The performance based on Edgar Hilsenrath’s novel “The Story of the Last Thought” premiered in the sold out Drama Theatre of the German city of Konstanz. The piece tells about the mass killing of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in 1915, the Russian Service of Deutsche Welle reports.
The theatre received a number demands to cancel the performance before the premiere set for March 21. The Turkish Consulate General in Kalsruhe asked the theatre to present different interpretations of the events to the spectators.
Dpa agency reported on March 23, quoting the Konstanz Police that a rally, featuring about 100 people, was organized in front of the theatre on the day of the premiere. The protesters were raged over the poster of the performance, picturing a man lying on the ground covered with white cloth, with a Turkish flag waving above him. Besides, it presents a quote by Turkish Prime Minister saying “There has been no genocide in our history.”
The Armenian community of the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg expressed its dismay regarding the act of protest. “Turkey’s ongoing denial of the fact of the Armenian Genocide speaks about its ignorance. Its demand to distort the history even in Germany is madness. Here in Konstanz we witness an absurd struggle against the historic truth and the freedom of art.”
The mission of art is to touch the pain points of the society, Peter Friedrich, member of the government of Baden-Württemberg, said. According to him, the reaction shows that art has hit the target.
“The Story of the Last Thought” tells about the events taking place during the First World War. This is a story of an Armenian in the Ottoman Empire, a witness of the Armenian Genocide.
