Days of Exile

In 2018, we hosted this community initiative for the first time, which was launched by the Herbert and Elsbeth Weichmann Foundation in 2016 and has taken place annually since then. Many partners regularly contribute to a broad spectrum of events: The offerings range from exhibitions, concerts, lectures, encounters, readings and panel discussions to theater and film screenings. The patrons of the Days of Exile have been Nobel Prize winner Herta Müller, UN Special Envoy Nadia Murad, author Abbas Khider and Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi.

Since 2017, the “Speech on Exile” has been a highlight of the event program. Personalities in exile report from their point of view what the condition of exile and persecution does and how important it is to give people in exile a voice and to sensitize society to the topic of exile. Speakers so far have included Bulgarian-born writer Ilija Trojanow, Turkish journalist Can Dündar, Mexican journalist Anabel Hernandez, Chinese musician and author Liao Yiwu, and Zohre Esmaeli, Afghan model and entrepreneur.

The next Days of Exile will take place in Bonn from August 30 to September 14, 2024.