this is home base of churches it's worse here's the closely it's going to scrapers or cream. on toast of the cathedral. people 120 and b.t.w. . this is day to you news and these are our top stories the u.s. city of minneapolis has agreed to pay the family of george floyd $27000000.00 to settle a civil lawsuit over his death floyd was killed while in police custody last may former police officer dirk shogun is currently on trial for his murder with jury selection under way. myanmar's latest pro-democracy protests have been met with more harsh responses from security forces police fired

rubber bullets and tear gas during demonstrations in the country's 2 largest cities the un's human rights investigator has accused the military regime of committing crimes against humanity. authorities in one jury and say gunmen have kidnapped dozens of students from a school in the northwestern state of could do no security forces were able to rescue 180 pupils and staff but nearly 40 students are still missing it's the 4th mass kidnapping from a nigerian school since december. this is d.w. news from berlin you can follow us on instagram and twitter at studio you news or visit our website w dot com. org . i'm an author and witness to world events that's all. it

was the hardest decision my life because i didn't want to go. on the team to germany and was like a child. and dumb and half blind. read for artists who have fled political persecution in their own countries. and settled in berlin. what drove them to leave. what challenges do they faced in their new home. what attracted them to the german capital.

people in berlin are demonstrating for every bellow reuss. theater director smith the child who is one of the cold organizers of the protest. he's glad that he can express his opinion freely in germany and that he can send a signal from abroad. when the berlin is not indifferent to what is happening in felde to set them restored to the situation in our homeland and well received citizens are doing we're simply seeing with you we're helping you are supporting it was one thing in their. mass protests have been taking place in belo roost for money. with the demonstrators calling for an end to the country's authoritarian regime police have clamped down on them heavily. even if they are no longer there so charge cohen other bella ruffians in berlin

feel part of the wider protest. the force our hand would we don't want that we just knew things aren't right to. charge cool left dello russo over 10 years ago. he had always opposed to the regime and had organized protests and hunger strikes. as a result he was arrested locked up for days at a time without charge. i always say that if i'd stayed i would become a professional revolutionary. i was allowed to study i would never have got a good job. training we landed in jail because i took part in protests and because of my years. so i had to make up my mind and leave i wanted to do what i love art. thanks to our ground he was able to go to

poland where he acted and directed plays both in the off theater scene and in state theaters. including a production of just the idiot. you. know he still works in poland he prefers to live in berlin. he says he loves the alternative district of course it's bad because people here are free to think and do as they please. they discovered a new kind of protest across back their constant process and cross. before it was important for me to see the different forms and how they were organized. transferring this knowledge to the recipient places. to protest. he's currently working on an exhibition about civil society in bella ruse. he says that he was politicized as

a young man by an encounter with some german punks who were visiting bella ruth. and listen to the sex pistols were basically why oh so cool. and they talked about freedom and civil rights and i was talking to the music. we were. kids in the city and all of a sudden we discovered another culture. and shewed me that there was another world out there. totally different from the 100 new. there was a kind of break stopping society from developing. we were constantly told what to do and what not to do. and we had to follow. her apparatus. the relationship between. state the individual today is something he often examines in his work. it's. the peace projection paranoia

shrine integrates text written by the r.a.f. terrorist recombine hoff who explored how far political resistance could go. who hopes that his work will resonate in bella ruse to see myself as a bridge between berlin in minsk something happens there a preacher between berlin the bellows. but then i'd like to find the need between institutional state and the underground. to stay there. on the ground. right now berlin has more. so for the time being. we'll be staying put.

now to where we meet the vice president of penn center germany it's one of some 150 centers the courted by writers' association penn international penn draws attention to authors who have been persecuted for exercising their right to freedom of expression its german center helps them find refuge in germany worldwide many writers still live dangerously their countries which are always at the bottom of the list. in terms of freedom of expression and every tree. for 10 years in the last 3 or 4 years turkey has gotten much worse and remains level. each year and international. documents cases in which writers have been imprisoned or subjected to other restrictions. but there are also many cases we knew nothing about. for example in china. it's like a black hole. international death sentences are executed there. are

only very rarely does work. sometimes when joe ching feels lonely he goes for a stroll being out nature calms him helps him clear his mind and focus. he's lived in berlin for the past 8. nature. but i don't feel to home in one particular place. i have no special connection to a certain place on earth i've lived in mostly in the us with up and in beaching. here in germany a woman i live here and there i think that stems from my time in jail since then i have this sense of restlessness. under sooner than the truth out of the guy in 1989 protests erupted at beijing's tiananmen square and elsewhere in china tens

of thousands of young chinese demanded greater freedom. but the pro-democracy movement was brutally suppressed. helped organize demonstrations in his hometown she gone for days he was sentenced to 2 and a half years behind bars and forced to spend the 1st 2 months in solitary confinement locked up in a dark underground cell. the only freedom year after $51.00 days. they had to carry me out it will. be covered my eyes will. at 1st i didn't know why. but i spent all this time in total darkness. i would have probably gone blind. a harrowing experience but judging has remained undeterred once a widely respected nonfiction author and publisher in china he's kept writing books

in exile he's a very gracious reader to you. as an enthusiastic cook the passion he discovered as a single parent for him eating is about companionship and looking after one's health but also brings up grim memories from time behind bars to war certain jail and looked after more than 30 people on death row who don't leave a few days or weeks left to live. it was strapped to their beds arms and legs spread to their sides. like a crucifixion. call with you there is a hole in their bed to difficult. after relieving themselves are. clean people whom i also said. in their final moments. was all that mattered. judging process to the experience in a book it tells the story of 15 different prisoners on death row and includes

recipes for the last meal they ate before they were executed with. a leading german literary magazine has published an excerpt of the book his translator and good friend susanna becker will translate the book into german joe ching regularly covers highly sensitive topics that few in china would dare discuss for research purposes he sometimes returns to his homeland though he's careful to stay off the radar as susanna becker describes it but unlike his artist friend i wear way joe ching resists the label dissident. i am an author and witness to world events that saw. a courageous one for sure joe ching carried out extensive research in china for his documentary film i don't quite recall which addresses a dark chapter of chinese history. culture revolution. the film revolves around the lynching of 2 teachers at the hands of their students it features interviews

with people who may have witnessed the killings. see this election that she will take. to. them. recent events in paris show how timely my documentary is as a teacher was killer. sparking global outrage though most of my film talks about how 2 chinese teachers were beaten to death but to this day nobody knows who's responsible. nobody talks about this event so let us put it on. judging 2000 for investigative book about china's food industry became an international bestseller he exposed a ruthless food mafia that stops at nothing to maximize its profits including

adding dangerous chemicals to build products it was translated into several languages. 15 years ago i started telling people that chinese food is unsafe and chinese food production methods can cause epidemics like sars. but nobody to to seriously. so i think european politicians and food manufacturers are harming themselves when they import chinese products. currently working on new documentary films about china he's been barred from entering the country. but that won't deter him he's not easily intimidated. what's germany's role when it comes to offering protection to people threatened and persecuted and i think. germany please an important role. then germany's voice

is very significant within the context of pan international for one. we have a writers in exile programme that was created by the minister of culture in 2000. it was to pay off a debt of gratitude for writers who had to flee germany in $133.00 refuge abroad or . now we can persecuted writers and from all over the world to the workings of. the men and i think only the very thought of. when the nazis came to power in 1933 a whole generation of writers was silenced their works were banned and burned their lives were threatened many fled others were killed today german cities such as where the nazis held their rallies taken exiles from all over. the service of course it's just a trick of the ocean. there are many writers who need our help and.

that's why many make their own way if they can and their place of refuge is often berlin. it's a bit of home away from home for a syrian in exile at the pergamon museum in the historic center of berlin. first tours for refugees she explains the history of the exhibits and how they can transport people back in time. so. close your eyes try to smell. and you will feel home and there is always like a very nice trips we go through closing her eyes and think about our memories our heritage many visitors return time and again. provide comfort and stability coming here also helps keep combat her homesickness after she

was forced to flee syria 6 years ago. i used to say it's my museum. and i am one of the very rare people who used to go to the museum almost every. studied art in damascus and wrote for a children's magazine she's also a successful children's book author. she suffered under bashar al assad's regime until 2011 when the anti-government protests known as the arabs. again. i feel that time to change. the situation we leave or we leave with very long time. joined in the demonstrations and fought for change but the protests were brutally suppressed.

repeatedly arrested and eventually fled her homeland. the hardest. because. her hopes for a new syria dashed. to leave all her friends and fellow protesters behind. she hasn't heard a word from many of them since. they arrested or abducted. are they even still alive. her art works to picture this sense of loss. but mostly. because. they are here. now she found her mission 2015 not long after her arrival germany took in almost a 1000000 refugees we can do this chancellor angela merkel famously said in encouragement. down to work. i always find myself

somewhere in-between. trying to bring them together she also writes for the platform handles germany which gives refugees practical info on how to adapt to life here. who believes that hosting society should know more about newcomers about 3 fishies most of them have to integrate with. to help make that happen ali do you brights a column for a german newspaper. she highlights cultural similarities and differences between hosts and newcomers. and tries to combat the prejudices she encounters in her daily life. i say i'm from syria and. are you are really feels she said years. unfortunately and this is but you

don't look like. so i mean this is very important things to think to sync up about legs through types that media spirit. and. of the people there's still much to be done to dispel such stereotypes and to encourage interaction between cultures which actually aren't that different. says that her hometown damascus and berlin have much in common. it's very similar from different perspectives because it's very life it's very open and accept everyone from everywhere. where are you from what you're doing how you know how you dress what kind of study you did you will find your space. has certainly found her space helping to bring together different peoples and

cultures. exiles have a hard time. from their culture and they usually have a difficult time communicating in the new language. this applies to exiles today and to those of former times like those who fled nazi germany in the 1930 s. now there are plans to build a museum dedicated to these refugees where berlin's and halter railway station once stood. to open its doors in 2025 the modern building curve around the station's ruins. literature nobel prize winner. who fled from romania dictator nickel. to germany in 1907 is the museum's patron.

berlin is coming to terms with its past but what about the more recent history and the fact that many people from all over the world are moving here. or to flee. from danger. germany has experienced many different waves of immigration unfortunately there's new museum dedicated to this topic and that would be very interesting from a political perspective. a museum that tells the story of germany and the country of immigrants because they are an integral part of its history. when sharbat in shaky came to germany 10 years ago he had to leave everything behind. in iran he was an acclaimed writer an intellectual who actively participated in social debate. being forced into exile him of his identity.

is high had most everything a person could want when they had that stature was a journalist in the best newspaper unlike shouldn't the best universities in. there come to germany and i was like a child and deaf and dumb and half blind. on the. shaky belongs to iran's kurdish minority he learned his mother tongue kurdish from his father he describes it as the language of his soul and his innermost thoughts in his youth shut about in shaky frequented literary clubs and wrote lyric poetry that was naturalistic and realistic. kurdish literature was for bisan it was illegal like drugs or something. so i think i was always self-confident. i just went in and read my poems and the folks there were surprised

. 1617 year old boy we did he learn to speak kurdish. shaky quickly made a name for himself as the modern poet who courted controversy his writing advocate . equality of the sexes and human rights and he was a vocal activist in 2009. people rose up against the regime that put his life in danger. spending 20 years in jail i don't fear torture or even the death penalty. but i do fear the indeterminacy. if you're arrested by the secret police or whoever and there's no guarantee he'll be released in 2 or 3 hours after 3 days or 7 after 7 months or 7 years. he was arrested but managed to escape he never wanted to leave his country was now

forced to flee. from the german government including an exit and. yet the fears from that time still haunt him. i've never rented an apartment that was above the 3rd floor because i always thought if they come for me i must flee no matter what happens to me. whenever i went to look at them i always check to escape . i still have it was happens these are government hired. it took a long time before shakey could feel he was on firm ground again he broke with his past and embarked on the search for a new life a new identity and words his most important tools he wants to communicate but in what language. you might not know 70 percent of the people around me are

germans or german speakers the streets are my streets these walls are my walls this cafe is my candidate for you are not your list here these are my neighbors weren't there germans or speak german makes it exciting but hard to write. but for now he's preoccupied with bringing some peace into his life having a secure job and residency status. he is employed as a social education worker in a home for asylum seekers in his new home land. this start berlin is a city of my soul. berlin has a soul that's completely crazy and has been since me because its soul is like mine is not the least of that's my feeling and berlin is nationality less your novels nationality less is also how shabat in shaky feels it's impossible for

him to return to iran he hasn't seen his homeland in a decade. so where does he belong now in berlin. that's occurred maybe i should say kurdistan will forever be my homeland when i was born there and i'm a kurd but that's the person i am now for him and this here is my home. that's good for a large 21 this week stay safe until next time good bye and alfie did they.

talk to. their. peak irish dance crew cotto are taking social media by storm. is proving god with modern choreography and cool phoenix tradition attempts to go follow. the. leader.

you can buy fashion but not style. so we take you on a fashion to around the continent. meet the people he has an art form. see from traditional patterns i'm still a cool look and find the beauty pageant with a twist the 77 percent. 16. d.w. . we're all set to get to go beyond. the street take on the world eat out. all the camps were all of the stories that matter to you. would not.

believe. me. we are here is actually on fire. it. is the birds yes in fact you are seeing a lot so birds in fascinating formations we will meet this photographer later on in the show. everyone and welcome to another edition of your romance with me your host meghan lee here's a look at what else we've got.