55 Voices for Democracy | Düzen Tekkal

"Open societies in Europe and the United States face a crisis of safety and identity. We must know what we stand for and what we are ready to defend.” In her address, human rights activist, author, and filmmaker Düzen Tekkal appeals to the courage of taking action, seeking justice, and keeping memory culture alive in democratic societies. She goes on, “because freedom needs voices. Democracy needs courage. And memory needs people who are ready to act. Let us turn memory into action and survival into a future.”  

Düzen Tekkal is a human rights activist, author, and filmmaker. Together with her sisters, she founded the human rights organization HÁWAR.help e.V., which is primarily involved in projects for girls and women in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Syria and Germany. In her book and the educational movement of the same name, German Dream, she campaigns for a value-based Germany and against extremism and inhumanity. 

The series is presented by the Thomas Mann House in cooperation with Deutschlandfunk and the Los Angeles Review of Books. For more information visit http://vatmh.org/55voices