Gegen Aus(sen)grenzen

In the organizer's words:

An evening full of literature, music and solidarity - a strong cultural and political statement for a fairer world!

The situation in Germany is bleak: right-wing extremists are winning elections and a supposedly progressive government is tightening asylum laws in an unprecedented way. The weakest members of society are being made scapegoats, right-wing rhetoric is poisoning public discourse and making racism and hatred acceptable. Enough is enough.

It is time to listen to those who are directly affected. We need to give a stage to those who not only talk about exclusion and racism, but have experienced it themselves. They have developed strategies for solidarity instead of hate speech and show perspectives that help us move forward. The reading is a platform to listen to them and learn from them.

The evening will focus on short readings by Alice Hasters (Identitätskrise), Dilek Güngör (Awie Ada), Gilda Sahebi (Wie wir Rassismus lernen), Miriam Stein (Weise Frauen) and Olivia Wenzel (1000 Serpentinen Angst) - after the readings there will be space for discussion with the audience. The evening will be accompanied by music from the artist Ebow, and Gianni Jovanovic will host the evening.

The proceeds from the evening will go to #LeaveNoOneBehind - an initiative that has been supporting people on the run since 2020 - at the EU's external borders and in war and crisis zones. As deeply as Germany is stuck in the shift to the right, nothing is more important right now than showing solidarity with those who are feeling it the hardest.

Solidarity tickets can be purchased on the evening of the event at the Urania for 25 euros.

In addition to the entrance fee, we are also calling for donations for #LeaveNoOneBehind to support the important projects at the EU's external borders. We look forward to seeing you and your support for #LeaveNoOneBehind!

Our guests and reading authors:

Alice Hasters, born 1989 in Cologne, is an author, presenter and speaker in Berlin. She has worked for the Tagesschau and radio and hosts the podcast Feuer&Brot. Her book, What White People Don't Want to Hear About Racism, was a bestseller in 2020. She was voted cultural journalist of the year for her educational work.

Dilek Güngör, born in 1972, is a Berlin-based journalist and writer. Her debut novel, The Secret of My Turkish Grandmother, was published by Piper in 2007. This was followed by other works published by Verbrecher Verlag, including Ich bin Özlem (2019) and Vater und ich, the latter of which was longlisted for the German Book Prize in 2021.

Gilda Sahebi, born in Iran, is a journalist and doctor. She writes about racism, women's rights and the Middle East. Known for her reporting on Iran, she was voted Journalist of the Year in 2022.

Miriam Stein, born in South Korea in 1977, is a journalist and author. She grew up in Germany as an adopted child and has worked in theater and cultural media. She lives in Berlin.

Olivia Wenzel, born in 1985, is an author and theater maker. Her first novel 1000 Serpentinen Angst was published in 2020. Wenzel lives in Berlin and also works in the independent theater scene.

Ebow (Ebru Düzgün), born in Munich in 1990, is a rapper influenced by US hip-hop and RnB. Her music focuses on queer feminism, Kurdish roots and social injustice.

Gianni Jovanovic, born in 1978, is an activist and performer from the Romnja community. He fights for the rights of Black people and People of Color as well as the LGBTQI+ community.

Price information:

Admission: €10, reduced: €5, members: €3 Soli tickets can be purchased on the evening of the event at the Urania for €25. In addition to the entrance fee, we are calling for donations for #LeaveNoOneBehind to support the important projects at the EU's external borders.