Final report Read, listen, communicate with one another

Europa21: moving stories and debates in times of movement
“Did you choose your place of birth?” asked journalist Karim El-Gawhary the audience of the opening event of “Europa21. Thinking tomorrow’s society”, the focus on immigration and integration hosted by the Leipzig Book Fair and the Robert Bosch Stiftung. “The best medicine against indifference and arrogance towards refugees is to remember again and again the coincidence that is one’s place of birth,” he explained. Artists, academics, journalists and civil society participants exchanged facts, analysis, experiences and future scenarios in six international discussion rounds at the Café Europa on the Leipzig fairgrounds. In addition, experts discussed possibilities for living together in Leipzig under the headline “Living together in the past, present and in the future!” in the Neues Rathaus. Fair visitors listened attentively to the stories of six asylum seekers at audio stations in the Glass hall at Magnolienallee, available through the duration of the book fair in the context of Europa21. The brief profiles were produced in cooperation with culture radio MDR FIGARO.
“I am pleased that so many people joined us in our discussions and that our guests successfully opened this space into the European context,” says curator Insa Wilke. “The great interest of the audience and the depth of the discussions show that thinking and speaking so openly is both possible and necessary at this moment. This is encouraging!”
The Robert Bosch Stiftung has promoted practical model projects to strengthen social cohesion and to further integration and participation of refugees for years. An essential part is the support of volunteer work in these

areas.