In just a couple of weeks, MTL-fest 2024 will begin. The first MTL-fest took place last year, and it seems it will continue annually. There are quite clear expectations from the festival:
- crowded hustle and bustle
- interesting stories
- exchange of practical experience
- networking
Regarding the crowded hustle and bustle, there were about 250 people in 2023, and it’s unlikely there will be fewer this time. Moreover, the festival is now becoming a three-day event.
As for interesting stories: there were five speakers last year, and six are expected this year. The headliner then was Svetov; this year it’s Pozharsky. From related projects, there was Edlicka from Liberland last year, and this year there will be Biellas from Liberstad and Polozov from FSP. From the Montenegrins, there was a lawyer; now a bitcoiner is expected. Among the theorists, there was Usanov; there will be Shustov. From MonteLibero, Stas Karkavin is expected, and he looks somewhat more organic in public speaking than I do.
There was no separate block for the exchange of practical experience last year; instead, a musical block was planned, which didn’t take off at all. But now, the entire third day of the festival will be dedicated to practice.
In terms of networking, I want to understand the main thing: what benefit, specifically, can diverse libertarian projects scattered across the globe bring to each other? To pinpoint this benefit and learn how to extract it.
For those who have already planned a trip to Montenegro for MTL-fest—I can only be happy for you. For those who can suddenly drop everything and come—suddenly drop everything and come. Those who want to but cannot will have to make do with broadcasts and recordings of speeches, reports and interviews, stories from those who return from the fest, and the application of the experience they bring back from the festival. That is quite a lot.
On October 4, the first day of the festival, the official program will consist of a screening at MonteLibero Space of a documentary film about the defeat of the Hong Kong independence movement. Parallel to this, it is planned to gather at Tikhiy Omut and informally chat about the fate of libertarian emigration in general and MonteLibero in particular.
In the next post, I will briefly talk about what I expect from the speakers’ presentations on Saturday, October 5, the main day of the festival.
