Imagination and Commemoration through the Written Word

Every day we consume images of war and violence. Wars that seem far away from us geographically, but we are nevertheless a part of. Wars that may have seized but will forever be embroidered into our collective memory. These are the wars we commemorate and live throughout the years; whether it be in the news, through stories online, within gatherings, the presence of monuments, education, or through the perpetual stream of videos and images on social media. Our collective consciousness is influenced and formed by these different forms of media, but what does it mean to read a story? To have a story of war told to you in words, in honest encounter with a writer. And which stories have been left unread?

Our Common Wars investigates in what ways storytelling and literature form our collective imagination of war and proposes new questions surrounding the ethics of memory.

In this programme, we travel between different realities and experiences, from Georgia, Rwanda, Germany, Palestine, to Bosnia, and try to create links between our imaginations.

Together with guest speakers including Max Czollek and more, rhythmed by the poetry of Asmaa Azaizeh, the audience is invited to contemplate these questions, as the programme proposes a different understanding of ‘our common wars’ and how these connect us.