Radio play Damascus Requiem: A haunting look at Syria!

Radio play Damascus Requiem: A haunting look at Syria!

On Friday, September 27, 2025, several outstanding productions were awarded the AMIKO media award for diversity. The radio play was among the award winnersDamascus Requiem, which won in the “Long Radio” category. This award from Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg highlights the importance of the work, which reflects the personal experiences of three Syrian authors in the face of war. The success of the radio play shows the power and relevance of media art in times of conflict and flight. The Babelsberg Film University reports that the piece was described as “eloquent and disturbing, ear-opening and sense-sharpening.”

The radio play was created as part of the seminarOpen Film University – Integrative Writingat the Babelsberg Konrad Wolf Film University. This program supports young refugee filmmakers in preparing to study digital media. During the course of the seminar, over 20 participants from different countries worked on the development of the radio play, which was written in three languages: Arabic, English and German.

Content and themes of the radio play

The stories that are inDamascus Requiemare told are profound and complex. Alaa Al Haidar depicts a tragic love story that shows a young woman caught between the fronts of war. Fares Dahi reports on his terrible escape through the desert, which he finds even more threatening than crossing the Mediterranean. Mohamad Halbouni, on the other hand, creates an allegory with his story that addresses “war in the Möbius loop operating mode” and leads the listener into a world in which a god has lost his operating instructions. The texts were translated by Alfred Behrens and adapted for rbb kulturradio.

Alfred Behrens and Janne von Busse took over the direction of the radio play. Behrens, an experienced radio play and screenplay author, is a professor in the screenplay/dramaturgy course at the Babelsberg Film University. The production was realized in 2017 in collaboration with the Institute for Artistic Research at the Film University and the rbb. Regine Ahrem headed the editorial team, while Fee Altmann took over the artistic direction.

Performances and audience interaction

The upcoming performance ofDamascus Requiemwill take place on November 10th at 7:30 p.m. in the Hans Otto Theater in the Reithalle. The entrance fee is 3 euros. Following the performance, a discussion with authors Fares Dahi, Alaa Al Haidar, Mohamad Halbouni and the artistic team is planned to discuss the deep themes and creative processes behind the work. The radio play, which has a total length of 49 minutes and 14 seconds, was broadcast on rbb-Kulturradio on October 5, 2018.

The winners of the AMIKO Prize and the performance ofDamascus Requiememphasize the importance of cultural projects that deal with the challenges of refugees and strengthen their visibility in society. The Daily Mirror highlights how such projects can create a space for dialogue and understanding between different cultures. Promoting such initiatives is essential to promote diversity and inclusion in our society.

Given the ongoing societal challenges, valuing and supporting artistic voices is even more important. The work of the seminar and the stories told in the radio play will be remembered not only as works of art, but also as important cultural contributions. The CIVIS Media Foundation underlines the relevance of media diversity and the need for projects likeDamascus Requiemto support.