“Ich bin mir selbst fremd geworden” deals with the reappraisal of a chapter of GDR history - that of the Hoheneck women's prison based on letters written there and is realized by two Leipzig independent ensembles: Neue Kammer (ensemble for early and contemporary music) and Schatz und Schande (music theater collective).
It is not only the project itself, it is also the contemporary witnesses with whom we will have a discussion - after the musical-scenic performance - moderated by Ariane Zabel.
Karin Sorger and her daughter Natalie Wöhrle-Sorger will be guests at the Bautzner Strasse memorial on Sunday.
For many people who were politically persecuted in the GDR, sharing their experiences is an enormous challenge. It is often difficult for those affected to relive the suffering, pain and fears they experienced - especially because the memories had to be suppressed and concealed for decades.
However, conversations with contemporary witnesses are invaluable for those born later. They make it possible to understand history not just as an abstract fact, but as a lived experience that continues to have an impact. This shapes the lives of those affected far beyond the end of the SED dictatorship. Although the psychological and physical effects of experiences of persecution are far from fully researched, they are undeniable.

A culture of remembrance is therefore not only a question of compassion, but also of moral rehabilitation. Listening to and acknowledging the suffering of those affected helps to heal trauma. Dealing with trauma cannot and must not only be done on an individual basis, but must be done by society as a whole in order to break down prejudices and stigmas. Only through empathy, respect and patience can resonance and understanding be generated for those affected.
How can remembrance work be carried out? Memorials, for example, are primarily aimed at the mind. By combining the haptic remains of the authentic site with the museum's educational work, they make it possible to grasp historical events in a factual way. Artistic presentation is needed to stir emotions. This, in turn, can be achieved by memorials such as stumbling blocks, which evoke the past as abstract symbols of remembrance at any location in contemporary everyday life and thus sensually expand and deepen rational knowledge.

With their performative concert, Schatz & Schande and the Neue Kammer create a symbiosis: they combine reason with emotion and call history into the present.
Because a culture of remembrance is more than just an act of commemoration. It lives from the insight that history is a living process. It is about naming the injustices of the past, preserving the values of freedom, democracy and human rights and continuing to develop as a society. Remembering means taking responsibility and effectively preserving the legacy of the past as an intelligent lesson for the future.

The project was supported by Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur, ie Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen,  Kulturamt der Stadt Leipzig, Zentrum für Kultur und Geschichte e.V. / Sehnsucht nach Freiheit and Karin und Uwe Hollweg Stiftung.

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Foto: Hoheneck_Innenhof, LASD / Dr. Nancy Aris