GES-2 House of Culture welcomes you to the Holy Barbarians programme. lt consists of five seasons, each lasting about six months and dedicated to a common theme. The title of the first season, Santa Barbara, also inspired the name of the entire programme and is an invitation to reflect on a key moment in the formation of culture and society in post-Soviet Russia. The subtitle Hоw Not to Be Colonised? clarifies a key question: how to build a dialogue with Western culture on an equal footing, without losing one's own voice?