Leipzig Festival of Lights 2018: I. they. we
The short film conveys moving memories of the people who were present on 9ᵗʰ of October 1989 and also in 2018 on Leipzig’s Augustusplatz. It also shows excerpts from the stage programme and the words of welcome. Alongside moving memories of the people who were present on 9ᵗʰ of October ’89 and also in 2018 on Augustusplatz, the short film produced by “Werkblende” also shows excerpts from the stage programme and the words of welcome. Former civil rights activist Gesine Oltmanns, in particular, addressed emotional and moving words to the visitors: “Then as now, it is about a vision: for an open country with free people. Tell those standing beside you and curious to listen! Tell them what made us strong, what drove us to overthrow a dictatorship. Namely the longing to breathe the air of freedom. To live as free people in an open country.” This year, the Leipzig Festival of Lights once again attracted over 15,000 people from Leipzig to Augustusplatz. The programme, under the motto “I. they. we.”, focused on the theme of participation, especially by women and combined music, words and video to create an impressive performance. In keeping with this theme, only women appeared on stage at this year’s Leipzig Festival of Lights. A specially founded women’s orchestra, the “Freie Orchester Leipzig” conducted by Eva Meitner, performed works by female composers. On the stage screen, the video conceived by artistic director Jürgen Meier, featuring historical and contemporary sequences, intensified the music. Five female speakers intervened with interjections: “We will participate. In this country. In our own way.” As is tradition, the visitors formed a luminous 89 from over 10,000 candles.