GRÜNES LICHT
by Janusz Cichocki
Performative reading: March 26, 2025, 7:00 p.m. I Gallery of the Polish Institute Berlin
We are living in times of great crises—wars, climate catastrophes, and recessions have become part of our daily reality. These crises lead to major humanitarian tragedies in many regions of the world, resulting in massive destruction, death, hunger, and the brutal struggle for survival for millions of people.
These dramatic circumstances contribute to large-scale migration movements, which often become tools of political maneuvering and provoke strong emotions within society. To fully understand this humanitarian tragedy and find common solutions to these urgent issues, it is essential to adopt an objective perspective and examine these tragic events from multiple viewpoints. Unfortunately, we too often encounter a one-sided and incomplete narrative, which fuels uncertainty, fear, and deepens social divisions.
In 2023, in Berlin, Janusz Cichocki, with the support of an international artistic team from Poland, Germany, Georgia, and Syria, launched a documentary theater project titled Green Light, which addresses the humanitarian crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border. The project is based on field research conducted at the border, including interviews with activists working in the area, human rights lawyers, local residents, and representatives of Grupa Granica (Border Group).
The project also incorporates documentary contributions from border guards and politicians. Green Light was presented in May 2023 at ETI in Berlin as open theater rehearsals with audience participation. Each performance was followed by a discussion with the audience.
As part of the Disinformation series organized by the Polish Institute in Berlin, a performative reading with video projections and the participation of five actors is being developed based on Green Light. This format presents short scenes and monologues that reflect on the tragedy at the border from various perspectives, exposing the mechanisms of manipulation in the portrayal of these issues. Through sophisticated theatrical techniques and audience interaction, the performative reading of Green Light aims to create a space for discussion without confining the Polish-Belarusian border crisis to a hermetic, one-sided perspective. This approach not only encourages a critical examination of the media and its influence but also actively seeks new perspectives and solutions to global crises, which have only intensified since 2023 and urgently require humanitarian responses.
Director: Janusz Cichocki
Text, Dramaturgy: Janusz Cichocki, George Jamburia
Actors: Susana AbdulMajid, Bożena Baranowska, Robert Mika, Sabine Roßberg
Musik: Tornike Margvelashvili
Video: Barbara Weigel
Kreativer Produzent: MIFRUSH Production (Urszula Heuwinkel)
Photo © Robert Berghoff
The performative reading Grünes Licht was supported by the Polish Institute in Berlin.