Berlin-Neukölln: A Short Film about Identity and Integration

‘How much Turkish am I and how much German do I have to be?’

The struggle of finding and being yourself in a world full of restrictions and limitations is real. Anyone with a second (or third or fourth or…) ethnicity in their persona, DNA or environment will have to ask himself these questions eventually.

The search for your ‚true‘ self gets even harder, when identity and integration come into the mix and interfere with your general soul searching. Suddenly, to find an in-group, as social identity theorists would call it, you need to check their markers and face possible rejection. The fear of the Unknown comes with obsession of control, dividing more than including.

To fit in, one has to adapt. To be recognized, one has to fit in a box. To be equal, one has to be the same. At least, that’s what society taught us. Is it right though?

This was a rhetorical question. Myself being half Turkish-half German, I know of the struggles of not knowing where to belong, questioning my identity. Obviously, I had way more privileges growing up, than others. And over all, I always felt like a Berliner. But still, I feel the struggle and I can relate to the pain of being marginalized, for whatever reason. Even though Berlin is a multicultural metropole, for many people it’s still tougher than others to be acknowledged. The society is us. Let’s all start acting as one.

The short-film „Berlin-Neukölln“ by Semih Kasap and Hakan Caglayan and Christian Plähn raises questions of a quotidian boy in Berlin-Neukölln. While walking through the district, he asks questions many of us have out loud. And leaves them unanswered. Since, in the end when the protagonist asks: ‚Who am I?‘ The silent question risen is also: ‚Who am I to you?‘

We all know, how it feels to be left out. Let’s try to remember that there is space for everyone.

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<a href="https://www.iheartberlin.de/author/yasmin/" target="_self">Yasmin</a>

Yasmin

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