Save the Date: Anti-Fascism as Concrete Utopia? – Decentral heimaten Festival for Plural Democracy in September in Germany, Austria and Switzerland / Kick-off 12-14 at HKW

 – From September 12 to 14, 2025, Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) sets the stage for the opening of the decentralized heimaten Festival for Plural Democracy.

– The weekend at HKW marks the official start of the decentralized festival of the heimaten network, with numerous events taking place in September across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

– With today's launch of the heimaten website, the festival also goes digital: all information about the participating network partners and decentralized events in 21 cities is now available online.

– heimaten Festival for Plural Democracy in:

Berlin, Bremen, Chemnitz, Cologne, Dortmund, Graz, Greifswald, Halle, Hamburg, Hanau, Hannover, Heidelberg, Jena, Munich, Neumünster, Potsdam, Rostock, Saarbrücken, Stuttgart, Vienna, Zurich.

All dates and information on the heimaten network can be found here.

From a post-colonial sauna in Hamburg to a transalpine discourse festival in Zurich, from theatre works in Vienna to a day full of talks and music in Chemnitz: the heimaten network brings together numerous protagonists of a pluralistic society. Driven by the conviction that belonging is something that is actively and collectively shaped, the decentralized festival sees itself as the core of the heimaten project. In times when democratic frameworks are increasingly and severely threatened, the festival sets an example for pluralistic resistance by emphasizing that diversity is not a threat, but a reservoir of strength and resilience. Supported by the heimaten Network, an association of over thirty cultural institutions and civil society initiatives, numerous events take place throughout Germany, Austria, and Switzerland from September with a final date in December 2025.

A musical highlight of the opening weekend in Berlin will be the concert by the hip-hop group BSMG on September 12.

Together with Berlin-based network partners such as ADEFRA, EOTO, Berlin Postkolonial, RAA and many more, workshops, films and book presentations will also take place alongside panels and keynotes on belonging and plurality – complemented by a culinary program.

On September 13, the accompanying discussion series Heimatization is dedicated to the question of whether and how Anti-Fascism can be thought of and lived as Concrete Utopia.

For press photos, accreditations and interview requests, please contact presse@hkw.de 

 

Project heimaten

heimaten aims to reinterpret the concept of 'Heimat' according to this plural composition of Germany’s population. It comprises a four-year, Germany-wide programme.The project is conceived by HKW and the co-curators Ibou Diop and Max Czollek and is supported by a network of civil society initiatives and cultural institutions throughout the German-speaking world, including Austria and Switzerland.

The project includes the discussion series Heimatization, accompanied by Who Does Germany Belong To?

The heimaten Podcast from Haus der Kulturen der Welt, as well as the publication series haɪ̯maːtn̩ in collaboration with Merve Verlag.

 

The heimaten Network:

ADEFRA e. V. – Schwarze Frauen in Deutschland, AFROTAK TV cyberNomads, AufBruch – Karlstorbahnhof Heidelberg, ausARTen, Berlin Postkolonial, Common Voices Radio, Decolonize Berlin e. V., DialoguePerspectives e. V. & Coalition for Pluralistic Public Discourse, Dietrich-Keuning-Haus, Each One Teach One e. V., fluctoplasma, Forum Stadtpark, globale° – Festival für grenzüberschreitende Literatur, glokal e. V., Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Initiative 19. Februar Hanau, Korea-Verband e. V., Kulturhauptstadt Europas Chemnitz 2025, Kunstwerkstätten Greifswald, MAAYA Berlin, not_your_bubble, RAA Berlin e. V., Rechenzentrum Potsdam, RomaTrial e. V., Schauspielhaus Wien, Sinti Union Schleswig-Holstein e. V., Stadtgalerie Saarbrücken, Tage der Jüdischen Kultur e. V., Theaterhaus Jena, Theodor Wonja Michael Bibliothek, tuerspion vs. UNIVERSEN Schauspiel Hannover, WERTansich(t)

More information about the heimaten project and our annual program can be found on the heimaten website.

 

Partner

The decentralized heimaten Festival for Plural Democracy is part of heimaten, supported by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media due to a ruling of the German Bundestag.

Heimatization, Who Does Germany Belong To? and the publication series haɪ̯maːtn̩ are a part of heimaten, funded by the Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung / bpb). heimaten is supported by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media due to a ruling of the German Bundestag.

 

Visit Information

Opening Times
Wed.–Mon. 12:00–19:00
Free admission on Mondays

Extended opening hours during evening programmes
 
Childcare
HKW offers free childcare for many of its programmes. For further information visit hkw.de
 
Current information about visiting and accessibility.
 
Weltwirtschaft Restaurant is open daily, from 12:00.

 

Contact

Jan Trautmann

Pressesprecher
Lead Communications Officer
Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW)
John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10
10557 Berlin

T: + 49 (0) 30 397 87 157
presse@hkw.de