Glow Up Cologne
Democracy needs and thrives on diversity. With this approach, Glow Up Cologne brings people together to carry our democracy into the future together – creatively, informatively and through dialog.
As we are concerned that our basic democratic structure is increasingly under threat, we are convinced that, in view of the rise of right-wing extremism, there is a social need for an independent, democratic offering that stimulates discourse.
In a voluntary team from Cologne’s art and culture scene, we therefore put on a new concert format once a year in the Cologne Philharmonie as well as events lasting several days (workshops, exhibitions, special offers for schoolchildren, readings, films and discussion panels) at various locations in the city, which focus on the basic principles of democratic coexistence and combine culture with political discourse.
With a wide variety of artists from different genres, we stand together for the preservation and active shaping of our democracy.
In this context, Glow Up also presents social organizations that actively campaign for a fairer, diverse and democratic society. This year, it is the Stammtischkämpfer*innen of the initiative “Aufstehen gegen Rassismus”.
Our cooperation partners include the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, the European Parliament’s “Art in Democracy” project, the CORRECTIV research center, the “Aufstehen gegen Rassismus” initiative, the Bonn Institute, the German Youth Press and the NS Documentation Center in Cologne.