Public Festival and Civic Forum Exploring River Rights
WHEN
WHERE
Kulturgut Ost,
An d. Römerbrücke 5,
66121 Saarbrücken
LANGUAGE
GERMAN & ENGLISH
PROGRAMME
Can rivers have rights? In 2017, this question received a resounding yes when the Whanganui River in New Zealand was granted legal personhood. Across the globe, there is a growing movement to recognise the rights of natural beings in law. Could this be a way to reshape our relationship with the environment – in ways that are life-sustaining and just?
On 4 July 2026, these and related questions will take centre stage at a public forum at Kulturgut Ost in Saarbrücken, with a special invitation to people from Saarbrücken and the wider Grande Région. Writer, philosopher, and curator Camille de Toledo – co-founder of the International of Rivers – will open the day with a keynote address. Workshops and panel discussions will follow, offering a space for dialogue between representatives from politics, civil society, academia, and the arts. Together, we will ask: What would it mean to treat rivers as actors and legal subjects within our societies? What kind of future do we want to create? How might we rethink our relationship with nature?
The Käte Hamburger Centre CURE warmly invites members of the public to take part in this civic forum.
The programme will begin on 17 February with a film screening and discussion with Camille de Toledo, where the documentary I Am the River, the River Is Me will be shown. More information is available here.
IN COOPERATION WITH
Cluster für Europaforschung (CEUS), Goethe Institut Nancy im Rahmen des Festival du Rhin, des fleuves et des rivières, Haus der Nachhaltigkeit Saarbrücken, L’Institut d’études avancées de Nantes, Institut d’Études Françaises, Kulturgut Ost und Sektor Heimat, Stiftung Demokratie Saarland,UNESCO Weltkulturerbe Völklinger Hütte, Universität des Saarlandes.
