Festival of Solidarity in Cologne: Art for Freedom and Peace!

Festival of Solidarity in Cologne: Art for Freedom and Peace!

On Friday evening the time had finally come: the 6th Festival of Solidarity started in Cologne, which was launched by the “Voices of Solidarity” association. This special event, which runs until November 11th, is dedicated to important topics such as freedom, repression, migration and resistance. The festival is supported by the city of Cologne as well as the Ministry of Culture of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Federal Ministry for Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ). Partners have been meticulously selected, including the Willi Eichler Academy, the Cologne Peace Education Center and the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.

The festival opened ceremoniously with a thrilling concert by Grup Üryan and Devrim Kavalli in the Kulturbunker Mülheim. There are numerous events on the program in the next few days, which will take place in various locations such as the Ehrenfeld Community Center, the Book Salon and the Cologne Film House.

A look at the topics

A central concern of the festival is to make imprisoned artists and political prisoners visible. The club members Hamide Akbayır and Naciye Alpay emphasized the importance of this topic. Particularly interesting is the exhibition “Sus-ma” (Don’t Speak), which opened on Saturday and shows works by inmates from prisons and is part of the “Görülmüştür” project.

A discussion forum moderated by journalist Elmas Topçu was dedicated to freedom of expression in Turkey. Here, participants such as Dilan Kunt Ayan, Alin Ozinian, Yusuf Karadaş, Ümit Altaş and Kadir Akın criticized the authoritarian tendencies and double standards in Turkish domestic and foreign policy. Ayan’s appeal for the release of the imprisoned political prisoners in Turkey was particularly emotional. In addition, asylum policy in Germany was examined, a topic that is causing widespread concern following the recent tightening of laws and the erosion of asylum law.

Today's festival day

Today the festival's motto is “Özgürlük / Freedom”. Contributions from important personalities are planned, including the human rights activist Şebnem Korur Fincancı, journalists and ex-prisoners. The crowning conclusion of the day is the reading of the play “Uzaklara Bakamamak” (The view into the distance) with the actress Tülin Şahin Okay.

The festival not only reflects the violence and resistance of persecuted artists, but also has a clear international connection. An example of this is the protests that took place in Berlin a few days ago under the slogan “Free Palestine,” where thousands demonstrated for peace in the Middle East and an immediate ceasefire. The background to this protest is the conflict situation between Hamas and Israel that escalated sharply after the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7th, which has already cost the lives of thousands of civilians. [Alamy](https://www.alamy.com/palestine-solidaritat-demonstration-deu-germany-germany-berlin-04112023-demonstrators-with-sign-it-not-a-it-was-genocide-au for the rally and demonstration by a broad alliance of Palestinian political groups and the peace movement under the motto Free Palace ina-free-palestine-and-democratic-fundamental-rights-defend-freedom-of-speech-also-for-palestinians-protesting-for-peace-in-the-middle-east-and-an-immediate tigen-ceasefire-in-berlin-germany-the-conflict-between-hamas-and-israel-intensifies-after-the-deadly-terror-in-ham-image572809815.html) reported participants carrying placards reading “It’s Not a War, It Is Genocide.”

This festival clearly shows how art functions as a means of solidarity. The word “art” itself has complex roots and essentially means “knowledge, ability”, which is supposedly demonstrated by the enormous creative expressions presented during these moving days. Wiktionary provides interesting insights into the historical evolution of the term and emphasizes the diverse meanings of art in different languages.

The coming days therefore promise not only profound discussions and moving art, but also a strong community that sends a clear signal of solidarity in times of repression and injustice.