Vaterland

A new German-language essay takes its title from the patriotic song line 'Lieb Vaterland, magst ruhig sein' and examines what happens to public vigilance when danger no longer has a specific place but attention itself becomes exhausted. The piece blends politics, history and philosophy, arguing that constant alertness to diffuse threats risks wearing down the very watchfulness it demands.

The film 'Vaterland', a German-Polish-Italian-French co-production directed by Paweł Pawlikowski, will be shown in Leipzig on 7 October at 21:00. The 82-minute feature, rated FSK 0, stars Hanns Zischler, Sandra Hüller, August Diehl, Devid Striesow and Joachim Meyerhoff, and will screen in the original German and English with English subtitles.

The Slovenian avant-garde band Laibach is drawing attention again with its track 'Germania (Volk)', whose lyric 'It is the lesson you have to learn' is being quoted alongside the official video. The song, a provocative reworking of the German national anthem from the album 'Volk', is being shared in German-speaking online circles with tags referencing Deutschland, Vaterland and hymn.