Church and society in Argentina

ELM speaker Cecilia Lopez spoke about herself and her home country at "For a coffee with ....".

Cecilia Lopez and Argentina took centre stage at the third and final event of the new ELM event series "For a coffee with ...". Around 20 participants accepted the invitation to breakfast and input at the Anna Blume inclusive cultural café at Stöckener Friedhof in Hanover on 19 October.

Lopez grew up in Martínez, a city near the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires, and has lived in Germany for seven years. She is an ELM consultant in the "Seitenwechsel" volunteer programme.

The speaker spoke about the challenges her family faced, about social and political crises in Argentina in the 1990s and during the military dictatorship (1976 to 1983), about privileges and access to the education system, and about her Christian socialisation in the Catholic and Methodist churches.

The autobiographical remarks in the lecture made reference to the current challenges not only in Argentina, but also in Germany and worldwide. Extreme positions and misinformation are leading to social division, while the common good and human rights are on the defensive.

The participants engaged in dialogue with each other and considered what each individual can contribute to better coexistence. Staying informed and in dialogue with each other, standing up for human rights, shopping and consuming consciously were some of the examples given. According to the enthusiastic actress and musician Lopez, art and culture can also make an important contribution to cohesion and positive change processes.

The "For a coffee with ..." format will continue in 2025. The next date is 22 March 2025.