The Left Berlin News & Comment

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Category: Campaign of the week

POC Art Collective

POC Artists working in Berlin


09/02/2023

“The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled.” John Berger

POC Art is an art collective based in Berlin consisting of artists and curators who emphasize the art of People of Color. POC Art aims at organizing cultural events such as film screenings, concerts, talks, and workshops.

On Tuesday, 14th February, POC Art is organising a showing of 3 short films from Palestine. (Films are in Arabic with English subtitles)

BETHLEHEM 2001

Dir. Ibrahim Handal, Palestine, 2020, 15 min.
While reflecting on the present, a young Palestinian recalls his childhood memories of the military invasion and siege of Bethlehem in 2001 during the second Intifada. By trying to understand how his parents led him through those difficult times, he hopes to find the strength and support he needs to cope with the present. “Bethlehem 2001”, which premiered in Locarno Film Festival, is a personal cinematic exploration to understand childhood trauma and its effects it can have on later life.

BY THE SEA (A’lbahr)
Dir. Wisam Al Jafari, Palestine, 2021, 12 min.
Struggling with both the occupation and the pandemic, a woman left alone with her son insists on having a semblance of normalcy by baking a cake to mark a special occasion. This film is an original take on a woman’s fight to keep her family together under unusual circumstances and against all odds.

AMBIENCE
Dir. Wisam Al Jafari, Palestine, 2019, 15 min.
For Ahmad and Khaled, music provides a welcome escape from the chaos and hectic atmosphere of the refugee camp where they live. Through a music competition, they hope to gain some fame. But where can they record their demo undisturbed? Ambience had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival’s Cinéfondation and shared the 3rd prize.

Wisam Al Jafaris, director of By the Sea and Ambience, will be attending the Event, Wisam Al Jafari was born in Dheisheh Camp in Bethlehem. He has a BA in Film Production from Dar Al Kalima University College.

The Event will take place in the Apartment Project Berlin, Hertzbergstr 13

 

Artsformation

Exploring the intersection between arts, society and technology.


02/02/2023

Artsformation is a research project exploring the intersection between arts, society and technology. We aim to understand, analyse, and promote the ways in which the Arts can reinforce the social, cultural, economic, and political benefits of digital transformation.

Artsformation investigates the potential of the Arts to intervene in critical social issues, with a view to remedying a range of abusive and exploitative aspects of digital technologies, such as labour politics, privacy and education. We aim to support and be part of the process of making our communities resilient and adaptive in the 4th Industrial Revolution through research, innovation and applied artistic practice.

On Friday, 3rd February, Artsformation is organising an Event in Berlin: The Art of Decolonising Digital Resistance

The absence of real dialogue between the arts, communities and the policy making process is detrimental to both the arts, public policy and our society at large. The Art of Decolonising Digital Resistance is a live participatory action, where the audience is anticipated to engage and respond to a series of artist provocations exploring how arts and culture practitioners can become a catalyst for decolonising resistance practices and creating an equitable European digital transformation.

At the heart of the discussion is the need to unlock the potential contribution from the arts to policymaking in our digital society. Τhrough this process the aim is to achieve practical reconciliation between artists, policymakers and communities across Europe who have been long excluded from public discourse and decision-making.

What are the potentialities unfolded in the relation between artists, communities and policy-makers in our digital society? What are the logics and conditions that govern such relationships? Participants will interact with an Assembly of artists and through hands-on actions will explore the intersection between the arts and public policy in Europe’s digital transformation as well as its various societal impacts.  Common to all of these questions is the urgency to foster empathy, mutual understanding and common objectives in a time where the digital transformation permeates all spheres of life.

Artistes Provocateurs: Jamie Allen, Marta Espiridião, Vukasin Nedeljkovic, Vijay Patel, Alice Pedroletti, Samar Zughool

The event will take place in the Betahaus Kreuzberg Innospace Room, Rudi-Dutschke-Straße 23. It will be from 5pm until 8pm.  To attend, guests should contact latrafoundation@gmail.com. A ticket to attend the event is not required.

 

Omas Gegen Rechts Berlin

Diversity, Human Dignity, Justice, Rersponsibility, Participation, Solidarity


26/01/2023

OMAS GEGEN RECHTS BEERLIN (Grannies Against the Far Right) was formed in Berlin in early 2018 as a non-partisan civil society initiative, following the group Omas Gegen Rechts which has been working in Austria since 2017.

The number of Omas Gegen Rechts initiatives grew quickly. There are currently several Omas Gegen Rechts groups in Berlin, each with its own focus.

Every granny can become active as a political force, and organise joint resistance with other grannies. The can raise their voice against the dissemination of agitation, intimidation and lies from the right wing.

Engaged women, identified by the initiative as Omas are, because of their life experience, vigilant and loud for the protection of parliamentary democracy and for social peace – for our children and grandchildren.

What do we Omas stand for in Berlin? DIVERSITY, HUMAN DIGNITY, JUSTICE, RESPONSIBILITY, PARTICIPATION, SOLIDARITY. WE GET INVOLVED:

Political friends from all generations are welcome at out actions.

On Monday, 30th January, Omas Gegen Reichts Berlin are once more mobilising against right wing conspiracy theorists and antisemites. Under the slogan “We are Diversity”, the protest will take place at Stargarder Straße 77, near S-Bahn Schönhauser Allee.

You can read more about Omas Gegen Rechts Berlin on their website.

English Theatre Berlin

Music, Comedy, Drama


19/01/2023

English Theatre Berlin | International Performing Arts Center (ETB | IPAC) is the German capital’s only producing and presenting organization in the Hauptstadt expressly dedicated to English, the 21st century lingua franca, as the working language, as a bridge between cultures, countries and traditions.

We collaborate with both English native speakers and non-native speakers in order to achieve a continuous exchange between artists of different backgrounds who mutually inspire and influence each other to create something new together.

Learning Feminism From Rwanda by Flinn Works January 19, 20, 21 at 8pm

Women in Europe are still fighting for what Rwanda achieved long ago: 62% of their members of parliament are female. In Germany, the figure is just 34%. This East African country declared gender parity the basis of its politics in 1994. Meanwhile in Germany, this kind of parity is still a long way off despite gender equality being enshrined in common law since 1949.

A Rwandan and a German performer discuss numbers and realities from both countries, using a drum as the central symbol of power. They take a peek behind the curtain: if women are empowered, how do men deal with losing their power and what are the lines of confrontation in the home? How slowly or quickly do quotas change a culture and the mindset of a nation?

With speeches, statistics, songs and protest choreography, Learning Feminism from Rwanda follows the trail of Rwandan fast-track feminism from shiny statistics and glass ceilings to hearth and home. Let’s see how much Europe can learn from Rwanda?

Heartburn by Cosmino Productions  January 26, 27, 28 at 8pm

Two women face the truth of the dissolution of the European egalitarian dream.

Everywhere they look things are not equal; in the taxi at the end of the night, on the bench in the middle of a village, in the congregation, in the boardroom, in the home. They tell stories of abortion, sing about violence and dance about menopause. They remember the lies they were told as children and question the hope that things might be different for future generations.

The performance uses puppetry, comedy, song, text and movement to create a hybrid, humorous and powerful perspective on being a woman in Europe today.

Klimaneustart Berlin

Yes to the referendum to make Berlin Climate Neutral by 2030.


12/01/2023

Did you know that Berlin will have a climate referendum next March?

The referendum aims to change the law to make Berlin climate-neutral by 2030 instead of 2045. Earlier implementation would make Berlin compatible with the 1.5°C target.

The alliance behind the Berlin 2030 climate neutral referendum wants to put further pressure on Berlin politics and raise public awareness for more climate justice. The team of Klimaneustart Berlin sees itself as a civil society movement that acts as a link and platform to advance the exchange between citizens, science and politics at eye level.

On March 26, 2023, everyone who is over 18 years old and has German citizenship can vote. Obviously, a successful referendum would have a signal effect for other European cities and hopefully also worldwide. At the moment, the initiative is raising money for a campaign via crowdfunding.

Please donate if you can for a greener Berlin!