From Division to European Rapprochement most important exhibitions of contemporary art. Nigerian-born artist Olu Oguibe erected an obelisk in the centre of Kassel’s Königsplatz with which he hoped to encourage people to take in refugees. Carved on the sides of the obelisk in English, Arabic, Turkish and German respectively, was a verse from the gospel according to Matthew: ‘I was a stranger and you took me in’.5 5 Matthew 25:35. After documenta, Kassel erupted into heated arguments about the artwork’s fate. Many residents wanted the obelisk to remain in the city’s central square while others rejected its message and demanded its removal. After lengthy discussions in the city council, mayor Christian Geselle decided to relocate the obelisk to Treppenstrasse, a far less central location in the city. Oguibe’s obelisk is just one example illustrating the strong polarisation within German society when it comes to displacement and expulsion. The situation is similar in many other European countries. While it is true that the 27 EU countries make joint decisions about migration and refugee policy, the issue continues to be dealt with on a national level and through domestic policies. Meanwhile there is no sign of the global crises abating. Far-reaching political, social and religious conflicts in the Middle East continue to divide and fracture societies. Localised civil wars are not the only cause of refugee movements from these regions. Rather, they have highlighted how support or rejection of a regime is based on international military and security policy considerations. Russia’s military support for Assad’s rule in Syria, for instance, revealed the role of geopolitical issues and the search for new alliances which will continue to challenge European security policy. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24th February 2022, European security and stability have clearly been shaken up for the foreseeable future. Millions of Ukrainians have been forced to flee as a result of this war, and to date Germany has taken in just over a million people from Ukraine. The challenges presented by taking in refugees will remain with us for quite some time; and so will the question of how to master these challenges. A further task will be to provide a space for different and perhaps conflicting memories and stories of displacement by those who take refuge in Germany and for empathetic encounters with these narratives. This is the reason why the Documentation Centre’s Permanent Exhibition offers many links between the historical narratives of the Germans and the experiences of others affected by forced migration. As the generation of those Germans who experienced displacement and expulsion first-hand is passing, the second and third generations shape this memory with different approaches and attitudes and in the context of contemporary debates. They, too, will need to face the changing global political situation and develop their own ideas of a culture of remembrance.
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