Wie soll das denn bitte geh’n? Da steht immer was im Weg

Aida Baghernejad, Marie von der Heydt, Matthias Lilienthal, Fatima Çalışkan (Mod.)

The past few years have put the relationship between Berlin’s cultural sector and politics under considerable strain. Funding cuts that caught many cultural workers off guard, a lack of transparency, political conflicts, and a series of changes in leadership have eroded trust and raised questions about how reliable cultural policy can still be. While many have been fighting simply to preserve existing structures, the shared task of shaping the future has increasingly fallen by the wayside.

This panel looks ahead – with a touch of imagination. Beneath the Betonhalle of silent green, an ancient culture fairy has been discovered. She collects wishes and, at the very least, considers whether they might be granted. What begins as a fairy tale opens up a serious conversation about what a cultural policy could look like if it were guided by long-term thinking, transparency, and renewed dialogue between the independent scene, cultural institutions, and policymakers.

The discussion explores what conditions cultural workers need today, how cultural policy decisions can become more transparent, and what responsibilities both politics and the cultural sector share in building resilient relationships. How can culture avoid being caught between ideological conflicts and budget cuts? What structures encourage collaboration rather than polarisation? And which cultural policy wishes should be waiting on the desk of Berlin’s next government?

The discussion is moderated by Fatima Çalışkan.