Where does home end, where does alienation begin? At a time when many people are wondering whether they still have a voice in their own environment, PEN Berlin poses the provocative question: "Is this still | already my country?". On Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at 7 p.m., the discussion series, which is touring throughout Rhineland-Palatinate, will be held in the Göttenbach-Aula Idar-Oberstein. High-profile guests will openly discuss the term "homeland".
The event series is designed as an open panel discussion and deliberately focuses on a lively exchange between the panel and the audience. The focus is on questions such as: How much home do people need? What jeopardizes this feeling? And how can we live together successfully in the plural? The aim is not to provide ready-made answers, but to listen and argue together - objectively and fairly.
The panel is made up as follows:
- Wolfgang M. Schmitt - The distinguished film analyst and podcaster ("Prosperity for All") comes from the region and is known throughout Germany as one of the sharpest critics of social conditions. He scrutinizes how homeland is being crushed between kitsch and commerce today.
- Konstantin Küspert - playwright whose plays deal with social fractures and the search for identity in a globalized world.
- Lukas Herzog - representative of the Idar-Oberstein Open Channel. He brings in the local perspective and knows the tensions between tradition and necessary change in the region.
The evening will be accompanied by PEN Berlin speaker Deniz Yücel, German-Turkish journalist and taz editor, who is known for his direct and unfiltered discussions.
The series "Hello Rhineland-Palatinate, let's talk about home" expressly does not see itself as a classic panel of experts. PEN Berlin wants to help overcome social divisions where they arise: in direct conversation. A central part of the evening is therefore dedicated to the audience. Visitors are invited to take the floor, share their experiences and disagree with the panel guests.
- Admission is free. Registration is not required, but early attendance is recommended. The "Hallo Rheinland-Pfalz" series is funded by the German Bundestag, the federal "Demokratie leben!" program and the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry for Family Affairs, Women, Culture and Integration, among others.