Saturday August 29, 2026, 6:30 – 10 PM 
Sunday, August 30, 2026, 2 – 4:30 PM 

For two days during the summer festival, the Ost-West-Kantine [East-West-Canteen] makes a special guest appearance at DAS MINSK. The events take place on the spacious front terrace, where—amid ping-pong tables, speed-dating tables, and the Corner of Insults curated by Idil Baydar—a large canteen table serves as the centerpiece, drawing audience, performers, and guests together in conversation.
Gesine Danckwart moderates the exchange between invited guests and the audience, bringing them together with readings and questions. Through her post-migrant perspective, Idil Baydar opens up new angles on the East-West debate.Over the course of the two days, the Ost-West-Kantine [East-West-Canteen] will be opened and joined by the V.E.R.Z. Chor des Rechenzentrums from Potsdam, a choir known for its unique repertoire of songs about data processing.

On the first night, the Kamerun Qrella Group (Schorsch Kamerun and Masha Qrella) presents selected tracks from their new album, Abteilung Blühende Landschaften—set for release in November on the Berlin-based label Staatsakt—including the first single, An den Reglern, out August 28. Around the canteen table, Schorsch Kamerun and Masha Qrella talk about making music, who's in charge of which controls, and what that has to do with East and West German backgrounds.

With guests and collaborators including Idil Baydar, Schorsch Kamerun, Grit Seymour, Stefanie Plattner, and the V.E.R.Z. Chor des Rechenzentrums, the audience can look forward to a variety of stories and perspectives.

Location: Front terrace
Free entry / Drop-in

The Ost-West-Kantine [East-West-Canteen] is an artistic and discursive format developed by artists Gesine Danckwart, Katrin Hentschel, and Masha Qrella. It facilitates encounters, explores questions of East and West, and weaves together art, music, personal stories, and discourse. The canteen's arrangement brings everyone—audience and guests alike—together at one table, where they can chop, play, sew, craft, sing, celebrate, and talk.

A production by Gesine Danckwart, Katrin Hentschel, Masha Qrella, and Chez Company

Design: Luise Wilhelm
Set Design: Johanna Meyer
Sound / Realization: Fabian Kühlein