Book premiere
Journalist Franziska Grillmeier
moved to the Greek island of Lesvos in 2018, where Europe's largest
refugee camp was temporarily located.
moved to the Greek island of Lesvos in 2018, where Europe's largest
refugee camp was temporarily located.
Image gallery
In her book, she also takes a look
at the events that don't make the headlines, delves deep into the
reality of the lives of the people who fled and shows how they have to
face renewed traumatisation after arriving in Europe.
Grillmeier moves
around Moria, the port city, in the north of the island and travels to
other European border places where the system of exclusion works in a
similar way. The focus of the book is on the refugees, who have their
say in many interviews and whose lives are told.
The author shows what
camp life can do to a person - and at the same time reflects on how
island life affects them: While Grillmeier, as an observer, is free to
come and go, the narrative of open Europe ends there for the refugees.
The criminalisation of humanitarian aid, the dismantling of press
freedom, the overburdening of the island's inhabitants and the cynicism
of politics in Brussels and Athens also play a central role. Thus,
through her quiet yet haunting encounters, Grillmeier paints a harrowing
picture of human rights violations on the fringes of the European
Union.
Moderation: Natascha Freundel, rbbKultur
Language: German
Free admission.
An event in cooperation with the publishing house C.H.Beck and rbbKultur.
