On the evening of February 21, Buddy Bear Berlin invited guests from Berlin's business, art and culture scene to his studio to celebrate Berlin United.
The evening was as vibrant as the multi-layered stage program, which put Buddy Bear in the spotlight.
State Secretary for Culture, Sarah Wedl-Wilson, opened the series of speakers with a moving speech about the role of Berlin and the symbolic Buddy Bears. The United Buddy Bears in particular were in the spotlight as Klaus Herlitz and Viviana Plasil emphasized their message for harmonious coexistence, tolerance and international understanding.
During the subsequent panel talk, the guests shared their personal connections to Buddy Bear Berlin. Burkhard Kieker, Managing Director of VisitBerlin, explained the key role of the United Buddy Bears for Berlin's destination marketing. Social entrepreneur Zohre Esmaeli emphasized the implications for refugees and employees in companies. Düzen Tekkal, human rights activist and journalist, sent inspiring and hopeful words to the attendees via video message. Former ambassador Volker Pellet recalled the idea of the embassy bears, while Stefan Blei, owner of Bärlin Team Eventdesign, referred to the responsibility of Berlin companies to stand up for their city. The evening was hosted by actress Dennenesch Zoudé.
Artistic highlights of the evening were the musical performances by Mariama Jalloh with the Buddy Bear song "Oh Please" and the melodic sound play by Bruno di Martino. The Buddy Bear artists Ute Faber and Kani Alavi painted and designed a Buddy Bear together with the evening's guests.