To Be Seen as a Whole Person

As part of the project Weiter Schreiben, authors from war and crisis regions bring together diverse audiences, art forms and cultures of remembrance in Berlin’s cultural institutions to challenge perceptions and perspectives. At Gropius Bau, three writers respond to the exhibition Diane Arbus: Konstellationen. Julia Cimafiejeva (Belarus), Abdul Wahid Rafee (Afghanistan) and Sam Zamrik (Syria) have each written about one work. They will guide the audience through the exhibition space. The texts are performed in their original languages and performed by actress Melika Foroutan in German translation. The evening is accompanied by composer and oud player Nabil Arbaain.

Please register via email to Mirjam Wittig at wittig@weiterschreiben.jetzt until 4 November. The number of participants is limited. 

 

Weiter Schreiben is a literary platform for authors from war and crisis regions. Since 2017, poetry and prose have been translated, illustrated and published on the online platform. Weiter Schreiben connects writers in exile with renowned German-speaking authors and organises joint readings.

Julia Cimafiejeva is a writer and translator. She has published poetry collections in Belarusian and the book Minsk Diary in English. Her work has been published in the United States, Germany and Poland. She has been living in exile since 2020 and is currently a DAAD arts fellow in Berlin.

Abdul Wahid Rafee is an author and human rights activist. Since 2006, he has published six books of short stories and one children’s book. Most recently, he received the Swedish Akram Osman Literature Festival Prize in 2022. Abdul Wahid Rafee lives in Berlin.

Sam Zamrik is a trans-queer author, translator and political educator. In 2022, her poetry collection Ich bin nicht was published by Hanser Berlin Verlag, and in 2023 it was selected for the poetry recommendations of the German Academy for Language and Literature. Sam Zamrik lives in Berlin.

Nabil Arbaain came to Berlin in 2015, where he co-founded several bands that fuse classical Arabic music with other musical genres and have toured throughout Europe. His solo album From Damascus to Berlin was released in 2020. In 2021, he founded the Arabic Music Institute Berlin.