Evgeniya Sayko "How does dialogue differ from debate?"
Evgeniya Sayko studied Cultural Studies at Tomsk State University and Communication Studies at the Free University of Berlin. There, she conducted research for her doctoral dissertation on the mechanisms of media reality construction.
Since 2002, she has worked as a television journalist in Tomsk, and since 2012 also in Berlin.
Evgeniya Sayko is a co-founder of Science Slam in Russia. Since 2013, she has traveled to Russian cities from Kaliningrad to Khabarovsk as an organizer and trainer.
In 2016, she also founded the "School of Not-Boring Lectures" in her hometown of Tomsk. There, Tomsk slammers share the knowledge they have gained from Science Slams with others.
From 2017 to 2018, she developed the demoSlam format as part of her project "Values Discourse with Russia: Clarifying, Formulating, Communicating" at the Hertie Innovation College.
Since 2018, Evgeniya Sayko has been conducting demoSlams and workshops promoting understanding, both in intercultural contexts and on controversial topics within Germany (e.g., as part of the "Saxony in Dialogue" project).
In 2019, she founded the NGO "MAGNET – Workshop for Understanding" to develop the demoSlam format in Germany and abroad.
"The 21st century is the century of communication."
Evgeniya Sayko shares her experiences as a journalist in Russian media and her migration to Germany. As a journalist, she was able to positively influence relations between Germany and Russia. She summarizes German politics with the phrase: "They built Schröder's house, but Merkel moved in."
The journalist speaks about her childhood and everyday life in the Soviet Union.
How does her discussion format, "demoSlam," contribute to German-Russian dialogue? And why is it so important to give voice to diverse opinions?
Evgeniya Sayko, a Siberian woman from Tomsk with a Ukrainian surname, contributes to understanding what "Russian" means. She explains why she can no longer bear to hear the phrases "Russia cannot be understood with the mind" and "the rich Russian soul." According to Evgeniya Sayko, entire nations could benefit from a psychotherapist.
Why are young people no longer entering politics—even though they could become ambassadors of democratic values?