The “Jamel rockt den Förster” festival ended on Saturday evening with performances by the bands Sportfreunde Stiller and Deichkind. For Rüdiger Linhof from the Sportfreunde, the performance was a “great opportunity to show where you stand”. He described the two-day festival, which is intended to set an example against the right, as symbolic of “political commitment, democratic thinking and attitude”.
On the anniversary of the Wall’s construction on August 13, 1961, Linhof also recalled that authoritarian thinking poses a danger again today: one can no longer pretend that the gift of the fall of the Wall is a gift for eternity, he told the Deutsche Presse- Agency. It called on artists to get involved. “You can only live and work freely as an artist in a democratic state,” he said.
The organizers Birgit and Horst Lohmeyer, who live in the small town near Wismar, have been organizing the festival since 2007 and are thus taking a stand against the strong right-wing scene in Jamel. The festival has been known nationwide since the Toten Hosen performed in 2015, which was followed by numerous visits by well-known artists.
In order to keep the rush of spectators within limits, the lineup traditionally remains secret until the start. On Friday, among others, indie rocker Thees Uhlmann and the thrash metal band Kreator were on stage.
According to the organizers, 2,500 festival guests came this year. 3500 tickets had been offered. Nevertheless, Birgit Lohmeyer was satisfied: “We look back on our extremely successful anniversary festival with pride and great joy,” she said. (dpa)