- The University
- 02/05/2024
"Freedom cannot be taken for granted, we must keep our eyes open"
In the coming days, the Netherlands will celebrate the end of World War II. The Liberation 040 foundation, set up by TU/e students, organizes all kinds of activities around the theme ‘freedom’. The war in Ukraine and Gaza makes this Liberation Day more newsworthy than ever.
During the upcoming Liberation Festival on September 14th, Eindhoven will celebrate the 80th anniversary of its liberation from German occupation. The Liberation 040 Foundation - run by seven TU/e students - is organizing the festival. The goal is to involve students, young professionals and schoolchildren in the city and its history.
Bastiaan Zitter, student Industrial Design, is vice president of Liberation 040 and explains that this year's theme is ‘Eyes open’. "We celebrate freedom, but it's not evident anymore, we have to keep our eyes open," he explains.
Palestinian flags
Those ‘open eyes’ are much needed, because the theme of freedom is more topical than ever, Zitter and his fellow board members note. This is due to the war in Ukraine and the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip. When the foundation visits schools to ‘draw for freedom’ with children, many Palestinian flags pop up in the drawings, Zitter notes.
"The war in Ukraine was easier to judge. Nobody supported Russia. But the war between Israel and Hamas is much more complicated. It is very sensitive", he notes. The foundation tries to remain neutral. "We want it to be about freedom, we don't want to organize a protest march," Zitter says.
Write on canvas
On Friday (May 3), Liberation 040 will be at MetaForum with a large canvas. "Everyone can write their thoughts about freedom on the canvas," Zitter says. This way Liberation 040 invites everyone to openly discuss the theme of freedom. "We will take that canvas to the liberation festival in the city in September."
That festival will consist of two parts: a terrace and culture event in the afternoon, where more information can be obtained about war and freedom, and in the evening a festival with artists to celebrate 80 years of freedom. Mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem will speak at Studium Generale about what it's like to be mayor in wartime.
Back to May 3, 4 and 5, when the Netherlands commemorates the dead and celebrates 79 years of freedom. When the canvas is full of texts from students and TU/e employees on Friday afternoon, about 15 people from Liberation 040 will make a meters-sized sidewalk chalk drawing in front of MetaForum. '79 years of freedom,' it will read in large letters.
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