Holy Flow – Diversity in Motion: An Interfaith Festival for Understanding and Creativity 

How can we build bridges between different cultures and religions? 

The interfaith festival Holy Flow brings people together regardless of religion, gender, age, or cultural background. On May 24 and 25, 2025, Cottbus will become a vibrant space for exchange, dialogue, and shared creative experiences. 

 

The River as a Symbol of Dialogue and Diversity 

In many religious and cultural traditions, the image of the river plays a central role. In the Bible, a stream flows from the Garden of Eden, dividing into four rivers to nourish the land. In the Quran, the rivers of paradise flow with water, milk, honey, and wine. Similarly, the Elbe, Oder, Havel, and Spree rivers flow through Brandenburg—connecting cities and people, sustaining life, but also creating borders. Holy Flow embraces this symbolism to build bridges between cultures, fostering greater understanding and inclusion. 

 

Diverse Formats for a Shared Experience

The Holy Flow Festival brings together art, spirituality, and interfaith dialogue within an open and creative framework. The festival is divided into two parts: a public event open to all interested individuals and a networking meeting specifically designed for invited professionals from the fields of art, culture, and religion.

 

The Public Event – Art, Encounter, and Exchange for Everyone

On May 24, the festival is open to everyone from 10 AM to 6 PM who is interested in the exchange between art and religion. On this day, participants can look forward to an interfaith panel on the topic “How Much Religion Does Democracy Need?” featuring representatives from Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Following the panel, there will be interactive workshops:

• Improvisational Dance with Ioannis Avoukamidis

• Middle Eastern Music with Tayfun Guttstadt

• Writing Performance with Anna Lublina

• Ebru Painting with Mine Güccük

There will also be musical performances by Tayfun Guttstadt, a welcoming from Eike Belle, Head of the Department for Social Affairs, Youth, Education, and Integration of the City of Cottbus, as well as spiritual impulses and rituals, including storytelling as an introduction and a farewell to conclude the day with Jalda Rebling. Additional activities include an interfaith speed-dating format and open, child- and family-friendly creative offerings for all generations.

Program Overview:

• 10:00 AM – Welcome (Eike Belle, Head of the Department for Social Affairs, Youth, Education, and Integration of the City of Cottbus)

• 10:30 AM – Workshops I (Impro Dance · Middle Eastern Music · Text Performance)

• 12:15 PM – Musical Performance

• 12:30 PM – Lunch Break

• 1:30 PM – Workshops II (Impro Dance · Middle Eastern Music · Text Performance · Ebru Painting) (until 3:30 PM)

• 3:15 PM – Musical Performance

• 3:30 PM – Panel: “How Much Religion Does Democracy Need?”

• 5:00 PM – Musical Performance

• 5:30 PM – Farewell: Light on your way

 

The Networking Meeting – In-Depth Exchange for Professionals

After the public event, a gathering will take place on May 25 for invited guests from the fields of art, culture, and religious communities. This networking meeting aims to develop joint ideas, discuss potential collaborations, and strengthen sustainable connections between art and interfaith work. The focus is on exchanging experiences, addressing challenges, and envisioning future projects together.

 

“Communicating across language and cultural barriers is already challenging. When it comes to different religions, the uncertainties grow even larger. The interfaith workshop Holy Flow aims to help bridge these gaps—through storytelling, music, dance, and other creative formats.” — Simon Klaas, initiator and Protestant pastor 

 

 

 

These are our artists

Anna Lublina is a performance and social practice artist based in Berlin. Their work explores diaspora as both a creative form and a political stance. In their workshop, participants will draw from Ashkenazi Jewish mourning traditions to write texts that grieve the loss of water in our natural environment – a poetic, collective process of remembrance and ecological reflection. 

 

Mine Güccük brings the fascinating art of Ebru painting – also known as paper marbling – to the festival. In this workshop, participants will learn how to paint on water using traditional techniques, where colors meet without blending, creating flowing patterns that symbolize cultural diversity and harmony.

 

Tayfun Guttstadt, musician and scholar of religion, invites participants on a sonic journey through the musical and liturgical traditions of the Middle East. His interactive workshop explores the aesthetics and intersections of Muslim, Jewish, and Christian musical practices – brought to life through diverse audio and video examples.

 

Ioannis Avakoumidis, an internationally active dancer and choreographer, offers a workshop in dance improvisation centered around the flow of movement. Through guided and playful exercises, participants are encouraged to explore their own physical expression and engage in creative dialogue with others.

 

 

Making a Collective Statement 

Holy Flow welcomes everyone interested in interfaith exchange and creative expression—regardless of age, background, or belief. With this festival, we aim not only to strengthen dialogue but also to establish a lasting network for understanding and tolerance. 

If you’re interested or have further questions, please contact Anna Andrievskaya: pr@highartbureau.com 

 

Funded by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community in implementation of the objectives of the German Islam Conference based on a resolution of the German Bundestag, and by the Dr. Buhmann Foundation for Interreligious Understanding.   

                                 

 

 

 

 

Our Partners:

Makom e.V. is not only a well-known and interdisciplinary association for Jewish art and culture in Brandenburg but also an active member of the local Jewish community. By fostering precise connections between people of the Jewish faith and culture, the association and its founders support the project with an active network, extensive experience, and valuable perspectives.

 

Muslimas Netzwerk Brandenburg is an active and versatile network. It engages with questions of integration, Muslim life in Brandenburg, the role of women in communities, and children’s education while also sharing experiences of discrimination. Through this, we aim to collectively articulate and advocate for our interests and contribute to the acceptance of Muslim women, as well as all Muslims, in Brandenburg. We stand for: social diversity, religious freedom, a positive and peaceful coexistence, and exchange and collaboration between Muslim and non-Muslim women at the state level.

 

Simon Klaas and the Evangelical Parish of the Forst Region are not just project sponsors. Mr. Klaas has been engaged in interfaith dialogue and open exchange for many years, using the universal language of art to foster greater togetherness. His ability to bring together multiple perspectives was particularly evident in the successful Preacher Slam format, which featured representatives from all contemporary faiths.