AMAN AMAN: Tracing Shared Histories Across Greece, Turkey and Germany

A song, a memory, a record passed from one friend to another. The new intercultural project AMAN AMAN explores the intertwined histories of migration, exile, labour, solidarity and friendship connecting Greece, Turkey and Germany through a rich programme of exhibitions, performances, concerts, film screenings and public discussions.

Developed by the Goethe-Institut Athen, SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA and TAVROS, in collaboration with cultural institutions across Greece, Turkey and Germany, the project unfolds between June 2026 and January 2027 in Athens, Thessaloniki, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Istanbul and Izmir. Rather than following a linear historical narrative, AMAN AMAN adopts a multi-layered and relational approach, allowing stories, sounds and images to travel, intersect and re-emerge in different places and contexts.

From the evocative sounds of the amanes and Turkish folk songs to the solidarities forged between Greek and Turkish workers in Germany, from the post-Ottoman lament traditions of New York’s Café Amans to contemporary voices from the Aegean and Anatolian coasts, the project moves between past and present, tracing connections across geography and time. At its core lies a desire to challenge national narratives and highlight shared cultural histories across the Eastern Mediterranean and its diasporas.

The programme opens in Athens on 3 June 2026 with “filía – dostluk – Freundschaft”, a festive gathering at the Goethe-Institut Athen curated by Habibi Kiosk of the Münchner Kammerspiele. Music performances, listening sessions, readings, discussions, site-specific interventions and DJ sets transform the institute’s garden into a space of encounter, exchange and collective memory. Friendship serves as the evening’s guiding theme, bringing together artists, musicians, writers, record collectors and storytellers from different cultural backgrounds.

Among the highlights is a conversation between record shop owners Iosif Angelidis and Salih Karagöz, lifelong friends who grew up in the same neighbourhood in Istanbul before historical circumstances separated their paths, leading one to Athens and the other to remain in Istanbul. Their shared passion for vinyl records became the foundation of two influential record stores and an enduring friendship that transcended borders.

The opening event also features the performance-lecture “Biz – Wir – Us”, a musical production originally developed by the Münchner Kammerspiele. Combining live music, storytelling and personal memories, the work reflects on artistic collaboration and cultural exchange between Greek and Turkish communities.

Following Athens, AMAN AMAN continues in Berlin, Munich, Thessaloniki and Izmir, culminating in a major exhibition and public programme at TAVROS in Athens from October 2026 through January 2027. Through music, art, cinema and dialogue, the project invites audiences to reconsider the histories that connect people across borders and generations.