Living Library: books come alive with their stories

On Thursday, October 21 at the Serafio of the Municipality of Athens, books came alive and drew readers into a journey of diversity and empathy. People in the role of books told their stories, shared experiences, thoughts and feelings, offering a unique perspective of the "other". The "Living Library", organised by the Lambrakis Foundation in cooperation with the House of Europe in Rhodes, was attended by young people, teachers, education officials and representatives of civil society organisations, in an effort to come closer to understanding stereotypes and accepting diversity.

"Where and how you are born is so crucial to the course of your life. If you differ from what is widely understood as 'mainstream' or even worse 'normal', you are likely to experience a range of difficulties, discrimination, injustice, possibly insults, rejection and even violence in some cases. From one moment to the next you can go over to being vulnerable, the susceptible. For instance, an accident that will confine you to a wheelchair, a war or unbearable difficulties and obstacles that will uproot you from your place in search of safety, or a wrong handling in assessing financial risk that will lead you to poverty or even homelessness, due to a misfortune... It is not easy to realize that you could be in the other person's position. It is not easy to see things from the other person's perspective, especially when the other person is different. This is exactly what the "Living Library" comes to do. To help us, through the eyes and narratives of our fellow human beings, to understand their perspective, how they are different, to understand them, to recognize the barriers and discrimination they face, and ultimately to support and include them equally. It helps us to break free from stereotypical perceptions of things, even on issues that do not concern vulnerable groups, e.g. what a police officer is like", says Vivi Anthopoulou, Director General of the Lambrakis Foundation.

On behalf of the House of Europe in Rhodes, Ms. Magdalene Tsourdiou, who has been trained in the Living Library methodology and contributed to its organization, said the following "I am particularly happy that the Lambrakis Foundation and its people embraced the Living Libraries from the very beginning and wanted to co-organize with the House of Europe in Rhodes this great tool to eliminate discrimination, prejudice and all kinds of stereotypes in the local society! The project was demanding, but they carried it off with great success! In conclusion, I would like to thank Mrs. Anthopoulou and the Foundation's colleagues for the hospitality and excellent cooperation we had, hoping that other Living Libraries will follow in the near future!"

The Living Library was launched in 2001 in Denmark, and since then has travelled to several countries.  It is a methodology that seeks to eliminate prejudice and discrimination through a discussion between two groups of people: the Books and the Readers. Books, in short, become the people as well as the stories that accompanies them. It works just like a regular library: visitors can browse the catalogue of available titles, choose the book they want to read and borrow it for a limited period of time.  The people who participate as 'books' are those who have experienced derogatory attitudes, discrimination and are often subject to prejudice and stigmatisation. The project aims to bridge these people with the readers, to open a fruitful discussion between them and to gradually create an inclusive society governed by empathy and acceptance.

Our Living Library was a pilot event and is the first in a series of events that will be soon hosted by the Lambrakis Foundation.