Global Reporting’s very first Global Bar outside of Sweden will be held in Belgrade, Serbia, with the title “Identity crisis? Re-thinking nations & “isms” in Sweden and Serbia”. The bar will take place on September 17th in KC GRAD (European Center for Culture and Debate), currently the most vibrant cultural spot in the capital of Serbia. It is situated in an old 1884 warehouse located in an old, neglected and rundown industrial neighbourhood in the very heart of the city, next to the river Sava.

The panellists will be Christina Wassholm, a Swedish writer and journalist based in Belgrade, Ljudmila Stratimirovic, artist and co-director of KC GRAD, and Predrag Dragosavac, a Serbian journalist based in Stockholm working for Global Reporting. The discussion will be moderated by David Isaksson, Global Reporting’s founder and CEO.

”The concept of Global Bar fits perfectly not only into our program, but also into our striving. We want to have an ongoing dialogue and debate about all current issues, but in a much wider framework than our local and national debate. In that sense, we see Global Bar as an opportunity to have a European contextualisation of the Serbian public discussion, since that is often a missing element, says Dejan Ubovic, co-director of KC GRAD.

Global Reporting’s founder and CEO David Isaksson states that the general concept of Global Bar during its many years in Stockholm is rather simple – discussing important current topics in a relaxed way in an unconventional ambience. But it is not always easy to reach that “simplicity”.

“Our concept of Global Bar has been recognized in Stockholm and Sweden, but with “Global Bar – Belgrade” we would have to apply that format into a very different environment. We see that as a great challenge, but also as a great opportunity – to encounter, discuss, spread our network further and widen our own perspective”, says David Isaksson.