University "Convent Ludenia". The corporation was established on May 14 and until the camp Uladzimir Matskevich used to be its only full member. Members of the corporation are protecting and defending its values ​​and honor, as well as each other’s honor. The motto of the corporation is "To Think Belarus".

Non-formal education, "Russian World" and claims to Skaryna

On the third day of the camp PhD, Associate Professor Paval Barkouski invited participants to reflect on how it is possible to build the learning process for the Masters of Game so that the game form was present in the daily practice of all schools. PhD Volha Oryshava drew attention to the self-government in studying on the example of the USA.

The historical component of the camp had a medical trace: historian Aleh Dziarnovich went that far as to say that he had claims to the doctor of medicine Francysk Skaryna.

The talk about how the present ruins history, namely how the Russian Orthodoxy kills the Belarusian church traditions (especially in architecture, as well as in identity) continued the Academic Director of the Belarusian Collegium Iryna Dubianetskaja.

The camp has become not only an excellent place for discussions, reflections, and mere relaxation, but also the place to develop new ideas and concepts of the Week of Belarusian Thinking, which will take place on September 19-25, as well a place to further develop the Flying University.

The camp of the Flying University ended with a hot debate that has opened a number of questions that the university community will continue to address next year. What is Game, Activity, and Life? How do we know in which category we are here and now, and how can we consciously move from one category to the other? It is noteworthy that the attempt to answer the questions has led to the rewording of the existing and emerging questions, which indicates that the Belarusian thinking in the Flying University is living as it can transform in accordance with the circumstances. The game continues.

photos by the EuroBelarus Information Service