During the GDR dictatorship, Wolf Biermann proved through his attitude and art that freedom must be taken: »Take your freedom, or it will never come!«; instead of waiting for only minor freedoms to be granted. For this, he was banned from performing and publishing for 12 years. The aim was to isolate him completely. However, Wolf Biermann did not bow to pressure and remained the most outspoken critic of the GDR dictatorship. Through book and music publications that had to be smuggled secretly into the West, he quickly became well known, and his works were translated into almost all Western European languages and into Japanese. His popularity protected him from arrest to a large extent.
Wolf Biermann is and remains opinionated and has repeatedly sparked debate. To this day, he does not shy away from expressing uncomfortable truths in often sharp, vivid language, thus interfering in day-to-day politics.
This fall, Wolf Biermann will turn 90. The global political situation is currently changing rapidly. Today, it is once again necessary to defend freedom, democracy, and equal diversity against radical religious, racist, and anti-Semitic thinking and actions. The rupture begins in the mind and is ultimately completed in the indifferent heart. The times need combative role models like Wolf Biermann, who has shown by example what it means to remain steadfast.
PERFORMERS
Wolf Biermann vocals, guitar
