Three years ago, THE MANY were founded. Hundreds of activists from the independent arts scene paraded through the streets in Berlin with shiny golden flags to demonstrate against a far-right march: “UNITE&SHINE” happenings against hatred, alongside actions and discussions within the cultural scene, led to 35 regional Declarations of THE MANY in 2018. Almost all theatres and cultural institutions in the city signed the “Berlin Declaration of THE MANY”. Meanwhile, more than 4000 art and cultural institutions in over 50 cities in Germany and Austria have formed THE MANY, displaying a joint commitment against the “culture war from the right” and campaigning for an open and diverse society. On 8 and 9 May 2020, days of shining action took place to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the war and Europe’s liberation from the fascism of National Socialism, as well as the 70th birthday of the European Union. Together with Auschwitz survivor Esther Bejarano, THE MANY demand that 8 May be made a public holiday. They also renew their call for an open Europe. On the occasion of the movement’s third birthday, THE MANY will be holding a discussion at HAU Hebbel am Ufer. In an opening statement, Philine Rinnert and Holger Bergmann, co-founders and chairpeople of THE MANY (DIE VIELEN e.V.), tackle the question of “what to do?” in the current situation. After all, in the current pandemic, social injustices and global human rights violations are magnified. What do slogans like “solidarity instead of privileges” and “art remains free!” mean in such a situation? What can we do about the rapid spread of the conspiracy theory virus? How can we take care of ourselves? These and other questions will be discussed by activists and supporters of THE MANY on 17 June at #HAUonline.
With Amelie Deuflhard, Annemie Vanackere, Fanni Halmburger (She She Pop), Carina Book, and Carsten Brosda amongst others in dialogues with Alexander Karschnia (THE MANY).
Afterwards Priya Basil, Teresa Koloma Beck, Margarita Tsomou and Max Czollek will discuss the old new question: What to do?!
An event by THE MANY (DIE VIELEN) in cooperation with HAU Hebbel am Ufer. Presented as part of #HAUonline.