Together with associations and organizations from Bonn, partners from all cultural sectors have put together a diverse programme that sheds light on the topic of exile in a variety of ways. In exhibitions, readings, plays, performances, films, lectures, workshops and concerts, the public is invited to change perspectives and exchange ideas.
"Democracies around the world are under pressure and freedoms are being restricted. With the Days of Exile, we want to make the voices of people audible who have had to leave their country of origin because of their commitment to democracy and human rights and want to continue their work in exile," says Sven Tetzlaff, Head of Democracy and Cohesion at the Körber Foundation.
"The fact that so many actors and initiatives in Bonn - both from the cultural sector and from the field of refugee aid - have taken up this important issue is a strong sign for democracy and human rights. Not only has a diverse program of events been created, but also a network for exile culture in Bonn," says Dr. Birgit Schneider-Bönninger, Head of the Department of Sport and Culture.
Speech on exile by Christopher Hope
On August 30, the Days of Exile will be opened at the LVR-Landesmuseum Bonn by Mayor Katja Dörner and Dr. Lothar Dittmer, Chairman of the Körber Foundation. Patron Christopher Hope will give the "Speech on Exile" at the opening ceremony. The South African writer and poet criticizes the apartheid regime in his works and was forced to emigrate in the 1970s.
Following the speech, he will join Sven Tetzlaff, Head of Democracy and Cohesion, Körber Foundation, and Dr. Birgit Schneider-Bönninger, Head of Sports and Culture, City of Bonn, in a panel discussion on various facets of flight and exile, including the UN Refugee Agency.
Event highlights
The musical theater performance "Hast du schon gehört" ("Have you heard?") on September 1 at Theater Marabu playfully examines the well-known fairy tale motif "the bad wolf" in terms of the dynamics of prejudice and conspiracy narratives, which are often at the beginning of exclusion and exile, and is aimed at everyone aged six and over. A workshop for families will take place afterwards.
From September 5, "The Singing and Greening Box" on the forecourt of Theater Bonn will become a resonating space for songs, mini-operas, poems and stories that tell of exile and persecution. The project invites all visitors to actively participate in the creation of this sounding archive.
On September 8, 11 and 13, the Bonn-Zentrum für Stadtgeschichte und Erinnerungskulturen Bonn will offer the tour "Erkundungen am Windeckbunker", which will be reinterpreted as the Forum Exilkultur, a living place of exile culture that will focus on historical and current experiences of exile.
To conclude the Days of Exile Bonn, the band "MASAA" will play at the Pantheon Theater as part of the Beethovenfest on September 14. All program information on the events of the Days of Exile Bonn can be found at www.tagedesexils.de (opens in a new tab) and can be downloaded below.
About the "Days of Exile"
The "Days of Exile" are an audience-oriented program of events and encounters organized by the Körber Foundation that gives people in exile a platform and builds a bridge between the present and the past. The focus is on both historical and current experiences of exile. The events encourage dialog and understanding between old and new citizens in order to contribute to better cohesion in society. Since 2016, the "Days of Exile" have been held regularly in Hamburg as well as in other cities such as Frankfurt am Main and Berlin. In 2024, the program will take place for the first time in cooperation with the City of Bonn.
The key visual for the Days of Exile Bonn on the cover of the program booklet was designed by Iranian artist and poet Farkhondeh Shahroudi, who received the "Exile Visual Arts Award" from the Körber Foundation in 2023.