Can we still give peace a chance?
In the face of the rapid escalation of the war in the Ukraine, tens of thousands come together in Berlin to protest for peace
Twenty thousand were expected. But then more than 100,000 people massed in the centre of Berlin on 27 February to show solidarity with the Ukraine. On a day when Russian president Putin issued a not so veiled nuclear threat in retaliation, he says, for NATO aggression.
According to the Russian media, who are not allowed to use the word “war”, what is going on in the Ukraine is an “operation to secure peace”. Still, in about 50 Russian cities, people also came together to protest the “operation”.
Shortly before the demonstration started, the German government, in a special convocation of the Bundestag (parliament), announced a number of measures to isolate Russia and block its aggression, many of them complete turnarounds from policies they had held even days before.
Not far away, more than a hundred thousand people streamed from the U-Bahn and S-Bahn stations, cycled or walked into city centre with their signs and flags. Infants, children, young adults, the elderly, they came pushing bikes and prams, some accompanied by their dogs, to show solidarity with the Ukrainians, anger at Putin, and hope and desire for peace. In this anxious, fraught moment, where we all hope politicians will hold their nerve, make wise decisions and avert catastrophe, the ability to come together (especially after years of covid-enforced isolation) felt like a hymn to humanity.
No future for Zukunft am Ostkreuz?
Zukunft am Ostkreuz, a much loved arthouse cinema and cultural venue, has not been able to renew its lease. Its demise would represent a huge loss to the local community as well as the city of Berlin
Another casualty of gentrification – Berlin’s most viral pandemic, if not for the current exploding numbers of corona cases. Zukunft am Ostkreuz – the name now conveys a certain irony, as it means “future at Ostkreuz” – is soon to be no more, unless its landlord can be convinced to spare it.
Once a film warehouse during the DDR era, Zukunft is one of the cultural hubs of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district. The building in the east of Berlin, near the city’s Ostkreuz train station, houses an arthouse cinema, theatre stage, exhibition area and music club. Its premises also includes an open-air cinema and stage as well as a beer garden. Zukunft even brews its own beer in an eponymous microbrewery.
Yet, on top of the many hardships of covid and its restrictions, the landlord of Zukunft has not renewed its lease, which was “terminated in an already difficult time, in the middle of the pandemic”, manager Manuel Godehardt told Berlin news agency rbb.
No reason was given for not renewing the lease. But looking around, it’s not hard to draw conclusions. The venue is surrounded by construction sites for high-end office buildings. Luxury apartments are being built nearby, as well as a new tourist attraction: an aquarium for exotic fish and coral, with an accompanying hotel. Property in this rapidly changing part of the city is likely too mouth-watering to be left untouched by developers.
‘We will not and cannot accept this’
Daniel Bartsch, spokesperson for culture administration, Berlin Senate
Many residents, however, feel the pain and deplore the soulless expansion of their neighbourhood. Several demonstrations have taken place in the area to protest building projects. And there is fear for the existence not only of the treasured Zukunft, but also for the clubs About Blank and Wilde Renate.
If Zukunft goes, it’s likely to take its local affiliated small cinemas – Tilsiter Lichtspiele and Kino Intimes – with it, as much of their income derives from the selling of Zukunft’s craft beers: Goldene Zukunft (golden future) and the sadly prophetically named Dunkle Zukunft (dark future).
A local organisation concerned about the explosion in development, Baustelle Gemeinwohl (“public welfare construction site”) has formed a workshop to create a cooperative vision for a possible new building on the site. Together with its partners, it has entered negotiations with the owners of the site, Groß-Berliner-Damm GmbH & Co. KG and Grundwert AG (represented by Orion Hausverwaltung GmbH) to come up with solutions for a building compromise that serves all sides. Results of the negotiation are expected at the end of January, with possible next steps to be discussed.
Let’s hope, for the sake of the future of the neighbourhood, that discussions are fruitful. As Daniel Bartsch, speaking for Berlin’s Senate culture administration, told rbb, every cultural institution that disappears in the city is a loss for Berlin’s cultural landscape, and “We will not and cannot accept this”.
The lease is up on 31 March 2022. People who wish to preserve Berlin’s unique cultural landscape and make their voices heard for the future of Zukunft can sign a petition.
Rebels with a cause
January stage roundup in ExBerliner magazine
Alienation and raging against the machine has been a virulent reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic. A number of shows opening on Berlin stages reflect the mood. Find the full article here on the ExBerliner website.
Hit me, baby, one more time
A new show created by writer Lena Brasch and actor Sina Martens focuses on the Britney Spears in all of us – interview in ExBerliner magazine
“There’s something unrestrained about this father-daughter relationship, a dramatic excessiveness that you look for in theatre,” says Sina Martens in an interview with her and writer/director Lena Brasch in the January edition of ExBerliner. Read it here.
The Ghost of Ballyfeckit Hall
The literary spirit in a writers’ retreat can move people in strange ways
MARIUS pushed himself up from his desk and sighed. Maybe another cup of coffee would help. He’d already had seven today, and it was only 11.30, but didn’t writers do everything to excess? Speaking of which, he carefully closed the web browser on his computer screen. No need for anyone to see what he’d been looking at.
Passing the mirror on his way to the door of his room, he couldn’t avoid another act of self-hatred and stared at himself. What he saw was a sad-looking man, late thirties, balding early, with a soft fold of stomach hanging over his trouser waistband that his dirty shirt couldn’t contain. He noticed a large coffee stain on the crest of his belly that wasn’t there before. Instead of putting on a new shirt, he gave himself up as hopeless and hung his coat over the mirror.
He closed his door behind him – without locking it, no keys needed, or given out, at Ballyfeckit Hall. A writers’ retreat, in the middle of nowhere: nobody had anything worth taking. Especially Marius. Because he’d only written about a page since he got there last week, and he’d already thrown it in the bin. The floarboards creaked their disdain at him as he walked down the old wooden hallway. What, he asked himself, was he doing there? Yes, somehow he had managed to win a competition to spend a month there. God knows how. The story he had sent in didn’t seem worth it, just a tale about nothing in particular, but still, he won. And now he was there, taking part in workshops, meeting other writers who seemed full of talent and confidence. And after a week he had nothing to show for himself but a long face and a dirty shirt.
Going down the stairs, he heard voices in the kitchen. One of them was Alicia. And now he wished he had changed his shirt. Instead, he grabbed a cardigan that was lying across a chair in the hall and quickly buttoned it up over himself. It wasn’t really big enough, and the edges gaped in between the buttons, but better than the big coffee stain over his big belly.
But Alicia still gave him a big smile as he hove into view. She was just lovely in every way. Friendly, chatty, and a successful author of chick lit – or as she called it, contemporary relationship literature. He straightened up, sucked in his stomach and entered the kitchen.
“Hello,” Marius said genially. “Hi Alicia. How are you getting on with your work?”
But then there was a noise at the back door, and Alicia had eyes and ears for him no more. It was Reynard, just in from running. He was an author and media figure, and Marius felt a mixture of resentment, envy and guilty satisfaction.
Reynard was sweaty, his clothes damp in the way that Marius’s clothes didn’t get damp. As well as the dark patches under his arms, there was a triangle of sweat on the back of his Hay Festival T-shirt. His face glistened. When Marius sweated – usually from having to climb too many stairs – he got damp patches under his man boobs. And Reynard smelt like, well, like he looked: a sweaty, manly man, oozing pheromones. Marius smelt like nerves and wet dog. He was lucky if that was the worst of it after climbing too many stairs.
“Anyone seen my notebok?” Reynard asked in his strong, fruity voice.
“Your notebook?” Alicia squeaked, her voice about two octaves higher. “You haven’t lost it?”
“Afraid so. I can’t find it anywhere.”
“Let me help you look,” Alicia offered, far too eagerly.
“No, no. Please don’t trouble yourself.”
“Oh, it wouldn’t be any trouble,” Alicia said, laying a manicured hand on his arm.
Reynard looked around at all the writers. Marius felt like Reynard looked the longest, the most intensely at him. “Has anyone seen it?”
Marius shook his head, shrugged his shoulders, looked around him. That felt like the most innocent thing to do. “Can I help you look for it?” That, he thought, would make him look even more innocent.
“No, it’s OK. I’m sure it will turn up.”
Reynard strode out. Alicia got up after him. “I’d better go help him. Men … ” She rolled her eyes at the others. “They’re so helpless.”
Marius watched her leave. He had little interest in the coffee now, but poured himself a cup anyway, so it didn’t look like he came down only for her and was disappointed.
“Hey,” said one of the other writers at the breakfast table, “I’ve got a cardigan just like that.” Unfortunately, it was one of the women.
“That’s a coincidence,” said Marius, and left the room with his cup.
As he walked out, someone said, “Maybe the ghost took it?”
They all laughed, but Marius shivered. Ballyfeckit Hall, apparently, was haunted. The people staying there told him stories about the ghost, who was the founder of the manor house. He had died after playing a terrible trick on his cousin, who ran him through with a dagger while he laughed. After that, MacMurdle – that was the name of the dead lord – remained a fiendish joker, even in death. He stole things, hid them, destroyed them, soiled them with his ghostly blood.
Marius was afraid of ghosts. He had not been pleased when he heard this story.
He paused on his way back to his room, looking out the bay window at the vast roll of lawn down to the lake. The sun was nearly overhead and glinted knifelike off the water. He sighed and went up the stairs.
He couldn’t go through with it. He would go back to his room, pull Reynard’s notebook from under his underwear at the bottom of the drawer, where he had hidden it, and leave it somewhere. Then someone else would find it. They’d all think the ghost had taken it. Then it would be over, and Marius could go back to tearing out what little hair he had left at his writing desk.
As climbed the creaking wooden staircase, he unbuttoned the pilfered cardigan with his free hand. The sides of the garment sprang open like an impatiens seed pod as the buttons popped open. He opened the door to his room and tugged one arm out of a sleeve – a delicate operation while holding the cup of coffee – switched hands and prepared to tug off the other – when he heard a cackle.
Someone was lying on his bed. “Lying” was not quite the right word, as the someone was actually hovering several inches above it. This person turned his transparent face to him with glee and cackled again, waving a notebook – Reynard’s notebook.
Marius started and spilt most of the coffee over himself – and, unfortunately, the cardigan, now hanging from his wrist. He didn’t scream – he wanted to, he tried to – but no sound would come out.
“This is the most marvellous bit of literature! With this to hand, who would read novels? HA HA HA HA HA HA!”
“Who … who … ” Marius’s voice sounded strangled.
But he didn’t need to ask. The ghost had a large, messy-looking hole in its chest. It didn’t look bloody anymore, just darker, not reflective moon-white like the rest of him.
“Listen to this,” the ghost rasped, then read, “‘That tart Alicia is really into me. I’ll keep ignoring her for a day or two more, then, when she’s totally gagging for it, I’ll let her help me with something. Maybe I’ll confide in her about my ex-wife being cruel to me. I’ll just have to figure out which ex-wife I’ll mention.’ You couldn’t make it up!”
“You’re it,” Marius stammered. “You’re the ghost.”
“That’s not very polite. I am MacMurdle. You should show me more respect, now that I have the notebook you stole from Reynard. HA HA HA!”
“How do you – ?”
“‘She looks like a sheepdog having a bad hair day,’” MacMurdle read on, “but, still, writers are generally unlovely, and she’s the best of the lot.’ A gentleman, our Reynard. ‘Afterwards, I’ll offer to read some of her manuscript. It’s probably the usual drivel, but there’ll be something in there that will be useful to me, I’m sure.’”
It was true, Marius thought. Reynard did not sound like a very nice person.
“He isn’t a nice person,” MacMurdle said. Could he read Marius’s thoughts? “And doesn’t think much of you, either: ‘There’s a new inmate this year. How he got in I can’t imagine. A doughy dolt who hasn’t a brain in his head. And less personality. Alicia said he looked like a yesterday’s waterballoon with a slow leak.’”
That stung. Marius wondered why he hadn’t actually read any of the notebook. Too much reverence for the famous Reynard. As it was, stealing the thing was turning out to be its own punishment, an own goal.
MacMurdle grinned at Marius. He was enjoying himself. “You stole it, and didn’t read it? What were you going to do with it?”
“I was just … I don’t know. I was jealous.”
MacMurdle cackled. “That big, muscle-bound fathead. He comes here every year. Always steals other people’s ideas. Some woman always develops a fancy for him. And then he steals her work and puts it in his books. And even so, what has he actually published? One book ten years ago that nobody reads anymore. You might say it was ghostwritten. HA!”
MacMurdle bobbed gleefully from Marius’s bed and floated towards him. Marius froze as the ghost grinned into his face. “Let’s have some fun, shall we?”
MacMurdle the ghost disappeared through the wall with the notebook. How did he manage to take the notebook through the wall, Marius thought. He was still in shock. And hurt. But feeling less guilty about stealing the notebook, much less. What was MacMurdle going to do with it? Was he going to give him away?
From downstairs he heard a shriek. “It’s the ghost! AAAAAHHHHHH!” It sounded like Alicia.
“Listen to this!” It was the voice of MacMurdle.
Marius smiled with private pleasure and sipped what was left of his coffee.
A version of this story originally appeared in the German magazine Spotlight
Turmoil in Thuringia
With the shock election of a minority party member to the position of minister president of Thuringia with the help of the AfD, Germany’s political landscape suffers an earthquake
While all eyes seem to be riveted on the US presidential impeachment – or lack thereof – simmering political turmoil in Germany has suddenly erupted into scandal. The situation was described this morning by Chancellor Angela Merkel as an “unforgivable process”.
The event that has set the cat amongst the pigeons was the election of FDP (Free Democratic Party) candidate Thomas Kemmerich to the position of minister president in the German state of Thuringia. Innocuous? Not so much.
Although the Thuringia state election took place on 27 October 2019, the results gave no clear majority to any party – but with the two parties on the fringes of the political spectrum gaining the most support. The far left-leaning die Linke secured 30 per cent of votes, followed in second place by the far-right AfD (Alternativ für Deutschland) with 23.4 per cent. The only other party with comparable figures was the centre-right CDU (Christian Democratic Union), trailing the AfD with 21.7 per cent of the vote. The centre-right, neo-liberal FDP just squeaked in with 5 per cent.
The results show a state riven by political discord. This played out in the attempts to elect a minister president to lead the government. The now former minister president Bodo Ramelow, a Linke party member, had been expected to resume his position.
But rancour amongst the various parties could not be resolved, coalition agreements could not be reached. The CDU – which could have formed a coalition with die Linke – refused to go into government with them. No party wished to work together with the AfD, known for its anti-immigrant stance, branded racist in many quarters, and harbouring alleged connections and sympathies with the Nazis.
Three votes took place. The Linke and AfD parties both put candidates up for the state parliamentary vote for minister president: Ramelow by die Linke, and independent candidate Christoph Kindervater by the AfD. Ramelow was unable to regain victory with the combined votes from his own party, the SPD and the Greens. In the third round, a new, surprise candidate presented himself: Kemmerich from the FDP, the party least represented in the Thuringian state parliament. He won over Ramelow by one vote, 45 to 44 – with every member of the AfD switching their vote to him from their own candidate in this round. Together with the support of the CDU and Kemmerich’s FDP, it was enough to push him through.
Conspiracy theories about agreements – secret or tacit – abound, although the FDP insist there were no discussions or trade-offs, and that they would not work together with the AfD. But the political, press and social media shitstorm whipped up by this event has taken over the airwaves – nudging even the coronovirus into second place.
Politicians from almost all corners have resoundingly condemned Kemmerich’s acceptance of the vote, many calling for new state elections in Thuringia. Up to now, Kemmerich has, however, remained firm and insists that he has been legitimately elected to the post of minister president. Both Merkel and CDU party leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer have voiced their disapproval, with AKK saying that her compatriots in Thuringia voted against the advice of the federal party leadership, and threatening consequences. Even in Bavaria, Markus Söder, the leader of the CSU (Christlich Social Union, right-leaning sister party of the CDU), said that his party would “not take part in any such adventure if it extended to the federal level”. A tweet from CSU party member Dorothee Bär, however, congratulated Kemmerich for his victory – and was immediately and vociferously condemned and swiftly removed.
After the vote, Ramelow quoted Hitler in a tweet on Wednesday evening: “‘We aimed for our greatest success in Thuringia … The parties in Thuringia that formed the government up to now will not be able to command a majority without our help.’” The tweet refers to the fact that Thuringia was the first German state in the Weimar Republic to include the Nazis in its notorious Baum-Frick government in 1930, helping to pave the way for their dominance across Germany.
The spectre of Nazism remains fresh – reminding most people of what once happened, what could happen and what should never again take place.
BREAKING NEWS
Bowing to pressure, the newly elected minister president Thomas Kemmerich has announced he is stepping down. The FDP in Thuringen plans to put forward a proposal to dissolve the state parliament and precipitate a new election.