Two and a half years ago, I met Malik, Moussa, Saidou, Maiga, and Ali, five young men from West Africa. They found themselves in a situation where they were not allowed to work and stay in Berlin, stigmatized, like many others, as so-called refugees. By working together on the DIY furniture of Enzo Mari, we became friends. We had the approach to help them out of their situation and to give them the possibility to take charge of their own lives, to break the picture of refugees as victims. We designed the model project Cucula. Over time, we discovered the beauty of this encounter, the power of working together, the relevance for civil society and their wish to take action.
And still there is an important point Olafur Eliasson leads us to with his words about Cucula:
»These sorts of projects not only benefit the refugees, but also our society in general. We need these projects because they support us and help us to rethink our society.«
I want to add that we need to reflect on and rethink not just our society, but also ourselves, our life, and our role in the world because we are part of the system that creates the problems.
This is what we can do to turn this so-called crisis into a chance for all of us!
