The vegan summer Festival 2019 – A report

A fantastic weekend in Berlin (August 23.-25. 2019). The vegan summer party at Alex in Berlin went into the next round. 

We started on Friday with a workshop for Leni Lecker HundeVurst and it was a lot of fun. There were some dogs and a well mixed audience from different countries. So we had someone from South Africa and Israel with us, as well as the USA. And of course Germany. So I held the workshop bilingual, talked about the different spices I use and what cooking possibilities there are, while I showed how the Vurst is made. So I held the workshop bilingual, talked about the different spices I use and what cooking possibilities there are, while I showed how the Vurst is made. In the end, everyone, dogs and humans, tasted and it seems to have been delicious. 

This was followed by a spontaneous interview with lass-ma-nachhaltig. 

On Friday evening I myself took part in a workshop on “Sustainable Activism: Coping with Stress for Activists”. I appreciated the workshop, even though the topic of activism was not so much in the spotlight. But the workshop was also good for daily life. Very exciting. The workshop teacher is a member of Psychotherapists 4 Future. 

Afterwards I listened to the lecture of the vegan Youtuber VegetariRango from Brazil on “The Protein Myth”. I am particularly passionate about Brazil because my vegan lifestyle started in Brazil. I was lucky enough to live in Rio de Janeiro for half a year. That's why I've been following VegetariRango on Instagram for a while now, and it was a great pleasure to meet him in person. And the best thing is, he has a dog himself and his dog can now try Greta too, because the Greta Minis have of course ended up in his luggage. 

On Saturday, I was back on the mat to listen to Dr Didem Aydurmuş talk about the "(vegan) ecological footprint". I have rarely met such a tough person who addresses such serious topics with a smile on her face. I met Didem recently when she co-organised one of the coolest trucks at Gay Pride Berlin, namely the Queer Vegans Truck, which we were able to sponsor and cheer on while dancing. 

On Sunday was the Official Animal Rights March, which was joined by about 5500 people. It was impressive to be in the streets with so many like-minded people for the rights of all animals. 

My emotional highlight was the Die-In action at Rosenthaler Platz where we all were lying together and shut down the square for a few minutes. When the drummers of "Drums over Knives" started, I felt an incredible sense of connection with all fellow participants and living beings and above all that I am not alone. 

After the demo we quickly went to the summer festival again in order not to miss the lecture of Dr. Andrew Knight on the topic “Can cats and dogs go vegan?” He is an Australian animal rights activist and does his own research in the field of vegan nutrition for dogs and cats at the University of Winchester in England. We chatted a bit and took a photo. 

The festival ended with my Vriends, delicious food and hot weather. 

The organisational team of the Vegan Summer Festival was once again top-notch and we will definitely be back next year.

Animals Say Yeah!