New homeland in Germany? When strangers become friends
BONN · Flight and migration were the themes of a Family Sunday at the Haus der Geschichte aimed at promoting integration in society.
“You are only strangers when you don’t know each other,” said Katrin Orth. “You have to give people a chance to approach each other.” The actress demonstrated this in the children’s play “Wolle and Gack,” in which she plays the chicken, Gack, who moves in next to a sheep called Wolle, which he does not like at all at first. The play corresponded brilliantly with the flight and migration themed Family Sunday “New homeland in Germany?” organised by the Haus der Geschichte on Sunday.
Wolle, played by Tina Schoch, lives with the attitude: “What I don’t know, I don’t like.” Then the chicken arrives and offers him worms as a neighbourly gift and also accidentally picks Wolle’s favourite flower out of the ground. The sheep wants to be rid of the chicken and builds the fence between the two plots higher, but then comes a cautious rapprochement.
The piece, thought up by the Osnabrück Musical Theatre Lupe and now made into a picture book, is a statement in favour of a multi-cultural society and against xenophobia. It makes the meeting of different cultures understandable to children. It is amusing to note that it came about four years ago, before the wave of migration, and so is almost prophetic. “We always wanted to do something about other cultures,” says Orth. At first they performed as a couple but then added the Syrians Ahmad Kiki and Souad Bulbul, who continually translate passages into Arabic. The actors also support the Osnabrück aid association Exil and undertake many projects with refugees.
The play was not the only item on the programme. In the museum foyer, children did crafts and filled out profiles, which were linked by threads to their countries of origin on a world map. There was also a reading corner, and tours of the permanent exhibition were also offered with an emphasis on migration. Many families were there and participated in the activities.
Jennifer Zumbusch’s photography exhibition in the studio was also well attended. Starting in 2015, the photographer accompanied an Iraqi refugee family for a year and a half from their first reception point at the Ermekeil barracks to their own apartment in Rietberg in East Westphalia. She explained the contact came about because the father was also a photographer in Iraq and wants to work as one again. “It certainly broadened my perspective,” she said. “They come here with a rucksack and are happy to have arrived.” You view your own life differently and learn to appreciate what you have.
(Original text: Stefan Knopp. Translation kc)
