A Day with Semra Ertan

Her literary work is an impressive testimony to political clarity, poetic power, and social responsibility. Semra Ertan used language as a form of resistance — against exclusion, discrimination, and social injustice.


Forty-three years later, they ask: How does her writing speak to the present? What significance does her voice have today — amid current debates about belonging, identity, resistance, and the culture of remembrance?


Together with artists, activists, and representatives of migrant and urban political movements, we are creating a multifaceted program. Performance, spoken word, live music, readings, and exhibitions open up spaces for discussion, appreciation, and collective remembrance. The focus is not only on remembering an individual biography, but also on highlighting a political and cultural heritage that continues to have an impact today.


Ertan's texts name the struggles of marginalized communities, denounce social inequality, and continually challenge the society. This event invites the public to gather in solidarity to celebrate Semra Ertan's courage, creativity, and lasting impact. Her writing remains a call for change, then as now.




In cooperation with the Initiative in Memory of Semra Ertan



As Part of the 7th Berliner Herbstsalon ЯE:IMAGINE: THE RED HOUSE