Projekte und Erfolgsgeschichten im Jahr 2020

Kulturwochen – der andere Blick
Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Schleswig-Holstein e.V.

Kulturwochen is a joint project of the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation and the Central Education and Counselling Centre for Migrants in Schleswig-Holstein. In November 2020, the event series „Kulturwochen“ took place in Kiel for the first time. This year, the event’s focus was on Afghanistan, and next year it will be on Syria. The background of the project is that although many refugees have found a new home in Kiel since 2015, there are many citizens who have hardly any contact with people from other countries of origin. Especially in times when democracy is experiencing a shift to the right and opinions are polarising, it is particularly important to create spaces for cultural exchange and integration. The project therefore offers a platform in which exchanges of perspective and encounters are made possible.

The programme included online lectures on women’s rights in Afghanistan, mental health of refugees, deportations to Afghanistan, the ongoing peace negotiations and the impact of climate change. In addition, an online film discussion on the documentary TRUE WARRIORS took place with the filmmakers and protagonists. Dance performances, a cooking evening and an Afghan brunch, a fairy tale reading as well as various art exhibitions will take place in February 2021, due to Covid-19. The art exhibitions can also be visited online. Moreover, the photo project „Menschen AFGHANISTAN“ by Lis Kortmann was realised as an open-air exhibition. Kortmann portrayed 14 people from Afghanistan who have come to Schleswig-Holstein within the last three years to find a safe new home for themselves and their families.

Weitere Informationen: www.kulturwochen-kiel.de

Kontakt: Teresa Inclán
Email: inclan@boell-sh.de
Website: www.boell-sh.de

Type beyond borders – A Palestinian-German writing workshop
I see what you do not see
bridgeworks e.V.

In times when more walls have been erected, borders closed and decisions taken in a nationalistic manner, rapprochement and understanding beyond national borders is more important than ever.

In order to approach each other with respect and solidarity, stereotypes and prejudices must be broken down – but how is this possible? Stereotypes and prejudices are more the rule than the exception. Therefore, an unbiased approach is not that easy – if it were not for this anonymous meeting place where neither gender, age, appearance nor social status matters: The Internet.

Two authors, with no information about their counterparts, used this digital space for an open and unbiased encounter. On the same day, at the same hour, at distant places, looking out of their windows, they described what they saw to each other. Everyday scenes were examined, details such as sounds, light, location and atmosphere were precisely described.

In the course of the project, more and more details, questions, memories and observations were added. The image of the digital counterpart became more complete with each correspondence. Letter by Letter brought the writers closer to a better understanding of each other’s worlds and minds. Finally, after the completion of the one-month writing project, the identity of the authors was revealed.

Soofipour Omam from Berlin and Ahmed A. R. Al Banna from Gaza City

Kontakt: Felix Banholzer
E-Mail: felix@thebridgeworks.org
Website: www.thebridgeworks.org

Global Corona Blog
Eine Welt Netzwerk Thüringen

The Covid-19 pandemic, has had – and still has – a large impact on the lives of individuals, families and societies everywhere in our One World. The pandemic shows once more how interconnected and at the same time vulnerable our global network is. While the pandemic itself is not the result of global injustice, it affects people in different ways and threatens many of those who are already affected by inequality and disadvantages – in Germany, but even more so in countries of the so-called Global South.

Instead of having personal experiences and perspectives disappear behind numbers and statistics, we wanted to give the so-called crisis a face with our global-corona.blog and were honored with the Smart Hero Award in the category “Corona-Commitment” for our efforts. Since we started in March, we have collected more than 115 video and text contributions from 30 different partners worldwide, offering personal experiences, thoughts and insights about various topics regarding their lives during the pandemic, e.g. changes in everyday life, social and political effects and the situation of migrants and refugees.

These contributions are deliberately personal, taken from real life and report on the current situation in the respective country and respective region. By collecting these contributions and making them available to a broader audience, not only in Germany but worldwide (trough translations to English), we contribute to a global sustainable development and offer a platform for one thing our One World urgently needs in times of fragmented national responses and isolation: A change of perspective.

Weitere Informationen: https://global-corona.blog/

Kontakt: Franziska Weiland
E-Mail: f.weiland@ewnt.org

MPs 2030
IMPACT – Civil Society Research and Development e.V.

In 2020, IMPACT has implemented the project MPs 2030 to accompany, support and empower newcomers in Germany to become active leaders in politics and civil society.

In the last years, many young people from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries have found a new home in Germany. Many of them bring along valuable experience with democratic movements in their home countries and interest in politics and social issues. The project MPs 2030 lays the foundation for young newcomers to become active in German politics and civil society. It does not only expand their knowledge about the political system and ways to get involved, but also helps them to develop relevant practical skills.

In the framework of MPs 2030, one group of around 20 participants gathered regularly for workshops in our office in Berlin and online in an 8-month program. During these workshops, participants learned about the political system of Germany and the role of civil society. To realize their own projects in the future, they developed practical skills in areas such as project management, public speaking and conflict mediation. To establish their own network, they met and exchanged experiences with members of political parties and civil society organizations.

In 2021, we are planning to offer another round of workshops. Those interested in participating are welcome to apply in January 2021.

Weitere Informationen: https://www.impact-csrd.org/mps2030

Kontakt: Eva Welling
E-Mail: eva.welling@impact-csrd.org

Initiative for NGO Musical Diversity On The Radar
alba KULTUR

The initiative started in April 2020 during the first global lockdown. alba KULTUR and some activist of the global world music community (as present since 25 years at WOMEX and other music trade fairs, festivals and creative industries hubs) were inspired by the UNESCO ResiliArt debates and started an online debate on urgent and future needs of this not cultural sector. The goal is to reach out a strong voice from the community to cultural-political stakeholders, music & culture bodies and local, regional, national, global public institutions for participation and support.

Until today the community is highly exposed to the vagaries of politics and economics, because of its cultural extremely diverse structure with the variety of local musical roots as well as transcultural styles and identities and the fragile status of the most of artists, activists and organisations. Nevertheless, the community share common values as stated in the SDGs and the UNESCO Conventions on Cultural Diversity and Intangible Cultural Heritage and the believe, that it is in the broad interest of society not to leave this part of the cultural sector to the whims of market forces only.

The initiative for a global NGO Musical Diversity On The Radar is a not-for-profit and common-good-oriented culture organisation from the sector of musical diversity / world music / music of the world and focused on:

identification and development of sustainable work for artist and others professionals
lobbying for artist mobility and the creation of “Mobility Info Points” worldwide to intervene where possible in order to improve the existing situation (laws, rules, regulations, etc) of international cultural exchange.
lobbying for public financial support for the sector to empower this global music community
improvement of media presence

The initiative joined already forces with other initiatives worldwide – in India, Canada, France, with local activists in Asia, Africa and Europe and with the IMC to build an inclusive organisation for the dynamic, divers and global – local community.

Weitere Informationen: https://soundcloud.com/babelmusicxp/nouvelles-cooperations-et-solidarites-des-acteurs-professionnels-pour-une-relance

Kontakt: Birgit Ellinghaus
E-mail: birgit@albakultur.de
Webiste: www.albakultur.de

Coding da Vinci Saar-Lor-Lux 2020
Cross-Border Hackathon with Open Cultural Data
xm:lab – Experimental Media Lab and K8 Institut für strategische Ästhetik

Coding da Vinci, the hackathon for open cultural data, brings actors from the worlds of culture and technology together in a collaborative format. In 2020, and for the first time, Coding da Vinci was organized as a hybrid decentralized, face-to-face and digital format. It crossed not only the boundaries between culture and technology but moved back and forth across national borders within the cross-border region Saar-Lor-Lux (including Saarland / Germany, Grand Est / France, Luxembourg as well as Wallonia / Belgium).

Coding da Vinci is the first German open cultural data hackathon, founded in Berlin in 2014. Following the success of the first regional Coding da Vinci event, Coding da Vinci Nord organized in Hamburg in 2016, the project started expanding around the country with regional events.

In 2020, xm:lab and K8 Institut für strategische Ästhetik, together with five co-organizing institutions from Saarland (Germany), Grand Est (France) and Luxembourg, hosted the first cross-border and bi-lingual edition of Coding da Vinci and adapted it as a fully digital, decentralized format to be implemented even in times of crisis. Following a series of onboarding workshops in partner regions, representatives from institutions and creative tech communities from Germany, France and Luxembourg came together during the Kick-Off-Weekend via a video conference platform, co-created ideas and developed prototypes of digital applications making cultural heritage available (as open cultural data) to a wider public. The final award ceremony, which was organized as an offline event, took place in the former French embassy in Saarbrücken, Germany.

3 countries – Germany, France, Luxembourg

18 data providers from Saarland, Lorraine and Luxembourg

27 provided open cultural data sets exceeding 450 GB

81 participants from Germany, France and Luxembourg

11 teams co-creating ideas for digital applications using open cultural data in an exclusively digital and decentralized way of collaboration

9 prototypes based on at least one of the newly provided data sets registered to present at the final award ceremony