The Movement That Inspired OCDTs

The idea of Open Chair Democracy Talks is, like all good ideas, built on something that was already out there. When the IYTT was in Athens – September 2021 – we were exploring the dustiest corners of our minds in search for a format that could give voice to the people. And I stumbled unto something. I recalled the picture of a man sitting in front of an empty chair. Next to him, a sign: “Free Conversations”. I couldn’t remember his name. I chased after him like you chase a dream you are about to forget. I did some googling, and finally ended up on the website of the Free Conversations Movement.

The Free Conversations Movement takes two chairs, places them on a street and writes on a whiteboard “Free Conversations”. We took their idea, mixed it up with our 4 questions on democracy, and the Open Chair Democracy Talks were born.

The founder of the movement is called Adrià. In 2017, after a rough day at work, he was contemplating Barcelona from the top of Montjuic hill. While he wrestled with thoughts, an old man approached him. The two began a slow, deep conversation. It was liberating. Adrià relieved from the burden of his preoccupations by leaning on a stranger. As he walked back home, his head was blooming with “What ifs”. What if people could speak to each other when they needed to? What if there was a space for strangers to open up and tell their story? What if I was this space?

A few weeks later, Adrià dragged two foldable chairs in the shade of the Arc De Triomf. He sat on one, placed a sign “Free Conversations” next to him, and waited. People came. He listened to their stories and became that space.

The Free Conversations Movement now boasts 500 volunteers in over 80 countries. The volunteers, like Adrià, simply talk to strangers. Some of their stories are then published on the Movement’s Instagram page. Scrolling through them is a reminder of how deep and beautiful and complex people’s stories can be.

People of all kinds have sat on that empty chair. Like Mariana, a WWII survivor from former Yugoslavia. This is how Adrià narrates his meeting with Mariana:

Mariana survived several wars such as World War II and the war that split her country into pieces […] Communism changed her life but never annulled her as a person.
She is a lover of history and curiosity; she sees travelling as the fruit that nourishes wisdom and that is why she has never stopped travelling despite her delicate state of health and her advanced age.
Her advice for younger generations was “boys, do not look for happiness, seek forgiveness and gratitude, start thinking about everything you do have and not everything you lack”.
Mariana was with me for about an hour until it started to get cold. Cities are seas of people in which each of them has a different story and many want to share theirs, because everyone, absolutely everyone, likes stories.

You can check out the original post, as well as other stories, here.

Last week I was in Barcelona. As soon as I landed I texted Adrià on Instagram. I wanted to sit on that chair too. He was at the Arc de Triomf that day, offering conversations just like every other sunday.

I told him the story of the Open Chair Democracy Talks. I told him that he had unknowingly contributed to a movement that allows people across Europe to express their views on democracy and reflect on their role as democratic citizens. I saw gratitude and pride in his smile. He had accomplished something bigger than talking: he had inspired.

There’s a lesson to learn here, I guess. That the ripple effect of our actions is unforeseeable. I like to think that some of the people who took part in Open Chair Democracy Talks were inspired too. And maybe, one day, looking for an idea, they’ll recall their OCDT, and this will be the start of something beautiful.