Erzählfestival Alltags(T)räume

Photo © Mustafa Aliesa/Miguel Parada

Erzählfestival Alltags(T)räume

07.10.2023  • 15:00 • Genezarethkirche | Herrfurthplatz Neukölln, Berlin

 

The storytelling festival has been taking place in Berlin-Neukölln since 2021. This year, stories from everyday life in Berlin were shared in a variety of formats featuring the slogan "Alltags(T)räume". The aim was to give a stage to different realities of life and thereby create empathy for other perspectives.

We participated with five of our poets: Mariia Kaziun, Iryna Omelianchuk, Robina Karimi, Rojin Namer and Ali Alzaeem! Thanks to the contributions of Iryna and Mariia, also texts from our Ukrainian workshop were presented for the first time. In a moving poem, Mariia describes her arrival in Germany after fleeing from Kiev: "Here I am not holding the hryvnia in my hands but the euro./ The chestnuts are different here. / To understand the frantic / love for home is so easy, so instant, / as soon as you have left home behind." At the same time, the poem radiates hope, hope for an end to the war, for the possibility of returning to Ukraine, and hope for a new, peaceful life in Berlin: "The end. THE END! Is that really it? / No more Job Center, no more thin walls / A small apartment, warm and homely, / I can see the blue sky from the window again."

The audience was very moved by our contributions. The beautiful interior of the church was filled with many young people and families in particular from the neighborhood around Herrfurthplatz. We are delighted that the texts were so well received and would like to thank the organizers of interkular for inviting us to the reading! Special thanks also go to Mustafa Aliesa, who regularly takes part in our Arabic writing workshops and was behind the camera for interkular on this day.

 

Lange Nacht der Kirchen Osnabrück

Photo © Ali Tuzcu

Lange Nacht der Kirchen Osnabrück

16.06.2023  • 19:00 • St. Marienkirche | Evangelisch-lutherische Kirchengemeinde Osnabrück

 

In June, we went to Osnabrück again: this time for the Long Night of the Churches. Across Osnabrück's districts, 23 church venues opened their doors in the evening for art, culture, music and words.
In St. Mary's Church, our authors Jamal Abasi and Ali Alzaeem presented previously unpublished lyrical texts that dealt with home and flight, freedom and pain, but also addressed hope and longing. The readings were followed by a question and answer session, which was moderated by Pastor Matthias Bochow and German philologist Christian Schneider.

We were delighted by the lively exchange that took place which again marks the importance of exchanging perspectives. As our poet Ali Alzaeem put it: "Many Germans have no points of contact with our countries of origin, they imagine the "Orient" as a whole and then believe that we are all like Aladdin with the flying carpet. Our poems give them a more diverse picture."

We would like to thank the Evangelical Lutheran parish of St. Marien for providing the setting for this reading!

Słubfurt e. V.

Foto © Zoë Matt-Williams

Słubfurt e. V.

25.09.2022 • 16:00 • Brückenplatz | Plac Mostowy

 

Our first solo-reading! Yasser Niksada performed in Frankfurt Oder on Sunday with actor Manfred Möck. He read texts which spanned the time period from his arrival six years ago to the present day. It was the first time a POETRY PROJECT reading depicted one biography unfolding over the years.

Yasser was twelve when he came to Germany. He’s twenty today, lives in his own apartment, and has just begun an apprenticeship. Much has changed: the little boy who wrote his first text has developed into a young man. His new life here is anything but simple, and he still faces hardship — but nevertheless continues to write, in an exceptionally clear and authentic voice. 

It was a remarkable experience to witness this transformation in lyrical form.

Thank you to those involved, Thomas Roth, Matthias Wolff, and Manfred Möck.

Diakonie Koblenz

Photo © Kerstin Heinrich

Diakonie Koblenz

29.09.2022 • 18:00 • Hoffnungskirche | Evangelische Kirchengemeinde Koblenz-Pfaffendorf

Koblenz has been celebrating an Intercultural Week since the end of September. There is international cooking, dancing, breakfasting: and this year, even international poetry recitation - by two of our poets! Robina Karimi and Rojin Namer üerformed on Thursday in the Hoffnungskirche (Church of Hope) in Koblenz. 

“I found a roof over my head, but inside an empty house. / I found books and education and schoolmates, but no friends. / My new home gifted me a nest and a future. / But no fulfillment.” Robina Karimi recited this new text (“Schuldig”) for the first time this week. In it, she describes where she feels at home several years after her arrival in Germany. 

We haven’t had a discussion of this intensity in quite a while. The audience debated processes of integration, unequal treatment between origin countries and the reasons behind it, and what role children take on when then translate for their parents at the foreign office. The audience included people who work in integration, as well as people who themselves had fled their home countries. This created an especially multifaceted debate – we could have continued talking for a long time. 

A big thank you to the Diakonie Koblenz as well as the Landesbibliothekszentrum Rheinland-Pfalz who made this reading possible.  

Babylon

Foto © Little Black Fish Collective

A READING AGAINST WAR AND VIOLENCE

30.04.202220:00BABYLON Berlin

 

This Saturday, The Poetry Project collaborated with Schamoni Film and the PEN-Zentrum Deutschland to organize a reading ‘Against War and Violence’. The Poetry Project poets Rojin Namer, Robina Karimi and Shahzamir Hataki read texts alongside PEN-Prizewinner Dr Stella Nyanzi and Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, as well as Eron Kiiza. The evening’s topics were violence and war – in Uganda, Syria and Afghanistan. 

PEN-President Deniz Yücel and his wife Dilek Mayatürk-Yücel attended the reading. Yücel asked whether, having witnessed pain, one could write about happiness and beauty. Dr Stella Nyanzi answered that one finds beauty and happiness even in pain, especially through the act of writing. Young Syrian poet Rojin Namer answered: “One writes to process things. Happiness is not an emotion one needs to process.” 

Thank you to Timothy Grossmann of the BABYLON Berlin, who allowed us to use their mirrored room for our reading, which created interesting spatial and semantic parallels. The room reflected one truth across different worlds: the fact that violence and persecution – regardless of whether they’re caused through war, state brutality, or the absence of statehood – destroy the possibility of self actualization. An exciting, successful evening. 

Ulme35

Foto © Shahzamir Hataki

Ulme35

17.12.2022 • 19:00Ulme35

 

Despite December’s pandemic uncertainties our authors were able to take the (real-life!) stage in the beautiful Ulme35-Villa in Berlin. Their in-person reading was accompanied by a  Zoom-stream for at-home audiences, which is still available to watch on Facebook if you missed it: 

https://www.facebook.com/Ulme35/videos/435602004686370

Between poetry readings, Sabine Peschel discussed the aftereffects of the collapse of the government in Kabul with our translator and lawyer Aarash Spanta. 

It hasn’t been an easy year. Especially not for our young authors whose parents and siblings are still living in Afghanistan – where new violence has bubbled up, and many don’t have enough food to eat, or wood to stay warm. 

Here in Germany, Covid-19 has turned the world on its head these last few years. But we think of ourselves as a community, one in which life becomes a little bit lighter. We transform our lives into poems: that way they’re easier to carry.

Kunsthalle Mannheim

Foto © Zoe Matt-Williams

MINDBOMBS

06.03.202211:00Kunsthalle Mannheim

 

At the beginning of March four of our poets were invited by the Kunsthalle Mannheim to recite some of their old poems alongside some of their new ones. The reading took place in the context of the Kunsthalle’s current exhibition ‘Mindbombs’, which focuses on artistic explorations of terrorism. 

Alongside their poems about fleeing their home countries and arriving in Germany, the poets grappled with the term “terrorism” in new poems written specifically for this reading. “It’s easy to sit here and speak about terrorism. / But to live under terrorism is to live under an ax that shatters boulders,” Shahzamir read. 

An audience discussion took place after the reading, centering mostly around the war in Ukraine. The poets spoke about the trains from Ukraine arriving at Berlin Central Station on their way to Mannheim. They expressed gratitude that Ukrainian refugees were being welcomed with open arms, but also drew comparisons to their own arrivals in Berlin. The audience had many questions: they asked, for instance, whether the poets felt at home after a few years here, or whether they still felt they were suspended somehow, floating between two lives.

MEHR_PLATZ

Mehr Platz LBFC - Little Black Fish Collective
Foto © Little Black Fish Collective

MEHR_PLATZ

18.09.2021 • 19:30Mehringplatz

 

In August, The Little Black Fish Collective staged some of our authors’ texts as part of a collaborative theater performance titled MEHR_PLATZ. 

The piece centered around the Mehringplatz in Berlin-Kreuzberg: the LBFC used artistic performance as a means of making migration visible and declaring the Mehringplatz as a space worthy of culture. Other sources such as the theater piece “Europa verteidigen” (Konstantin Küspert) and the performance piece “QUIZOOLA!” (Tim Etchells) also contributed to the piece. It was performed as an open-air-performance on the Mehringplatz, synthesized from texts, choreographies, and improvisational elements.

Rojin Namer | Foto © Rottkay

Book PreRelease

v.l.n.r. Hamed Baluch, Amira Gudegast, Muska Karimi, Helena von Beyme, Robina Karimi, Shahzamir Hataki, Rojin Namer, Zoё Matt-Williams, Theresa Rüger | Foto © Rottkay
From left to right: Hamed Baluch, Amira Gudegast, Muska Karimi, Helena von Beyme, Robina Karimi, Shahzamir Hataki, Rojin Namer, Zoё Matt-Williams, Theresa Rüger | Photo © Rottkay

18.12.2019 • 18:30 • The Poetry Project e.V.

 

What a brilliant evening! Even though we had learned over the previous four years that our literary project had the power to give a bit of freedom to troubled souls, we could hardly expect that this Wednesday before Christmas would demonstrate joy, friendship and simply happy togetherness with such intensity. From the bottom of our hearts we are grateful that this was possible.

Münchner Bücherschau | Foto © Rottkay

60th Münchner Bücherschau

Münchner Bücherschau | Foto © Rottkay
Rojin Namer, Ali Alzeem, Anne Bontemps, Robina Karimi, Muska Karimi, Michael Schröder | Photo © Rottkay

The Last Reading Tour of 2019

23.11.2019 • 16:30 • Black Box Gasteig

 

Following a rousing review in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, almost all of the 240 seats of the Black Box im Gasteig at the 60th Munich Book Show were taken.

Theresa Rüger gave a short introduction to the workshops held by the Poetry Project. Then Ali Alzaeem, Rojin Namer, and Muska and Robina Karimi presented their texts about their old and new home countries – as usual in their native languages, Arabic and Farsi. Anne Bontemps and Michael Schröder read the texts in German. The audience was especially impressed by Muska’s poem about being a woman in Afghanistan: »A daughter hears from her mother: You are a piece of white cloth. But you get dirty quickly.«

In the subsequent questions session, the audience participants were enormously surprised to see how outstandingly well our poets already speak German. In keeping with the continuing #MeToo debate, much of the discussion revolved around the experiences of women.

It is a delight to see how strongly the self-confidence of growing young women is already developing. When asked about the differences between Syria and Germany, Rojin quick-wittedly raised a laugh: »Of course I see differences. As a woman in Germany, you have considerably more freedom. But equality does not exist here, either. For example, I would not simply urinate at the side of the road…«

After applause that lasted some minutes, there was an opportunity to buy our book of poems and have it signed. This gave our poets a close-up impression of the enthusiasm that they had generated in the audience:

Münchner Bücherschau | Foto © Rottkay
Book signing | Photo © Rottkay

We would like to thank Edith Offermann for the organisation and for looking after us superbly, and also the Schauburg – Theater für junges Publikum (Young People’s Theatre), who provided the two actors.

Literaturfest München | Foto © Rottkay

Literaturfest München Opening Gala

Literaturfest München | Foto © Rottkay
Shahzamir Hataki, Samiullah Rasouli, Cathrin Störmer | Photo © Rottkay

A deeply moving evening

13.11.2019 • 19:00 • Gasteig

 

In the Carl-Orff-Saal at the Gasteig, whose 608 seats were fully booked, our young authors Rojin Namer, Shahzamir Hataki and Samiullah Rasouli read out, in their mother tongues Farsi and Arabic, their texts: about expulsion from the paradise of their homelands, their flight and new beginning in Germany. The wonderful reader in German was Cathrin Störmer from the Residenztheater.

This gave hope to everyone at a difficult time. Rojin, who is sixteen, is attending high school;  Shahzamir, eighteen years old, is taking an apprenticeship in nursing at the Charité hospital; Samiullah, who is twenty, is in the third year of training for the hotel trade. Today these three have a future that is good for all of us.

After his brilliant speech about events since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the historian Timothy Garton Ash, filled with inspiration, twittered : »Most moving the readings at #literaturfest of poetry by young refugees from Syria & Afghanistan – all speaking excellent German. Maybe, after all, ‘wir schaffen das!’....?«

Shahzamir Hataki | Foto © Rottkay

literaturfestival berlin 2019

Shahzamir Hataki, Thanhha Lai, Ada Bieber Foto © Rottkay
Shahzamir Hataki, Thanhha Lai, Ada Bieber | Photo © Rottkay

13.09.2019 • 09:00 • James-Simon-Galerie 

 

Following the award of the 2019 Theo Prize to our poet Shahzamir Hataki, he was invited to the 19th internationales literaturfestival berlin to read his award-winning poem »The Only Son«.

Early in the morning, the hall was filled with pupils from an international primary school. Ada Bieber was the assured moderator for this unusually young audience.

The children listened spellbound to Thanhha Lai and Shahzamir Hataki, and at question time not only asked the authors several times whether they had really experienced what they read, but also what papaya tastes like. Thanhha Lai promptly gave them all some homework: try one – but please don’t eat the seeds or the skin.

Authors: Thanhha Lai, Shahzamir Hataki

Moderator: Ada Bieber

Meet | Foto © Rottkay

Meeet

Meet | Foto © Rottkay
Photo: Rottkay

Conference of School Heads

09.07. and 24.07.2019 • Meeet Mitte

 

»Why do you want to take this life away from me, to deny me freedom? I too am a human.« – Robina Karimi

In July The Poetry Project received two invitations to be part of the programme for a conference of school heads from the USA who had come to learn about social projects in Berlin. In addition to reading in Rachel Clarke’s Storytelling Arena, whose tandem format is also a stage for poetic dialogue with young refugees, the authors of The Poetry Project first read their works in their native languages as usual. Theresa Rüger read the German translations. For the second time since the TEEME Conference at the Freie Universität in 2018, the English translations were then read by the young author and singer-songwriter  Anne Genberg from New York. The positive reaction of the audience made a deep impression on those who read the poems. We would therefore like to express our sincere thanks to the audience for their warmth, and also to Aidan Bartley for the invitation and organisation, and to Ali Alzaeem, Rojin Namer, Robina Karimi, Reza Hossaini and Hamed Baluch for sharing their personal experiences.

FU Dahlem | Foto © Rottkay

FU Berlin

Denis Abrahams, Robina Karimi, Rojin Namer, Theresa Rüger | Foto © Rottkay
Denis Abrahams, Robina Karimi, Rojin Namer, Theresa Rüger | Photo © Rottkay

 

Anniversary of the Institute für Philosophie und Geisteswissenschaften

04.07.2019 • 19.30 • Freie Universität Berlin

 

Colourful cushions had already been laid on the steps of the Beton-Theater in the theatre courtyard of the Freie Universität to welcome the readers on to the stage there. The rows of seats were empty, however, as the events on the programme had been transferred at short notice to the park so that guests at the anniversary of the Institute for Philosophy and Humanities could bask in the last rays of sunshine between bouquets of flowers and balloons.

Alongside other exciting presentations such as that by Erika Fischer-Lichte, one of the world’s leading theoreticians of theatre studies, our poets Robina Karimi, Rojin Namer, Ali Alzaeem and Matin Hosseini were able to read their texts. Their subjects were memories of summers past, of member of their families and friends, love, loneliness and genuine secrets.

Denis Abrahams, co-founder of the Lettrétage house of literature and an established member of the ensemble of readers at the internationales literaturfestival berlin, read out the translations. We would like to thank him for his sensitive interpretation of the texts, and Carolin Hehn for inviting us.

THEO 2019 Award

ThePoetryProject THEO 2019
Photo: Schreibende Schüler e.V.

28.04.2019 • Rotes Rathaus Berlin

In April 2019 the award of the THEO Prize for Young Literature took place for the twelfth time, chaired by Anke Stelling and Karla Montasser, in the Rotes Rathaus in Berlin. The invitation to write about the theme »Before the Storm« was addressed to children and young people from across the world. Prizes were given for various age groups and in the categories prose and poetry – and this year, for the first time, in the category SprachRäume (Linguistic Spaces). More than 650 entries were submitted in 2019, and the authors of the most promising texts were invited to come together for a workshop weekend. Among them were three authors from The Poetry Project: Shahzamir Hataki with his poem »The Only Son« about fleeing across the sea, Robina Karimi with »Violence and Pride« about the role of women in Afghanistan, and Rojin Namer with the text »Damascus« about her home city. Alongside five other texts, including a charming story by ten-year-old Anna Lena Gabriel about Susi Starfish, Fita Fish and Momo Mussel, and the hybrid text »Substantiation of a Relationship before the Storm« by the talented Lotti Spieler, prizes were awarded to the texts by Shahzamir and Rojin, in the categories poetry and SprachRäume. We are delighted for the award-winners and would like to thank Schreibende Schüler (Pupil Authors) and the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels (Association of the German Book Trade) for their committed support!

70th Frankfurter Buchmesse

Samiullah Rassouli, Yevgeniy Breyger, Aarash D. Spanta, Amira Gudegast, Rojin Namer, Mahdi Hashemi, Yasser Niksada, Theresa Rüger  |  Photo: Tina Pfeifer/Tina Bernhard

Opening of the Bookfest

9.10.2018 • 19:00 • 25hours Hotel The Trip

Every year hundreds of thousands of literature lovers, authors and publishers make their way to the modern city of Frankfurt on the river Main for one of the biggest events on the German literary scene. This year too, the Frankfurt Book Fair drew visitors with its varied and  international programme. In addition to high-calibre award ceremonies such as that for the Deutscher Buchpreis (German Book Prize) and the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (German Prize for Youth Literature), book-signing and other events, this year for the first time the BOOKFEST, a flanking programme, was initiated outside the trade-fair grounds. 

We were extremely fortunate to be able to open the BOOKFEST with our reading at the  25hours Hotel – The Trip. On the evening of 9 October, a large audience came to hear poems by our authors Amira Gudegast, Mahdi Hashemi, Rojin Namer, Samiullah Rasouli and Yasser Niksada. Our translator Aarash D. Spanta also spontaneously took part and moderated the event. The German versions of the poems were read by the author and poet Yevgeniy Breyger, whose work as an organiser and provider ensured that we felt extremely welcome.

ThePoetryProject @ Erlanger Poetenfest

38th Erlanger Poetenfest

Rojin Namer | Foto © Rottkay
Rojin Namer  |  Photo: Rottkay

25.08.2018 – 26.08.2018 • 13.00 • Schlossgarten, Erlangen

 

Every year at the beginning of the autumn book season in Germany, the Erlangen Poets’ Festival is held. With one hundred events and more than eighty participating authors, literary critics and publicists, the Erlanger Poetenfest is one of the biggest and most prestigious literary festivals in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

This year, at the 38th Erlangen Poets’ Festival, the Poetry Project was represented. 

Visitors to the festival gathered in the beautiful palace garden to attend numerous readings, panels and discussions.

Alongside Christoph Ransmayr, Daniel Kehlmann and Nora Bossong, our young poets Shahzamir Hataki, Rojin Namer, Robina Karimi, Yasser Niksada, Samiullah Rasouli and Mahdi Hashemi touched and delighted a large audience with their poems.

 The event was about more than simply reading and listening, however. All festival guests had the opportunity to visit us in our three tents. In the Quiet Tent, the premiere of our new film »To Europe Alone« was celebrated, in the Poetry Tent visitors could try their hand at writing poetry themselves, and in the Exhibition Tent they could read the award-winning works of The Poetry Project authors in peace and quiet. We had the opportunity to talk about the project to many interested persons and to exchange views. During the two days of the festival, we had a lot of fun with our Poetry Lottery. Every lottery ticket was rewarded with both a poem and at the same time a prize from our new merchandise collection.

 

 

ThePoetryProject @ Morgenland Festival | Foto © Rottkay

Morgenland Festival Osnabrück

Robina Karimi | Foto © Rottkay
Robina Karimi  |  Photo: Rottkay

Focus on Central Asia: music meets poetry

20.06.2018 • 20.00 • Felix-Nussbaum-Haus, Osnabrück

 

Since 2005 the Morgenland Festival (Orient Festival) has been devoted to musical but also other cultural work from the Near East, whether cinema, photography or literature. This year’s programme from 5 May to 24 June, with the participation of artists from countries including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Kazakhstan and Russia, shifted the focus to Central Asia.

On the evening before the Poetry Project reading, the shamanistic sounds of Raushan Orozbaeva and Ulzhan Baibussynova from Kazakhstan were heard, and on 20 June seven young poets took the stage themselves. The Felix-Nussbaum-Haus, between paintings by the Jewish artist and prints by Andy Spyra from Afghanistan, a photographer of conflict, provided impressive surroundings for the moving poetry; this was complemented by the unmistakable architecture of Daniel Libeskind, clearly related to the deportation of Nussbaum to Auschwitz. 

In the museum hall, where every seat was taken, texts were read about the horrors of forcible expulsion, about being alone, and also about strength and love in the face of all adversity. The poems were read in Farsi, Arabic and German; translations into German were read expressively by the actor Oliver Meskendahl. At the close there were some minutes of standing ovations, signalling recognition and respect for the courage of the young authors.

Many thanks to Theresa Mattusch and to the festival director Michael Dreyer for the extremely attentive all-round care that characterised the event.

Poets: Rojin Namer, Robina Karimi, Mahdi Hashemi, Mahdi Rezaei, Yasser Niksada, Shahzamir Hataki, Michael Krasnov

Artistic direction: Michael Dreyer, Theresa Mattusch, Morgenland Festival Osnabrück

Kahel Kaschmiri | Foto © Rottkay

TEEME Conference FU Berlin

Kahel Kaschmiri | Foto © Rottkay
Kahel Kaschmiri | Foto: Rottkay

Textual Border Crossings Part III: Poetry Reading

25.05.2018 • 20:00 • Freie Universität Berlin

At the three-day TEEME conference, “Texts and Events across Borders” at the Freie Universität Berlin, everything revolved around the crossing of borders – whether of a metaphorical, geographical or linguistic nature. In numerous events related to the theme of transgression, international academic guests explored linguistic and cultural processes of translation, from William Shakespeare to Luís de Camões.

On the evening of the second day, under the heading “Textual Border Crossings”, The Poetry Project made up part of the programme – with a first reading in English, which was aimed at giving the polyglot audience direct access to the texts. Our poets read intimate poems on how they themselves crossed borders to leave their homeland – both national borders and highly personal borders. Their poems were also devoted to handling German culture, which appeared so alien at times, and the expectations of the families that they left so far away.

Works were read in German, Arabic and Farsi, as well as in English. We would like to thank Maxmarie Wilmoth and Hanna Baumann for translations into English and John Julian from the English Theatre Berlin for performing the English versions, which moved some of the audience to tears.

Organisation: Professor Dr. Sabine Schülting (Freie Universität Berlin)

Poets: Kahel Kashmiri, Mahdi Hashemi, Mahdi Rezaei, Michael Krasnov, Robina Karimi, Rojin Namer

Programme

The Poetry Project meets Eritrea | Foto © Rottkay

Literature Initiative Berlin

Hanna Schygulla @ ThePoetryProject | Foto © Rottkay
Hanna Schygulla | Photo: Rottkay

Tuesday, 20.02.2018 • 19:00 • Schwartzsche Villa

Arrival - My home in my luggage.

Reading of The Poetry Project e. V. in cooperation with the project TalentCAMPUS 18+ of the VHS Steglitz-Zehlendorf

Introduction: Hanna Schygulla reads from Jenny Erpenbeck's »going, left, gone« and Bertolt Brecht's »Concerning the label emigrants«. As a companion of the Literature Initiative, Hanna Schygulla supports literary projects for young people. At the same time, the promotion of young refugees and the exchange with them are particularly important to her.

The young people of the writing group VHS Steglitz, the writing group Pfefferwerk and DRK, as well as two winners of the Else Lasker-Schüler Lyrikpreis will read their poems and lyrical descriptions of fate. They wrote about their flight, the arrival in Germany, about loneliness, longing, love, freedom, exclusion, responsibility and respect.

Readings will be in Arabic, German, and Persian. After the reading, a discussion will take place.

Artistic Direction: Steffi Eisenschenk, The Poetry Project
Reading of the German texts: Florian Goldberg

Mahdi Hashemi | Foto © Rottkay

CityKirche Church Elberfeld Wuppertal

The Poetry Project | Foto © Rottkay
Samiullah Rasouli | Foto: Rottkay

Saturday, 10.02.2018 • Katholische Citykirche Elberfeld

Reading followed by a discussion: The young poets - Ghani Ataei, Mahdi Hashemi, Kahel Kashmiri, Samilullah Rasouli, Shahzamir Hataki, and Yasser Niksada - told us how difficult and at the same time exciting it is to come into our world from an entirely different one, how they try to overcome their fear of strangers, why writing is liberating for them, and also about their first heartache in Berlin. The Wuppertal poetry slammer Jan Philipp Zymny read the poems in German.

ELS-Lyrikpreis | Foto © Rottkay

Else Lasker-Schüler-Lyrikpreis – Award Ceremony

Günter Wallraff | Foto © Rottkay
Günter Wallraff | Foto: Rottkay

Friday, 09.02.2018 • Stadtsparkasse Wuppertal

Günter Wallraff honored the touching poems of the young poets with a flaming and, as it were, insightful speech. He also took the opportunity to criticise  the German government and its policy vis-a-vis refugees of war. Germany is not suffering from a »refugee crisis, but from a humanitarian crisis,« Wallraff said, recalling the summer of 2015, when many Germans had welcomed refugees. These helpful and liberal citizens were »still the majority,« but only then a short time later were drowned out by right-wing populist forces critical of foreigners. The author praised the promising talents of the award winners - »Your poetry opens the hearts of the people,« the Westdeutsche Zeitung quoted Wallraff's appeal: »Let us work together for a better future with those who seek refuge with us.« Westdeutsche Zeitung
The Mayor of Wuppertal Andreas Mucke read the poems in German.

»The texts are devastating, amazingly mature lyrical descriptions of fate by 14 to 18-year-old adolescents documenting the story of their escape. These poetic signs of life recall the work of German exiles such as Else Lasker-Schüler.« rbb

Else Lasker-Schüler-Gesellschaft

ThePoetryProject @ Sasha Waltz & Guests | Foto © Rottkay

Sasha Waltz & Guests

ThePoetryProject @ Sasha Waltz & Guests Shahzamir Hataki | Foto © Rottkay
Shahzamir Hataki | Photo © Rottkay

One Step Closer – Listening

Sunday, 26.11.2017 • 16:30 • Radialsystem • Studio A

Three refugee teenagers have been rehearsing with dancers of the Kindertanzcompany Berlin since September 2017. They are part of the open third room LISTENING, by Sasha Waltz & Guests, which creates an intersection between art, politics, public and private. The voices of the poets, the different languages ​​- Persian and German - the imagery of their poems and their thoughts overlap with the music, move through the space in dance. The atmosphere inside the room becomes denser, as contrasts emerge between the lightness of the dancers and the melancholy of the texts, and dissolves again as the melodies unite. The voices of Shahzamir, Yasser, and Mahdi open up a dialogue and take the audience into their world of thoughts, their experiences, their view of things.

From November 24th to 26th, Sasha Waltz invites artists, activists, and the audience for a programme of dance, music, film, conversation, and joint meals at Radialsystem V. The main topics are »The Art of Resistance« and »Empowerment of Communities«.

Kahel Kaschmiri, Aarash D. Spanta | Foto © Rottkay

International Literature Festival Berlin 2017

ThePoetryProject @ ilb 17 | Susanne Koelbl | Foto © Rottkay
Presentation: Susanne Koelbl | Photo: Rottkay

Refugee Authors’ Literary Reports on their Arrival in Germany

Saturday 16.09.2017 • 14:30 • 17th Berlin International Literature Festival

Young refugees presented their reports on experiences, worries and hopes associated with their arrival in Germany - Kahel Kashmiri with »The Torn Shoes«, Mahdi Hashmedi with »Shedding Skin« and Shahzamir Hataki with »Lionhearted«. The actor Matthias Scherwenikas read the reports in German. Excerpts of the reports could be read during the festival as part of an exhibition at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele.

Gedächtniskirche | Foto © Rottkay

Gedächtniskirche / Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

Yasser Niksada, Mahdi Hashemi und Samiullah Rasouli bei einer Lesung in der Gedächtniskirche | Foto © Rottkay
Yasser Niksada, Mahdi Hashemi, Samiullah Rasouli | Photo: Rottkay

10 Years of the Foundation Telefonseelsorge / Telephone Counselling Services

12.06.2017 • 19.30 • Memorial Church

Renate Künast spoke in the Gedächtniskirche (memorial church) on the anniversary of the founding of the Telefonseelsorge crisis hotline, an event at which the young poets Mahdi Hashemi, Yasser Niksada, and Samiullah Rasouli also recited their poems. Full of respect for the dedicated work of the telephone counselors and visibly touched by the readings by the young poets, the politician shared her ideas of successful cooperation in Berlin. The philosopher Florian Goldberg read the poems in German.

Lange Nacht der Ideen | Foto © Rottkay

Long Night of Ideas

The Poetry Project | Banner | Foto © Rottkay
Photo: Rottkay

12.05.2017 • 19:00 • Auswärtiges Amt

An event of the Federal Foreign Office on the occasion of the Long Night of Ideas, in which contents of Foreign Cultural and Educational Policy were presented, showing links to culture and education in Germany. The Central Office for Schools Abroad has developed the language learning program »German language diploma« for Welcome Classes. During the long night, various language and cultural projects with Welcome Classes were presented jointly with other partners. The philosopher Florian Goldberg read the poems in German.

Federal Office of Administration

Versfest Workshopteilnehmer | Foto © Rottkay

versfest Berlin

Schreibworkshop mit Susanne Koelbl | Foto © Rottkay
Susanne Koelbl with participants of the versfest 2017 | Photo: Rottkay

Reading and Workshop

20.03.2017 • 11:15 • Collegium Hungaricum

The Poetry Project workshop at the Versfest marked the starting point for cooperation with schools that want to use the Poetry Project in their integration work. One to two Persian-speaking girls and one to two Persian-speaking boys from grades 8-13 were able to attend the workshop. In addition, up to 150 pupils from grades 8-13 as well as any other interested members of the public were able to participate in the event as audience members.

versfest