Goethe-Institut im Exil

POETS IN THE FLESH: TAQI AKHLAQI! ⚡️ What drives you as a writer in exile? What themes are you exploring in your work? What will you carry with you forever? And, just for fun – who would you choose to be stuck in an elevator with? The Goethe-Institut in Exile invites you to discover the incredible authors featured in our LITERATURES IN EXILE reading series. Take a moment to hear their stories! ✨ Our sixth featured author is Afghan writer and journalist Taqi Akhlaqi (@taqi.akhlaqi). ✨ Born in 1986 in Afghanistan, Taqi Akhlaqi is an award-winning journalist and author. After spending many years with his family in Iran, he returned to Afghanistan to study international relations in Kabul. Taqi’s debut novel, “Kabul 1400” (originally written in Farsi/Dari), was published by Borj Verlag in Iran in 2023. He regularly contributes reports on Afghanistan for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung. In 2021, Taqi became the first Afghan writer to receive a fellowship from the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program. In 2023, he was awarded a fellowship from the “Weltoffenes Berlin” program by the Berlin Senate and curated a contemporary Afghan literature event at the 23rd International Literature Festival Berlin (@ilb_festival). His play “Ohne Tee kann man nicht kämpfen” was staged in Krefeld and Mönchengladbach in April 2024. Taqi’s recent book in German, “Versteh einer die Deutschen”, was published by Sujet Verlag (@sujet_verlag) in 2024. Taqi has been living in Berlin since September 2021, following the return of the Taliban. Enjoy the video and follow us for more! 💚

POETS IN THE FLESH: MA THIDA! ⚡️ What drives you as a writer in exile? What are you working on these days? How would you describe living in multiple contexts? And what does freedom mean to you personally? The Goethe-Institut in Exile invites you to meet the remarkable authors who have participated in our reading series LITERATURES IN EXILE. Take a moment to listen to their stories! ✨ Our fifth featured author is the Burmese writer, human rights activist, surgeon, and former political prisoner Ma Thida. She is considered one of her country’s leading intellectuals. ✨ Born in 1966 in Yangon, Myanmar, Thida is known for her works addressing the political situation in Myanmar. She was President of PEN Myanmar until the military coup in 2022 and is now a fellow of the Writers-in-Exile Programme of the PEN Centre Germany (@pendeutschland). Thida wrote under the pseudonym “Suragamika”, publishing books often perceived as a threat by the government. In 1993, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison for supporting the democracy movement. After 5.5 years of imprisonment, she was released due to pressure from international human rights organizations. Her works, including both essays and novels, focus on Myanmar’s political and social challenges. She has received several awards, including the Reebok Human Rights Award and the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award. One of her works is currently featured in the exhibition “Once We Were Trees, Now We Are Birds”, a joint project by the Martin Roth-Initiative, the ifa-Gallery Berlin (@ifagalleryberlin), and the Goethe-Institut in Exile. Enjoy the video and follow us for more! 💚

SYRIA: QUO VADIS? YASMIN MEREI! How does the political upheaval in Syria affect you and your work? What are your thoughts on the current situation in the country? Where do you see the greatest challenges and opportunities following the fall of the Assad regime? The Goethe-Institut in Exile invites the Syrian artists and cultural workers featured in our new ‚SYRIA: QUO VADIS?‘ event series to share their perspectives on the ongoing political changes. Our first featured cultural worker is Berlin-based journalist, literary scholar, and women’s rights advocate Yasmin Merei (@yasmine.merei). We met her at the intimate Arab bookstore Khan Aljanub (@khanaljanub) in Berlin-Neukölln, just before her first visit to Syria in 12 years. Born in Homs in 1984, Yasmin Merei is an expert in communication, civic education, and leadership training, passionate about social equality and empowering marginalized groups. From 2013 to 2016, she served as the editor-in-chief of ‚Saiedet Souria,‘ a women’s magazine, and co-founded the Forum for Knowledge and Freedom of Expression in Turkey, a pioneering Syrian dialogue initiative in exile. In 2015, she received the Feuchtwanger Fellowship at Villa Aurora (@villaaurorala) in Los Angeles and collaborated with Sasha Waltz & Guests (@sashawaltzandguests) until 2018 with support from the Allianz Foundation (@allianzfdn). Since 2020, Yasmin has focused on ‚Women for Common Spaces‘ (@w_f_c_s), a Berlin-based project she founded to preserve the memory of female exiles and train young refugee women in leadership. Yasmin is additionally the curator of the first two editions of our ‚SYRIA: QUO VADIS?‘ event series. 🔜 On Tuesday, February 18th, we welcome Yassin al-Haj Saleh, one of the leading literary voices of the Syrian opposition, along with gender researcher Nisren Habib and writer Najat Abed Alsamad, to ACUD. In conversation with Yasmin Merei, they will discuss the topic ‚SYRIA: QUO VADIS? FREEDOM, HOME, PRIS

POETS IN THE FLESH: AAIÚN NIN! ⚡️ What drives you as a writer in exile? What does freedom mean to you personally? What book recently inspired you? And what themes are you exploring in your writing? The Goethe-Institut in Exile invites you to meet the remarkable authors who have participated in our reading series LITERATURES IN EXILE. Take a moment to listen to these powerful voices! ✨ Our fourth featured author is the extraordinary Angolan writer and visual and performance artist, Aaiún Nin. ✨ Born in 1991 in Angola, Aaiún Nin made their poetry debut in 2022 with Broken Halves of a Milky Sun (@astrapublishinghouse), followed by the 2023 German translation, Denn Schweigen ist ein Gefängnis (@enverlag), translated by Olaide E. Frank (@olaidee_frank). Nin’s poetry grapples with profound themes of dehumanization, shame, grief, and physical violence. Their work explores the complexities of exile, the tension within familial love, and the resilience of queer love and desire—through a body that longs to love and be loved. We fondly recall the evening of December 4, 2024, when Aaiún Nin performed alongside Yirgalem Fisseha Mebrahtu at the Haus für Poesie (@hausfuerpoesie)! Enjoy the video and follow us for more! #literaturesinexile #aaiunnin #poetsintheflesh #poetry #exile @chinelo.okparanta

POETS IN THE FLESH: Sam Zamrik! ⚡️ What drives you as a writer living in exile in Germany? Which topics are you exploring in your writing? Where do you feel silence in Berlin? And how would you describe living in multiple contexts? The Goethe-Institut in Exile invites you to meet the incredible authors behind the “LITERATURES IN EXILE” reading series in person. Take a moment to listen to these powerful voices! ✨ Our third featured author is Syrian writer and political educator Sam Zamrik (@samzamrik). ✨ 🔹Sam Zamrik, born in Damascus, Syria is a queer poet, translator, and political educator. Sam studied Literature and Politics at Bard College Berlin, their texts were featured on the literary platform Weiter Schreiben (@weiterschreiben) and in several German newspapers. Their debut poetry collection, ICH BIN NICHT, was published by Hanser Berlin Verlag (@hanserberlin). Sam is currently working on a second book, a queer narrative about trauma, dictatorship, and self-discovery. Enjoy the video and follow us for more! #literaturesinexile #samzamrik #poetsintheflesh #poetry #exile

POETS IN THE FLESH: ATEFE ASADI! ⚡️ What drives you as a writer living in exile in Germany? Which topics are you exploring in your writing? What does freedom mean to you, personally? And, just for fun - what’s always in your fridge? The Goethe-Institut in Exile invites you to meet the incredible authors behind the “LITERATURES IN EXILE” reading series in person. Take a moment to listen to these powerful voices! ✨ Our second featured author is Iranian author, editor, translator, and songwriter Atefe Asadi (@atefe.asadii). ✨ Atefe Asadi holds a BA in English translation. She has worked as an editor and translator for various magazines and underground publications in Tehran, Iran. As an author, she writes about the social, political and religious issues of Iranian society, including gender issues, sexuality, and women’s rights. She came under great political pressure in her home country, was interrogated several times and had to close her social media accounts in 2022. In December 2022, Atefe received the Hannah Arendt Fellowship and has lived in Hanover as an ICORN resident ever since. She is currently working on a collection of short stories that she hopes to publish in Persian and German soon. Enjoy the video and follow us for more! #literaturesinexile #atefeasadi #poetsintheflesh #poetry #exile

POETS IN THE FLESH: AHMAD KATLESH! ⚡️ What drives you as a writer living in exile in Germany? Where do you find your inspiration? How does it feel living in multiple contexts? And, just for fun - what’s always in your fridge? 🍅🌿 The Goethe-Institut in Exile invites you to meet the incredible authors behind the “LITERATURES IN EXILE” reading series in person. Take a moment to listen to these powerful voices! Our first featured author is Berlin-based writer, journalist, and voice artist Ahmad Katlesh (@ahmad_katlesh). Born in Damascus, Ahmad studied mathematics before fleeing to Jordan in 2013 after the Syrian revolution, where he worked as a journalist. In 2016, he moved to Germany with the a scholarship from the Heinrich-Böll-Haus. Ahmad has since published three books of short stories and poetry in Arabic. His first German-language book, “Das Gedächtnis der Finger”, a poetry collection (Edition Rugerup), was released in 2020 and earned him the Chamisso-Publikationsstipendium from the Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste. His poetry reflects on profound themes of loss, love, and loneliness, capturing the experience of a man who has found a new home in Germany but still carries his old one in his heart—unable to return. Ahmad also shares literary texts with millions of Arabic-speaking listeners on his platform Tiklam. Together with award-winning journalist and essayist Vanessa Vu (@vanessa_vu), he recently published “Komm dahin, wo es still ist. Eine Erkundung “(@rowohltverlag), a deeply personal exploration of love, ghosts, borders, misunderstandings, and how politics invades private life. 🔜 Join us for an unforgettable literary performance with Ahmad Katlesh & Vanessa Vu as part of the “Literatures in Exile” series on Saturday, November 9, 7 PM at Kunsthaus ACUD (@acudmachtneu) in Berlin. 💃🏻🕺🏻 Free entry! No reservation needed—just come and enjoy! And follow us for more videos! #literatur

PUPPET THEATRE PLAY: 🦁 ‹MARJAN – THE LAST LION OF AFGHANISTAN› 🦁 We invite you to the German premiere of the puppet theatre production “Marjan - The Last Lion of Afghanistan” by the French theatre collective Compagnie HDH - Hasards d’Hasards (@hdh_hasards_d_hasards). This poetic puppet show is based on the true story of Marjan, a lion who lived in Kabul Zoo from 1978 to 2002 and became a symbol of the Afghan people’s resilience and courage. Reserve your tickets now! 🗓17.09.2024 in Berlin 🕑 19.00h 📍ACUD Theater @acudmachtneu  🗣️: German The performance will be followed by an audience discussion with the puppeteers and the director. 🎟️ Admission: free entrance, Reservation required  🧑‍🧒‍🧒 For children from 8 years and adults *** Wir laden Sie herzlich ein zur Deutschlandpremiere des Puppentheaterstücks „Marjan - Der letzte Löwe Afghanistans“! Das Stück ist ein poetisches Puppenspiel, das auf der wahren Geschichte des Löwen Marjan basiert, der von 1978 bis 2002 im Zoo von Kabul lebte und zu einem Symbol für den Mut des afghanischen Volkes wurde. Reservieren Sie jetzt Ihre Karten!  A production by/Eine Produktion von Compagnie HDH - Hasards d’Hasards (FR). Director: Mélanie Depuiset  @melaniedepuiset Text: Guilda Chahverdi @guildachahverdi Sound design/music: Julie Rousse @rougegrenade Stage design: Anaïde Nayebzadeh  Actors/puppeteers: Abdul Haq Haqjoo  @abdulhaqhaqjoo and Farhad Yaqubi @yaqubifarhad Translation and coaching: Jeanne Klein und Dorothea Schmidt Coaching: Sharon Amir 👇👇👇  To learn more about the event please follow the link in our bio.  #Marjanthelion #afghanistan   #artistsinexile #puppettheatre

[Deutsche Version unten] The time has finally come to announce the sixth and last episode of the programme series Soundspuren! ✨ This episode is all about Afghanistan, the Afghan diaspora and Afghan music. On friday at 7 PM this special episode goes on air on @ByteFM! 🗓️ Friday, 30.08.2024 🕑 7 PM Host Taīz Nawab (@taaiiizzz), herself Afghan, born and raised in Hamburg, talks to a guest from the Afghan diaspora, more precisely from San Francisco. The DJ and passionate music collector Omid aka ‘omjvinyls’ (@omjvinyls) mainly collects Afghan vinyl, cassettes and other visual material from Central Asia and publishes it on his social media platforms. ✨ Tune in! We promise you an emotional and very personal last episode of Soundspuren, in which we are particularly looking forward to the mix of Afghan music exclusively selected by Omid. In the programme series Soundspuren, a cooperation between ByteFM and Goethe-Institut in Exile, artists and cultural workers from Sudan, Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Belarus and other countries have their say and talk about their homeland and what their lives are like in Germany today. *** Es ist an der Zeit, die sechste und letzte Folge der unserer Programmreihe Soundspuren anzukündigen! ✨ In dieser Folge dreht sich alles um Afghanistan, die afghanische Diaspora und afghanische Musik. Am Freitag um 19.00 Uhr geht auf @ByteFM diese besondere Ausgabe von Soundspuren auf Sendung! Moderatorin Taīz Nawab, selbst Afghanin, in Hamburg geboren und aufgewachsen, spricht mit einem Gast aus der afghanischen Diaspora, genauer gesagt aus San Francisco. Der DJ und leidenschaftliche Musiksammler Omid aka „omjvinyls“ sammelt vor allem afghanisches Vinyl, Kassetten und anderes visuelles Material aus Zentralasien und veröffentlicht diese auf seinen Social Media Plattformen. ✨ Tune in! Wir sind sicher, dass es eine emotionale und sehr persönliche vorerst letzte Folge von Soundspuren geworden ist, in der wir