‘The Future of Democracy’ & Patrick Zaki at 2022’s Wired Next Fest
Saturday, May 28: WIRED Next Fest: “THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY.” Palazzo Vecchio. Hours: 9:45 am – 7:45 pm. Reservation required: https://nextfest2022-firenze.wired.it/. Note: registration does not guarantee entry to the event. Places are limited, so visitors must show up early on location to secure a spot. Free admission.
After an absence of two years, the WIRED Next Fest is coming to Florence again. With noticeable speakers, lively music, and an outstanding program, the festival promises to be an event one cannot miss.
Digital influences have not only changed the way we watch film, go shopping or how we talk to friends but have effected the way we look at society and how we look at democracy, which is this year’s theme. Keynote speaker Patrick Zaki will starting the event in Salone dei Cinquecento with his session on “The Rule of Law,” and Helga Nowotny (professor Emeritus of Science and Technology at ETH Zurich and former President of European Research Council) will follow him up with her session regarding the uncertainty of the future and the paradox of AI (artificial intelligence).
The organizers of this edition of Wired Next Fest has also invited writers, artists and human rights activists such as Emilio Merlo Pick (director of Alfasigma), rapper Gemitaiz, the duo Karma B, John Burn-Murdoch (chief data reporter for Financial Times UK) and Cecilia Sala (journalist at Il Foglio).
The festival will open with a talk by human rights activist Patrick Zaki. Born in Egypt, in 2020 Zaki was living in Bologna, where he obtained a scholarship to finish his master’s degree in gender studies. On February 7, while returning home for a family visit, Zaki was arrested at the Cairo airport. He was accused of “subversive propaganda” because of political opinions regarding religious minorities in Egypt expressed in his social media posts. The news of his arrest quickly traveled through Italy, where it caused a great stir: there were protests organized, Amnesty International Italia launched the #FreePatrickZaki campaign, he was granted honorary citizenship in cities such as Bologna and Florence.
Finally, on December 8, 2021—360 days after his arrest—Zaki was released from jail thanks to the immense social media coverage and external social pressure put on the Egyptian government. Now, he has resumed his studies online at the University of Bologna and plans to participate in human rights events around the world. For the Wired Festival, his appearance will be held through video conference, since he is not allowed to leave Egypt until the end of his trial.
All guests (except for Zaki) will speak in two halls in Palazzo Vecchio: Salone dei Cinquecento or Sala d’Arme. Music artists will perform live between speaker sessions. Several sessions will take place simultaneously, giving the audience a choice of attendance. (ted de veer & agustina butron)
