We participated with five of our poets: Mariia Kaziun, Iryna Omelyanchuk, 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.
Image: © Mustafa Aliesa/Miguel Parada
