Opening in the Kolomani Hall

Asal Dardan on memory as resistance

In the Kolomani Hall, author Asal Dardan opened the festival with a speech written especially for Melk, Wie die Vergangenheit unabänderlich war, würde die Hoffnung unabänderlich bleiben (As the past was unalterable, hope would remain unalterable). She called for history to be seen not as a linear sequence but as a spatial phenomenon – a place of debate. Memory, Dardan said, is not backward-looking but resistant. It is a practice, not empty pathos.

In powerful words, she combined personal narrative with political analysis: “Remembrance is not a duty to be ticked off, but a prerequisite for living together in a diverse society.” Her contribution was more than a talk – it was an ethical appeal for shaping our future. Hope, according to Dardan, must be rooted in a penetrating look at the past – not in looking away.

The opening evening was accompanied by a musical performance by the duo Mira Lu Kovacs & Clemens Wenger, whose songs from their album Sad Songs To Cry To created a dense, emotional atmosphere. Music and language combined into a harmonious start.

SATURDAY, 30 AUGUST 2025

Practice, encounter, experience
A morning of personal transformation

Saturday morning was devoted to experience. While the Kulinarisches Kollektiv held a meditative vegetable-chopping session with abbey staff that culminated in a shared soup ritual in the evening, Lukas Fürst invited participants to Wood & Hands, a creative craft session at Tischlerei Melk, where wishes and visions were exchanged and milled into wooden hands. In the baroque Imperial Corridor, collector Hannah Rieger and Hans Hoffer gave an introduction to the Art Brut exhibition in Experiencing Art. The connection between art, rawness and expressive power became tangible and was understood as a central part of respect.

In all three formats, participants experienced the constructive power of doing things together. Being active together, complementing each other, achieving satisfying results – that sums up the experience.

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Living resilience and dignity

A special moment of the festival was the live recording of an episode of the Ö1 series “Im Gespräch” with actor Samuel Koch, conducted by Johannes Kaup. Koch, who has been paralysed since an accident on the TV show Wetten, dass..?, spoke openly about self-respect, vulnerability and artistic expression. His reflections on respecting one's own body, limits and possibilities were deeply moving.

The intimate dialogue in the Kolomani Hall formed the emotional foundation for his later performance – and impressively demonstrated that resilience and dignity, in small things and large, are the foundations of an attitude of respect and self-respect.

There would have been no need to point out that the conversation was being recorded for radio to ask the audience for complete silence. The actor's wise words held everyone spellbound and moved hearts and minds.

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Rethinking education and meeting the climate crisis with tenderness

Educator and bestselling author Florence Brokowski-Shekete set a clear accent in the festival programme with her talk, showing how crucial school is as a social space of resonance. Her demand: education must be transcultural, sensitive and respectful – not merely a means of integration, but a space of empowerment.

In a passionate speech she spoke about the importance of representation and language, and about the potential that lies in listening. Her message: “The way we look at children determines whether they feel seen – or overlooked.”

How respect can also manifest itself in engaging with the climate crisis was shown by Johannes Siegmund. The political scientist and writer took a sharp look at society's reactions to the climate emergency: despite the escalating crisis, denial and paralysing fear dominate.

Siegmund called for a new approach: tender, combative, but action-oriented. The audience joined the discussion – a dialogue emerged that led out of powerlessness towards shared responsibility.

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Curtain up for “Protagonists of Change – The Show”

With plenty of energy and humour, Hosea Ratschiller hosted this year's edition of “Protagonists of Change – The Show”. For several years, the Protagonists of Change have been an integral part of the Days of Transformation; with this format, Globart brings people onto the stage who stand out for their civic engagement.

In an entertaining format reminiscent of start-up shows like “Dragons' Den” or “Shark Tank”, the initiatives Acker Österreich, Netzwerk Junge Ohren, Breaking Grounds and the Bürger:innenKRAFTwerk Schönbühel-Aggsbach presented themselves to a jury made up of the abbey's monks.

The show proved that change lives from action. The audience was inspired – not least by the courage with which the initiatives' representatives defended their visions, some revealing real acting talent as they presented their causes with wit and humour.

“How a snowball becomes an avalanche”: on power and courage

Former ski racer and today's activist Nicola Werdenigg, the day's last speaker, talked about systemic abuse of power – and how respect and civil courage can shake these structures. She had experienced it herself as a young athlete in the ski federation and decided not to remain silent but to speak out courageously for the sake of the young women coming after her. Her talk was impressively personal and at the same time highly relevant to society. With great clarity, she criticised the silence of institutions that feel more committed to protecting perpetrators than victims.

Many in the audience were impressed by Nicola Werdenigg's openness and clarity. But she did not stop at analysis: “When we begin to listen – to really listen – change begins,” said Werdenigg. Her words resonated long afterwards.

At the evening soup ritual in the baroque cellar, guests, participants and speakers came together in a special atmosphere before actor Samuel Koch closed the day with a powerful solo performance. His staged reading of Peter Turrini's Endlich Schluss was intense, focused and moving. The great writer Turrini had travelled to the reading himself and was as impressed as the entire audience.

That morning, Koch had already spoken with Johannes Kaup on Ö1 about self-respect, physical autonomy and his experiences with barriers – both physical and social. His participation was a highlight of the festival. Anyone who experienced him in the morning conversation and/or the evening performance went home with plenty to reflect on about life.

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SUNDAY, 31 August 2025

Respect in the abyss
Sigrun Roßmanith on forensic psychiatry

The last day of the festival was opened by Sigrun Roßmanith, forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist with decades of experience. Her talk traced the lines connecting individual disregard, social brutalisation and collective responsibility. In clear, calm words she spoke about what is often repressed: the connection between biography, violence suffered and structural violence. Her analysis linked individual case histories with social patterns and offered new perspectives on living together in times of crisis.

Her appeal: if we take respect seriously, we must not look away. Roßmanith thus made a contribution to public enlightenment – uncomfortable, but necessary.

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Shaping the future – in dialogue

To close, visitors met the Protagonists of Change again in workshops. In practical exercises, conversations and creative processes led by Christoph Musik (Acker Österreich), Katharina von Radowitz (Netzwerk Junge Ohren), Sarah Wagner (Breaking Grounds) and Erich Lagler and Ingrid Garschall (Bürger*innenKRAFTwerk Schönbühel-Aggsbach), participants formulated their own ideas, sharpened visions and built networks. The Days of Transformation ended as they had begun: in dialogue, open and respectful.

Running parallel to the festival was once again the Weltklimaspiel© (World Climate Game) – a role-play simulation in which GLOBART scholarship holders took on the roles of global decision-makers. Over several rounds, scenarios were negotiated, solutions tested and power relations reflected upon. The goal: to create a sustainable economic and social order within one “century” of playing time. Guided by Matthias Mittelberger of Weitblick GmbH, the game showed how respect can work in political and economic processes – as a strategic competence, not a moral luxury. On Sunday, interested visitors could experience a round of the game and talk with the scholarship holders.

The Days of Transformation 2025 showed that respect is more than politeness. It is an attitude – one that challenges, irritates and opens doors: to encounter, to insight, to change. Clearly, we must work towards a society of respect if our democratic coexistence is to function. Everyone must contribute on this path – and also be brought along by others.

“We will not always agree, but we will be full of respect for one another,” Stefanie Jaksch said at the start of the festival. At the end of these three days, one thing was palpable: this is exactly where the power of transformation lies.

Days of Transformation – listen, read and watch more

• Johannes Kaup's conversation with Samuel Koch can still be heard on Ö1. More information here
• The Festschrift “Geborgte Zeit – Eine Anstiftung zum Handeln” by #aufstehn founder Maria Mayrhofer is available from the Globart office at info@globart.at from 23 October 2025 for 9 euros
• Recordings of the talks are gradually being published on our YouTube channel.

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