After waves of protests in the past few years—from North Africa, the Middle East and New York to Frankfurt, Madrid, London, Athens, Bucharest, Sofia, Zagreb and other parts of Europe—whose goal was to force the ruling structures to act in the interest of the general public, it is difficult to determine whether any actual breakthroughs were achieved, apart from the rise of a new political subject – active citizens committed to true democracy and social justice. At the heart of all these uprisings are expressions of a wish for a real democracy, which have been seemingly absorbed by the ruling elites with almost no consequences for the established power relations. A serious discussion about political and utopian potentials of democracy is more necessary than ever. 

What is actually un-democratic in systems that call themselves democracies, and how does one build a true democracy? Is democracy an unattainable or an achievable utopia? Is this utopian inspiration a prerequisite for any emancipatory struggle? Following these questions, as well as taking into account current social and political developments, the 6^th Subversive Festival, under the general theme The Utopia of Democracy, will take place from May 4-18 2013 in Croatia’s capital Zagreb.