BİRLİKTE 2024

"Birlikte", which means "together", "together" or also "заедно", "baham", "împreună" or "μαζί". A Turkish word that symbolizes the cohesion of people from different cultures. After all, Keupstrasse and our society are as multilingual and diverse as the people who live in it.

Twenty years ago, members of the self-proclaimed "National Socialist Underground" (NSU) set off a nail bomb in Keupstrasse in Cologne. It was placed in front of a hairdressing salon and exploded shortly before 4 p.m. on June 9, 2004. 22 people were injured, four of them seriously. The attack and the subsequent one-sided investigations and media reports, which for a long time suspected the residents themselves, led to mistrust and isolation. Even though Keupstrasse is diverse and lively again twenty years later, some injuries still persist today.

One thing is certain: no commemoration, no concert and no celebration can undo the attack and its consequences. But it is up to us whether the seeds of racist violence sprout or whether we succeed in finding an equal form of coexistence. In BİRLİKTE, looking back - in the fight against forgetting - and looking forward - for the creation of a common vision using the peaceful means of art and culture - are inextricably linked.

After a prelude on the evening before, Sunday, June 9, 2024, will be all about encounters and shared remembrance: from readings to great musical acts. From film screenings to exhibitions and walk-in places of remembrance. From panel discussions to a program by, with and for children and young people. From theater to speeches by those affected and activists. From encounters over a meal together to the closing party with Allstyle Dance Battle. Everyone is welcome and the entire program on 9 June is free of charge. Because remembrance and change can only happen TOGETHER!

Click here for the entire program.