As in previous years, the WATCH THROUGH Festival was characterized by a diversity of formats and interconnected fields. Under the main theme “Freedom at Stake: Political Challenges to Education and Culture” this edition further evolved into a forum for dialogue on the key social, political, and cultural issues confronting the Western Balkans within Europe and the broader global context.

The panel discussion examined how education and culture are shaped, instrumentalized, or challenged by political agendas, and explored the role that educators, writers, journalists, and civil society can play in responding to these pressures. The opening addresses were delivered by Ambassador H.E. Petra Drexler, German Embassy; Ms. Katrin Ostwald-Richter Director of the Goethe-Institut; and Bujar Luma (LOJA).

The panel featured Besnik Mustafaj, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania and a renowned writer; Ms. Maja Muhić, university professor, cultural anthropologist, and activist from North Macedonia; and Mr. Frank Morawietz, former Special Envoy of the French-German Youth Office for the Western Balkans. Through an active dialogue with the audience, two key conclusions emerged: first, that peace and freedom are not only under threat today, but that their very meanings are increasingly distorted by authoritarian narratives; and second, that education plays a complex yet crucial role in peace-building and in fostering healthy intercultural relations.