#EuropeDayWalks
16 Apr 2021
All over our European cities we can find so-called European lieux de mémoire. Europe is not only something in the newspapers or in Brussels, we can find it everywhere around us. And no, we do not mean the blue yellow starred flags you might encounter on a walk through your surroundings. Europe could also be represented by a statue of a foreign scientist in a park, by the name of a street you are walking on, or by an office of a pan-European company. It could be hidden in plain sight in the history of a part of town, like a harbour or an academic quarter. You might even think of the restaurants and bars which claim they are typical representatives of other European culinary cultures. Once you start looking critically at your own surroundings you’ll see Europe is much more part of your daily life than you’d imagined.
For #EuropeDay – May 9, the day we celebrate our continent – we and the Study Association for European Studies at UvA – challenge you to look for and capture these places on photo. For even in pandemic times you can go out and walk your city, your village or your countryside. We invite you to share your photos on social media with the hashtag #EuropeDayWalks. Like this you are part of a community which offers other Europeans a panoramic overview of Europe as it already is. It would be great if you add a little text with your photo on what you would like Europe to be. Together we experience, share and imagine Europe!
