For a special issue in the framework of the heimaten Festival, tuerspion magazine is calling for contributions in a wide variety of formats, as long as they can be printed: poems, short stories, essays, photos, comics, QR codes for songs… The open call is aimed primarily at people living in Lower Saxony who have been affected by anti-Semitism and/or racism, inviting them to discuss issues such as: Can the term Heimat (home/homeland) be reclaimed? Does it make more sense in the plural? Can culture be a home? The deadline for submissions is 15 August 2025. More information can be found on the tuerspion website.

The outcome of the German federal election in February 2025, alongside developments in neighbouring countries and in the global context, make it clear that the shift to the right requires smart strategies of resistance and a strong and capable civil society. This is where the discussion series Heimatization. On Belonging and Plurality comes in, which takes place at Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) from March to November 2025. It focuses on perspectives on plural democracy, sheds light on historical and current models of participation, and demonstrates how cultural interdependencies shape society.

Based on an initiative launched in September 2024 by Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin (HKW), numerous cultural institutions and civil society actors have come together to form the heimaten Network. It brings together various projects and partners from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland who, one year after the network was founded, will jointly organize the decentralised heimaten Festival for Plural Democracy, with an extensive programme from September to December 2025. All information on the festival events can be found on these pages.