VOICE ∙ PROTEST ∙ FREEDOM: A festival evening featuring music, literature, discussions, and film

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The GDR wanted to silence Wolf Biermann. After a concert in Cologne in 1976, it revoked his citizenship and barred him from returning. But his voice only grew louder, stirring both parts of divided Germany alike.

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Fifty years later, Wolf Biermann is back on stage. He sings and speaks about a life straddling East and West. Angela Merkel recalls his expatriation with personal reflections. Pinar Atalay moderates discussions with Wolf Biermann, Balbina, and contemporary witnesses. In literary and artistic panoramas, prominent voices from the worlds of theater, literature, and music engage with his work. Writers in exile read their own texts on protest, loss, language, and freedom, drawing parallels to the present day. The program concludes with the new documentary BIERMANN (2026).

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Featuring: Wolf Biermann, Angela Merkel, Balbina, Fabian Hinrichs, Pinar Atalay, Betterov, Gabriele Stötzer, Milan Peschel, Julia Franck, Thomas Brussig, Bettina Wegner, Durs Grünbein, Charlotte Gneuß, Andrej Hermlin, Julia Schoch, Marko Martin, Lea Streisand, Lukas Rietzschel, Doris Liebermann, Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk, and others. Voices of Exile: Alhierd Bacharevič, Delschad Numan Khorschid, Volha Hapeyeva, Ali Abdollahi, Mariam Meetra, Kateryna Mishchenko, Taqi Akhlaqi, and Widad Nabi

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Doors open: 4:00 p.m.

Program: 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.