"Neighborliness is democracy’s lowest common denominator"

Elisabeth Wellershaus: You are the director of the Phoenix Theaterfestival in Erfurt, which opens next week. How is the festival team dealing with the local political situation – including the challenges of a difficult funding architecture?

Anica Happich: To answer that, I have to digress a little. If you look at the history of the independent performing arts, you will see that it is still relatively young in eastern Germany. Above all, the so-called new federal states are poorly equipped in terms of a coordinated funding architecture between the states, local authorities and the federal government. The situation is particularly serious in Thuringia, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt. There are modest funds that you can apply for, but little to no institutional support or multi-year project funding for groups and festivals. Even with Phoenix, we start from zero euros every year and this is now the fourth time.

At the state and municipal level, there is now a very strong AfD (far-right Alternative für Deutschland) in Erfurt, which became the second biggest party after the CDU (center-right Christian Democrats) in the elections in May. I can only speculate what impact political developments will have on cultural work in the entire region in the future. But what I can already say is this: If we no longer have democratic majorities, culture and education will suffer.

Wellershaus: How do you perceive the situation of colleagues who live and work in the region?

Happich: There are quite a few cultural workers in Thuringia who are incredibly committed. Generally, I have the impression that there is a strong civil society in Thuringia. One example is the Weltoffenes Thüringen initiative. The colleagues who work here in rural areas do an enormous amount and still face a lot of resistance. Doors are literally slammed in their faces, they are insulted, there are racist, inhumane and sometimes very inappropriate comments, which are sometimes also picked up by the media. The political and social spiral of radicalization has long since taken place here. The spaces in which an open and critical society can operate are becoming smaller and smaller. This means that more and more of the truly committed artists and cultural actors are moving away from Thuringia. And those who stay have hardly any opportunities for adequate funding, without which their projects and, ultimately, they themselves cannot survive. I, too, earned less than €10,000 from directing the festival, which I worked on for almost a year. It's tough this year.

In recent years, NEUSTART KULTUR has provided funding for culture in the short term. But the funds can't grow as quickly as they are currently needed. And if far-right and ostracizing ideas continue to establish themselves, if they become politically and socially acceptable, many applications will soon no longer go through anyway. Democratic means are already being deliberately used, for example in the form of minor queries, to make life difficult for municipal theaters or city councilors in order to slow down their day-to-day work.

Wellershaus: Apart from a more stable funding architecture, what is lacking in order to reach local people with artistic approaches?

Happich: Thuringia is also my home, and I am certainly not prepared to abandon it to right-wing extremists. But I am aware that there is a lack of spaces for reconciliation; reconciliation with one's own history and with the experiences of upheaval that many East Germans have had. We are out and about a lot with Phoenix in public spaces, going to market squares, even to places where others don't dare to go. We are very honest and authentic in our approach and discuss a lot. But our work in Erfurt is about one thing above all: listening. The transformation achievements of East German people are, in my opinion, a great treasure, a transformation competence. It's about biographical ruptures, loss of identity, loss of jobs, tiny inheritances and home ownership – the list is long. And it is only when we take these experiences of upheaval and how individuals deal with them seriously, only when we listen, that encounters can take place at all.

Appreciation and recognition of life's achievements, as I have experienced time and again, can make frustrated voters think again about where they want to put their mark on the ballot paper. Last year, we conducted a survey in the south-west and north of Erfurt, and one respondent said: "Why should I come to you? Why don't you come to us?" She alluded to the fact that before the political upheavals of 1989, more cultural programs took place in the places where people lived. Today, there isn't even a meeting place in the neighborhoods anymore. I found her statement absolutely understandable – and now we come to her.

Wellershaus: Can you describe in more detail what the Plattenstufen-Festpiele will look like, what have you planned in terms of content?

Happich: We are working together with the social workers from the Th.INKA project in the neighborhood. Because they have the most connections: from contact with the school director to the people on the street. They know what's important to people in the neighborhoods right now. They also have the courage to remain approachable, to get involved in conversations and to listen. In Berlin's cultural circles, people are suddenly discussing everywhere and at an institutional level how to talk to right-wing extremists or what can be done to counter stereotypes. In January, everyone even took to the streets. But what is happening now? Who is making themselves vulnerable, who is standing in the public spaces in eastern Germany and talking to people – for longer than the duration of an afternoon performance? We want to show the people of Erfurt that we want to stay in contact with them – that our local presence is sustainable. And that can only be achieved through sustainable collaborations.

This year, we have rented a container that we are placing in the middle of Platz der Völkerfreundschaft. We spent months working with the city and all the local authorities on this. Guerrilla gardening, textile workshops with children, graffiti workshops, parents' cafés and swap meets will take place there. The initiatives come from the neighborhoods adjoining this central square and show what is already there. After all, there are already so many great projects that strengthen democracy. The only thing missing is visibility. Visibility for neighbors, for parents and children who have little time to interact in their everyday lives. Visibility for the many democrats who are overlooked by the media, but who have been working here for a long time on a voluntary and unpaid basis.

Wellershaus: What can encounters achieve against this backdrop?

Happich: I think the crucial question in these times is: Do we abandon public spaces to the right-wing extremists and conspiracy theorists? Or do we occupy them as cultural workers? Our approach is to curate events for peaceful gatherings that focus on neighborliness and enjoyment. Because neighborliness is democracy’s lowest common denominator.

I am convinced that this can create something new. That we encounter each other differently when gossiping over coffee and relaxing together are part of the program. But we also have to look at how we are doing after this festival. How we can restructure, what we can do differently so that we can maintain the strength to carry on. And we definitely want to carry on. Even if the political situation around us is becoming increasingly threatening. Even if right-wing extremists turn up at the festival, even if people with iron crosses are sitting in the audience. We've done enough awareness training and workshops to know how to react in an emergency. And ultimately, we are also performing for these people. Because they bring their children with them – and we want to reach them.