In 2019 Germany celebrated the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. But instead of a large community feeling, an increasing individualization of society can be observed. With the beginning of the “school* strikes for climate” in August 2018 though, the base of a collective sense of togetherness can be sensed again in the country. A movement that has found followers and support worldwide across the bounds of nationality, gender, ethnicity, religion, and age. The global school strike, initiated by one sixteen-year-old schoolgirl from Stockholm, is currently rocking world politics and thus acting as a catalyst for a long overdue debate on global climate policy. It brings up a painful subject and it’s about defining goals, making decisions, and radically changing course. The clock is ticking. Time is against us. Planet Earth and its inhabitants are about to eradicate themselves.
The motto of the 14th re:publica Berlin 2020 is: ASAP (as soon as possible).
On three days in May 2020 we will address the real and felt urgency of our current global and digital society.
- ASAP means: not tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or in a year, but NOW – and as quickly as possible!
- ASAP symbolizes: a spirit of optimism, action and movement
- ASAP must: exert pressure, generate stress, be uncomfortable
- ASAP stands for: urgency, impatience, and power
- ASAP promotes: imprecision, addiction, and social acceleration
- ASAP means: immediacy, satisfaction, and convenience
- ASAP should: engage, mobilize, and shake up
- ASAP is: as soon as possible!