The European Union Center is excited to announce the schedule of events for its 19th Annual European Union Day celebrations on February 25-26 and March 5, 2021.

On Thursday, February 25 at 3 P.M. CST, we will host a moderated discussion with Swedish hip hop artist Jason “Timbuktu” Diakité about his music, his recent memoir (A Drop of Midnight), and his current podcast project ("This Moment") which he produces with celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson.

The EU Day keynote address, “Rights, Representation, and Resources: Gender Equality in Sweden and the EU,” will be given by Her Excellency Karin Olofsdotter, Ambassador of Sweden to the United States, on Friday, February 26 at 12 P.M. CST. Ambassador Olofsdotter will outline Sweden’s approach to gender equality; how generous childcare and gender-neutral parental leave have benefitted the GDP of Nordic countries; and why women’s equal access to rights, resources, and representation should be hard foreign policy concerns.

On Friday, March 5 at 2 P.M. CST we will host an interactive performance of Aeschylus’s “The Suppliants” by Out of Chaos Theatre. “The Suppliants” tells the story of the Danaids who fled their native Egypt to escape forced marriage. Arriving as refugees in Greece, they supplicate the gods and the king of the city of Argos, seeking a refuge and a new home. The post-performance discussion features a panel of speakers on the topics of refugees in Greece and the Mediterranean, on federal approaches to U.S. immigration, and on the work of local immigration activists.

EU Day 2021 Schedule of Events

Thursday, February 25, 2021 3:00 P.M. CST – A Conversation with Swedish Hip Hop Artist Jason “Timbuktu” Diakité

Zoom registration link: https://go.illinois.edu/EUDay2021Timbuktu

Friday, February 26, 2021 12:00 P.M. CST – “Rights, Representation, and Resources: Gender Equality in Sweden and the EU”: Keynote by Her Excellency Karin Olofsdotter, Ambassador of Sweden to the United States

Zoom registration link: https://go.illinois.edu/EUDay2021keynote

Friday, March 5, 2021 2:00 P.M. CST – Performance of Aeschylus’s “The Suppliants” by Out of Chaos Theatre

Introductory Remarks by Andreas C. Cangellaris, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost

Zoom registration link: https://go.illinois.edu/EUDay2021Suppliants