Maria Kolesnikova, who was chosen as the cover photo for our theme day, is one of the women who has been in political prison in Belarus since the 2020 protests. Sentenced to eleven years in prison, she has been out of contact with the outside world since February 2023.
With the panel ‘Strength and Resistance: Women's Journeys through Prison’, the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial not only wants to look back on the courage of women who were imprisoned in the GDR for political reasons.
By visualising past injustice, the theme day aims to draw attention to the situation of politically imprisoned women worldwide.
The number of political prisoners is currently estimated at one million.
Together with cooperation partners, the memorial is organising a solidarity campaign: visitors can write and hand in a postcard or letter for current political prisoners on site. For those imprisoned and their families, these signs that they will not be forgotten are invaluable and supportive.
The event is part of the Kultursommer Lichtenberg programme.
Stage programme
13.30 - 15.30
Panel discussion
‘Strength and resistance: women's journeys through imprisonment’
Experience reports from formerly imprisoned women from the GDR and Belarus as well as from women who are committed to human rights.
Panel
Konstanze Helber - contemporary witness and chairwoman of the Forum for Politically Persecuted and Imprisoned Women of the Soviet Occupation Zone/SED Dictatorship e. V.
Natallia Hersche - contemporary witness from Belarus
Cordelia Dvorák - author and director
Moderation
Maria Ossowski - cultural journalist
16.00 - 17.00 hrs
Open-air concert with Maryam.fyi
Maryam.fyi received the ‘Prize for Pop Culture’ in the category ‘Most Moving Story’ in 2023. With her songs, the German-Iranian singer stands up for freedom and democracy and showed solidarity with the protests in Iran.
Accompanying programme
11.00 - 15.00
Guided tours (60 min)
The Stasi prison (German, English and Russian)
The women's prison labour detachment and the Stasi prison hospital (German)
The exhibitions
Permanent exhibition ‘Imprisoned in Hohenschönhausen’
With free audio guides in German, English, Russian and other languages
In forced labour. The prisoner labour detachments in Hohenschönhausen
Digital exhibition with tablets (German and English)
Inclusive offers
Guided tour in German sign language (11.15 am)
Touch tour (11.30 a.m.)
Guided tour in easy language (11.45 am)
Talking pictures. Photographs on the division of Berlin and political imprisonment in the GDR. Including photo exhibition with QR codes and audio descriptions
Letter campaign
‘For the currently politically imprisoned’
Additional information
Dates
September 2024
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