The 8th Smoqua Queer and Feminist Culture Festival will open on 10 October in Rijeka. For three days, more than 45 artists and activists from a dozen countries will address issues of queer and feminist culture in around 20 events, the organisers announced on Tuesday.

The festival will be opened by the organisers of the NGO LORI with a panel discussion on LGBTIQ-phobia in education. The panel will discuss the position of LGBTIQ+ children and young people in schools. It will be attended by the Ombudswoman for Gender Equality Visnja Ljubicic and several professors and education experts, followed by an online presentation by Peter Dankmeijer, Director of the Global Alliance for LGBT Education.

This year’s festival is themed “Resistance and Resilience” and focuses on LGBTIQ phobia in education, intersectionality on the dance floor, asylum challenges in Croatia, the voices of Roma women in Europe and the emancipation of women, lesbians, intersex and non-binary people in Iran and Afghanistan.

According to the organisers, Smoqua has been combining art and activism for eight years and encourages people to challenge prejudices and fight for human rights.