Big series of talks: Hello Baden-Württemberg, let’s talk about Heimat
The PEN Berlin writers’ association is heading to south-west Germany to host a series of talks in 22 towns and cities in Baden-Württemberg. This is the first in a series of events, with further talks planned for March in Rhineland-Palatinate, and in August and September in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and Berlin.
As with our highly acclaimed series of events You can’t Say Anything Theses Days ahead of the 2024 state elections in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg, and our rally in Klütz, Mecklenburg, in September, the audience is invited to participate in the discussion. Furthermore, the audience is an integral part of the concept. Rather than being expected to listen reverently to the guests and then ask two or three hasty questions at the end, they are invited to join in the discussion – with the panel and with each other.
In the summer of 2024, our theme was freedom of speech. This time, however, we would like to focus on something else. Many Germans are burdened by fears, such as the fear that the state will no longer be able to fulfil its basic tasks. The fear that immigration will overwhelm society. The fear that housing will become unaffordable and healthcare unattainable. They fear a deep economic decline in this country. These fears are accompanied by complex feelings such as loneliness, powerlessness and uncertainty. How should one behave towards political extremism? When and how should one take a stand against rising anti-Semitism and racism? All these fears can be summed up in one motive: the fear of losing what is familiar — the fear of losing one’s Heimat, that deeply rooted sense of home, belonging, and identity.
That is exactly what we want to talk about: Heimat. From the broken motto »Is this still my country?« to »Is this already my country?« In Heidenheim and Crailsheim, in Esslingen and Göppingen, in Ulm and in Gmünd. Our panel guests include publicists Michel Friedman and Michel Abdollahi; journalists Julia Ruhs, Özge Inan, and Kai Diekmann; and writers Eva Menasse, Feridun Zaimoglu, and Francesca Melandri.
However, the three-person panels, which include several regional journalists, will also feature entrepreneurs, police officers, pastors, and local politicians. In Tübingen and Schwäbisch Gmünd, we will be joined by the mayors Boris Palmer and Richard Arnold respectively, and in Calw by Ryan Alshebl, who fled Syria with his parents as a child in 2015 and was elected mayor of the neighbouring town of Ostelsheim in 2022.
We will be guests at theatres and cultural centres, as well as other institutions important for social cohesion. In Sigmaringen, we will be at the Schützenverein (German for »marksmen’s club«) ; in Göppingen, we will be at the community hall, where we will be joined by Protestant regional bishop Ernst-Wilhelm Gohl. In Lörrach, we will be working with the Narrengilde, and in Freiburg, we will be guests at the largest sports club, SC Freiburg.
The detailed programme for Rhineland-Palatinate, which follows immediately after the Baden-Württemberg series, will be announced in the coming days. The programmes for Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin will be announced in the summer. The location for the grand finale of this series has already been decided: Berlin-Neukölln’s Heimathafen – What else?
»It won’t always be pleasant. But I believe that seeking confrontation is the right way forward«, said PEN Berlin spokesperson Deniz Yücel. »It’s better than sitting in Berlin invoking our democracy while watching the number of people referred to by this possessive pronoun dwindle.«
You can find an overview of all 22 venues and 66 participants here.
We would like to thank the German Bundestag, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, the federal programme »Demokratie leben!«, the Federal Ministry of Education, Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, the Berthold Leibinger Foundation, the Wüstenrot Foundation, and the Scholz & Friends agency for their support. We’d also like to say a big thank you to all the institutions and guests who are taking part.
So, Baden-Württemberg: Let’s talk about Heimat.
PEN Berlin. Wir stand by our word.
With kind support from:
