Berlin Stories

Fundraiser for Rojava @ Spore 

As fighting between the Syrian Army and Kurdish forces continues, communities across Rojava have been living with ongoing violence and increasing needs for humanitarian aid. In response, a fundraiser will be held at Spore to raise funds to support on-the-ground relief efforts accompanied by a briefing on the current situation in Rojava and its implications for those affected. Open to all, the evening is both a moment of solidarity and a space to get informed. Organised by Bênav Mustafa and Rojda Yaşik; More info here.

Monthly mass demo for Palestine 

The monthly mass demonstration for Palestine will take place this Saturday, 07 February. Over the past year, both police presence and violence, along with state repression and legal consequences for protesters and activists standing with Palestine, have rapidly escalated. However, as thesemeasures aim to reduce the number of protesters, it is even more important to gather in large numbers. This day also marks two years since Rafah, when Israeli occupational forces carried out two civilian massacres in the Palestinian city of Rafah, and we stand together to commemorate them.  Organised by PA Allies, Alliance of International Feminists, and more, the demo will start at S+U Gesundbrunnen from 14:00. The protest calls attention to ongoing violence in Palestine and Germany’s political and material complicity, urging collective presence, resistance, and accountability.

The route: Gesundbrunnen, Badstraße, Pankstraße, Reinickendorfer Straße, Fennstraße, Müllerstraße, and Leopoldplatz. For those who attend, stay safe, dress warmly, and take care of each other. Please refer to this digital toolkit for best practices on navigating police violence. More info here. 

Open Letter: Against the closure of Udk’s MA Sound Studies and Sonic Arts 

UdK, Berlin’s University of the Arts and Europe’s largest art university, announced the closure of the Master's programs in Sound Studies and Sonic Arts last week. This program has been running for over 20 years. 

With this closure, Berlin, as one of the world’s central hubs for experimental music and sound art, would lose its only higher educational program in the field. Not only is it important to continue such a program for education in sound art, but Udk has also become a centre for artistic research and international/multidisciplinary collaboration. The linked petition calls on UdK to reverse the decision and take responsibility for preserving a program that has long been part of Berlin and the world's cultural and sonic ecosystem. Sign it here (must scroll to the bottom to sign).

Sahra party

On 06 February, Sahra Party teams up with Choka, bringing a fusion of Arabic and Latin sounds to the dancefloor. Sahra is a Berlin-based woman-run event series which oftenshowcases Arab soundscapes here in Berlin. While Choka is a Berlin-based collective that centres diasporic sounds from the global South, especially those from Latin America. This Friday, the two collectives come together at Badehaus. Across two dance floors, the party fuses two cultures into one pulse. Doors from 23:59. More info here. 

Activestills exhibition closing & panel talk: “Care before love”

Join Activestills on Valentine's Day for an eye-opening evening centred on Care and Love. To mark the closing of the ongoing photo exhibition documenting Life, Death, and Resistance in Palestine, a final evening of discussion and reflection will take place at Villa Heike. Titled “Care before love”, the evening brings together cross-community perspectives on solidarity and resistance, marking the last chance to see the exhibition.

The evening will open with with music, featuring clarinet tunes by J.K. Langford. Then an input by Rasha Salti, followed by a panel with Yasmeen Daher, Dorcas, Ahmed Isamaldin, and Buhari Lehbib, moderated by Nicky Böhm. Together, the speakers will reflect on how different histories of injustice and resistance intersect, and what it means to think solidarity through care, power, and empathy today. More info here.

Hildashaus open call for participants 

Hildashaus, a non-profit in Berlin supporting migrant and refugee FLINTA+ individuals experiencing ageism, is seeking artists, DJs, performers, workshop facilitators, and food vendors to collaborate with for its annual party at Panke Culture on 07 March in honour of International Feminist Day of Struggle . The night is also a space for FLINTA* individuals and allies to come together, relax, and celebrate the strength and resilience of the community. Fill out this form to collaborate with Hildashaus. Additionally, following significant cuts to cultural funding in Germany last year, Hildashaus launched a crowdfunding campaign to support its incubator program for single mothers aged 40+ with displacement experiences. Donate here. 

Ulm5 crowdfunding

Ulm5, an organisation helping individuals facing state repression because of their stance on Palestine, is reaching out with a crowdfunding campaign to help cover prison and court costs for five activists in Germany who took action against genocide profiteers in 2025. In September 2025, Daniel, Vi, Zo, Walt, and Leandra targeted Elbit Systems in Ulm, a German production site of the Israeli arms company whose weapons and technologies are used in the genocide in Gaza. Since then, the five Berlin-based activists have been held in pre-trial detention, facing harsh and repressive conditions, with their trial expected to stretch well into 2026.

While some legal costs are partially covered, many essential expenses are not. Donations will go directly toward prison- and trial-related costs, solidarity visits, materials, and anti-repression work. Any surplus will support others facing repression for Palestine solidarity. Whether you can give 1 euro, 10, or more, every contribution matters and goes directly toward supporting the cause. Donate here. 

Black history month @ Refuge 

As part of Black History Month, Refuge will host anevent across disciplines each week of February. The series kicks off this Saturday, 07 February, at our 5th birthday party with a live improvised Jam, featuring four artists, crafting vibes and melodies for 2.5 hours through artistic experimentation and impromptu collaboration. The following week is all about afro hair care: Black FLINTA folks are invited to share stories, hair care rituals, and more with experts and brands on 10 February. On 17 February, there will be a screening of Young Soul Rebels (1991). And to round off the month, a very special radio takeover on 27 February. More info here. 

Soli kufa 

From 19:00 on 06 February, join Berlin Migrant Strikers for Soli Kufa in Neuköln. This evening brings together food, wine, and conversation in solidarity with those facing repression and imprisonment. Soli Kufa remains a safe and open space for the community to voice experiences and thoughts related to recent crackdowns to reflect on how repression reaches far beyond prison walls, affecting families and entire communities, while reaffirming a commitment to organising, mutual support, and staying connected across borders. The night is a space to stand with political and non-political prisoners alike, especially those criminalised through migration regimes and structural exclusion, and to keep building networks even under pressure. Join the community for dinner and wine this Friday. More info here. 

Film premiere: Between Memory and Hope – The Sign Language of Kafr Qasim

On Valentine's Day, join filmmaker Meyad Sarsour-Ndaye for the premiere of her new film Between Memory and Hope – The Sign Language of Kafr Qasim, a work rooted in language, memory, and Palestinian life. The night will wind down with food made from recipes from Kafr Qasim.

Sarsour-Ndaye is a deaf Muslim-Palestinian artist and filmmaker whose work stems from community, feminist practice, and the documentation of village sign language in her hometown. Now based in Germany, she continues to work with deaf youth and speak on Palestinian culture, disability justice, and anti-Muslim racism. The event is accessible throughout, with sign language, subtitles, and interpretation between German Sign Language and spoken German and English available. More info here. 

Torte Bar fundraiser for free FLINTA self defence classes

A fundraiser evening bringing art, music, and community together in support of free self-defence and Muay Thai classes for women and LGBTQIA+ people, responding to the rise in right-wing violence and femicide in Germany. The night takes place at Torte Bar, featuring an exhibition of I HEALED YOU FIRST, with a live performance by Thisfliss as queer chosen family. The evening continues with bouncy, breaky DJ sets from Linka Bozsémöj, Soyyklo, Unjostierbar, and more. Entry is donation-based, with all proceeds going directly to the trainers and the space behind Free Self Defence, a much-needed initiative amid the current political climate in Germany. More info here!

Documentary screening: Hatay (Antakya) earthquake 

For a cosy Sunday movie in Berlin Winter, see the final film in Imre Azem’s documentary series on the Hatay (Antakya) earthquake. This February, marks three years since the devastating earthquakes of 6 February 2023 in Antakya. Centring memory, loss, and survival, the film follows a city that was nearly destroyed and then gradually pushed out of the public conversation. Through residents' voices, it asks what futures are possible.

After the screening, architects İrem Doğa Akgül and Selin Doğaner, alongside Necati Sönmez, will reflect on what has unfolded since: aggressive reconstruction, dispossession, and the erosion of Antakya’s cultural fabric, as well as the forms of resistance that continue to emerge. Doors from 16:00. More info here. 

Refuge birthday bash

Refuge’s 5th birthday bash is this Saturday at our favourite not-so-secret location. Join us for 2.5 hours of live improvised jamming across Black musical styles, as part of Black History Month, along with DJ sets by Anton from Mansions and Millions, Leona and Gaby D’Annunzio, Obelix, and more! Pizza will be served courtesy of Tiny’s Pizza & Antilles NY. Grab your tickets here!

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Photos courtesy of Maria Helena K. Nerhus, Active Stills, and Imre Azem.

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