Sussex’s premier celebration of political, scientific, and historical discourse is back and taking place between the 20th-22nd of January. With a hard-hitting, eclectic and brilliant line-up, the list of superlatives to describe the talent at this year’s event doesn’t seem to end.
Channel 4 presenter, writer, comedian and political satirist, Mark Thomas’ ‘50 Things About us: What we really need to Know About Britain’ is an obvious highlight, imbued with wit and poignancy. An emphatic look into how the Uk has slid into its current state, a non-nonsense critique of the status quo, unmasking the realities behind decades of political rhetoric. It’s an entertaining yet scathing spiel, lambasting the ineptitude of our leaders past and present, whilst exploring our country’s continued blind and dated jingoism.
Outside of politics, there’s Anil Seth’s talk on their Bloomberg book of the year, ‘Being you: A New Science of Consciousness’. A professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, this is expertise on a concept humanity is still yet to understand despite thousands of years of our greatest minds pondering it. His ground-breaking theory explores the meaning of our experiences, whilst remaining accessible to anyone without a degree in Neuroscience. It’s eye-opening, inspiring and provides perhaps the closest attempt to understand what it means to ‘be you’ in human history.
His presence at this event is an absolute coup, his 2017 TED talk is among the most viewed TED talks on YouTube, with 13 million views. This is an absolute must see for anyone who has ever found themselves pondering the nature of the self, of who we are or how we experience life the way we do. I myself will be observing this one without a doubt.
If history is your particular vice, there is a multitude of historical talks, exploring various people or dynasty’s through human history. For example, Ben Robinson’s ‘England’s Villages: An Extraordinary Journey Through Time’ is a charming journey as he discusses the thriving and still bustling ‘English village’ through history.
Further still, there are various portraits of Xi-Jinping’s China and Putin; Olesya Khromeychuk’s incredibly personal telling of her brother’s death as a Ukrainian Soldier and former Lib-Dem leader, Vince Cable’s ‘How to Be a Politician’. Educating the public on the dark arts of politics, punctuated with smatterings of wit and personal experience.
There’s of course even more you can see for yourself on their website, with various political and non-political talks to check out; should you need sweet respite from looming global issues, or tales of governmental imbecility.
‘Early Bird’ tickets are on sale until the 10th of December, for just £10.50 per talk, a tiny price for some truly engaging, fascinating experiences.
Check out the Lewes Speaker Festival website for more information on all the speakers and tickets to the talks – HERE
