The winner takes it all
According to the United Nations, there are 193 countries on earth. However, there is no rule to say what exactly makes a state. A president, a flag, a government? The reality is a lot more unruly.
De Facto explores the realm of unrecognized states, micronations and curious border zones. On 7 February, we will dig into the world of sports, which is full of flag waving, national anthems and other expressions of self-definition.
We will interview journalist Koen Greven (NRC) about how regionalist and separatist teams express their identity in football, baseball and ice skating. Kevin Kraan will share some fragments of his documentary Grassrootsabout CONIFA, the world championship of football for non-recognized countries. Graphic designer Floor Koomen will talk about the power play of chess on stamps. And, as always, a quiz by Suzanne Hendriks. Moderation: Jorie Horsthuis.
De Facto is a project by graphic designer Floor Koomen, journalist Jorie Horsthuis and researcher Suzanne Hendriks. Have a look at defactoborders.org, follow @defactoborders on Instagram and Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.