Nedim Hazar / Sanat Ensemble

With 25 performers on stage—actors, musicians, contemporary witnesses, and a Greek choir of women—the Sanat Ensemble sheds light on an almost forgotten chapter of German history. In 1973, over 100,000 guest workers in more than 300 locations went on a “wildcat” strike to demand equal pay for equal work. At Ford in Cologne, around ten thousand striking Turks, Greeks, and Italians occupied the factory for five days. At night, they “played music, sang, danced, and told stories.” The slogan was “One mark more for everyone.” Although the so-called “Turkish strike” in Cologne ended violently, its spokesperson, Baha Targün, became a legend. The rock ‘n’ roll documentary musical tells the true stories of the labor struggle against exploitation and for the rights of the previously voiceless guest workers.

Supported by the Foundation for German Democracy History, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, IG Metall, Respekt, the Foundation for Work and Human Dignity, and the City of Cologne.