Udo Lindenberg plans solidarity concert for refugees
August 28, 2015
"We welcome refugees who have experienced horrible things like war, death, rape - and we will take care of them," 69-year-old German rock legend Udo Lindenberg told the "Bild" newspaper earlier this week.
He is among a growing number of celebrities who are speaking out in support of the refugees currently coming to Germany from crisis regions in unprecedented numbers - and against the wave of xenophobic violence that has risen up in the country.
On October 4, Lindenberg is planning a major solidarity concert to take place at Berlin's most recognizable landmark: the Brandenburg Gate. The concert was approved by the German Parliament this week.
"I welcome and support this initiative by prominent German artists as a signal for social engagement," said Norbert Lammert, president of the Bundestag, in a statement.
Both the date and place of the event are symbolic: The previous day, October 3, marks the 25th anniversary of German reunification. And the Brandenburg Gate is located where the Berlin Wall - which divided the democratic West from the communist East for 29 years - used to stand. When the Wall came down in November 1989, countless Berliners gathered at the Gate to celebrate and chip off pieces of the barrier.
"The 25th anniversary of German reunification is a special opportunity, to present Germany - which reunified with the support of its neighbors and partners - as an open and integration-friendly country," commented Lammert.
According to "Bild," Lindenberg will be joined on stage by some of Germany's top music stars from a variety of genres, including Herbert Grönemeyer, Peter Maffay, Die Fantastischen Vier, Sido, Andreas Bourani, Xavier Naidoo - and comedian Bülent Ceylan. Half of these performers have parents who originally come from others countries: Naidoo has South African and Indian roots, for example, and Ceylan's father is from Turkey.
Lindenberg writes song for refugee boxer
On October 2, just ahead of the solidarity concert, Udo Lindenberg will be performing a song he's specially written for women's boxing world champion Susi Kentikian: "Wir werden jetzt Freunde" (We're becoming friends now). The 27-year-old will be defending her title in Hamburg that evening; her opponent is not yet known.
Kentikian fled Armenia in 1992 and spent four years in transit before coming to Germany. Lindenberg was so touched by the boxer's personal story that he felt inspired to write and perform the song.
kbm/eg (with dpa)