Invitation to two readings in Göttingen (November 9)

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) and the Federation of Alevi Youth in Germany (Bund der Alevitischen Jugendlichen in Deutschland, BDAJ) would like to invite you to two readings this weekend: The young author Hıdır Eren Çelik will present poetry and prose, while Farhad Alsilo will read from his autobiographic novel: “Der Tag, an dem meine Kindheit endete” (“The day my childhood ended”).  We cordially invite you to attend the readings and learn more about these topics:
Saturday, November 9, 2024,
from 4:30 pm to approx. 7 pm
at the STP’s Victor-Gollancz-Haus,
Geiststraße 7, 37073 Göttingen
Hıdır Eren Çelik – an Alevi author, sociologist, and journalist – has published numerous texts. He will read a mixture of poetry and prose, including from his work “Der Fluss meiner Träume: Lebensreise eines Wanderers” (“The river of my dreams: the life journey of a wanderer”); an autobiographic novel that, among other topics, also critically addresses the Dersim genocide and religious freedom in Turkey.  
Farhad Alsilo, who was born in 2002, will read from his autobiographic novel “Der Tag, an dem meine Kindheit endete” (“The day my childhood ended”). As an 11-year old, Farhad survived the genocide crimes of the so-called Islamic State against the Yazidi people. On August 3, 2014, militiamen invaded his village, killed his Father in front of his eyes, and abducted his sisters. The book is about his escape through the Sinjar Mountains to Kurdistan, which ended when he arrived in Germany with his mother and younger siblings in 2015. In Germany, he later graduated from high school with excellent marks. Today, he is active on social media and has started studying mechanical engineering. Alongside his studies, he is a committed human rights activist.
The readings will take place in the context of an empowerment workshops for young Alevis and Yazidis, which the BDAJ and the STP are organizing together on that weekend. The event offers young people a space to talk about their experiences and to work together against discrimination, stereotypes, and prejudices.

Contact
Miriam Ordon (education expert at the BDAJ): miriam.ordon@bdaj.de