Born in 1965, Stephan Brües, is mainly a peace activist from Germany, engaged as co-chair of the Federation for Social Defence (BSV, www.soziale-verteidigung.de) and Council Member of the War Resisters International network.
He is a member of the organizing team of “Not Our War”.
Professionally Stephan is freelance scientific editor and lives in Wiesloch near Heidelberg (where someone left her*his heart…).
When he was in high school he began to write political and other poems. And he continued this until now, as with artistic expression you get people more emotionally, even if the poem is about a political topic. On the photo (done by Heidi Flassak) he reads a poem during the Easter Marsh manifestation in Heidelberg 2021.
The idea of his poetic presence in the event “Not Our War” is to introduce and welcome the speakers by a poem.
Poems by Stephan Brües
With the following poem I want to introduce Olga Karatch and the work of her organization Nash Dom. The organization that I represent (Federation for Social Defense, BSV) is working with Nash Dom since 2005.
Nash Dom – Our house
Our house has many rooms
for tenants who suffer under the arbitrariness of the administration,
for mothers whose sons are tortured and locked away for alleged drug possession,
for people who are persecuted by the police,
for people who want to solve conflicts with others without violence,
for pupils who want to settle disputes
Our house has many doors
Real and virtual.
The first ones protect the persecuted.
The second show the arbitrariness of the henchmen.
All lead to more freedom
All lead to more knowledge about civil rights.
All lead to more action for civil rights.
Our House calls “No means No” – No to the war on Ukraine!
It calls for opposing the lies of war with the truth.
It calls for the withdrawal of men from the Belarusian army.
It calls for no participation in Putin’s war.
It calls on the young conscripts,
to flee to the Owls, the resistant women.
The Owls are calling mothers en masse,
to stop them from sending their sons to Ukraine.
And the sons refuse to go to Ukraine.
The general of the armed forces resigned from his post in frustration.
His pleading with the soldiers had led to no result.
No remained No.
Imagine they give war,
and where no one* thought it would happen – in Belarus –
nobody comes to fight.
(12.04.2022) * in Western countries
The following poem is about the consequences of wars – people on the run. It is written in 2016 referring especially to Syrians. But it is dedicated to all refugees and their rights. So it is not about War Profiteers about which Mark will talk, but it hints to his engagement for “No borders”.
On the run
Burning bombs, braking building, trickling trauma,
standing senseless, saving survivals.
Myriad motifs to move mindlessly.
Basically the boundless belief gives birth
to a wild will to wander way off,
a wide way off. Where ever, whenever it ends.
Worrying waters, soulless seas, burden of boats,
load of lorries, boundless bustle, tricky tracks,
furious fence, no stable stops.
Hopes continue hoping. All is different in Allemanya, all?
All is better than in Aleppo, all?
The journey is not its own reward, it leads to a reward:
to be protected, to be alive, to be existent.
The bus finally stops at a destination
To a Welcome, to a Back Off
Welcome!
(March 2016)
With this poem I want to introduce Christine, who is Executive Officer of BSV. She is the expert on alternatives to war. So I compare the militaristic way of thinking to an alternative one that Christine will present later.
Writing like Erich Fried II
Those who do not want to exclude wars
have to prepare for wars,
Stockpile weapons, drill people,
Muzzle the media, invent reasons for war.
Those who want to have a strong Army
Have to take on 100 billion Euro in debt, no, sorry: in special assets.
Those who want to have a strong Army
Must change the constitution to be allowed to incur debts.
Must renew weapons, must continue nuclear sharing, must develop interconnected weapon systems.
Spread the word through all channels that there is no alternative.
Thus deter the enemies. And – possibly – wage wars.
If you want peace,
You have to prepare for peace.
Give billions for conflict prevention,
Billions for a social, fair, ecological world economy.
Billions for a reformed UN, for the OSCE
Billions for peace-building.
Those who want peace,
Must open dialogues, show nonviolent alternatives
And spread them through all channels.
And then wage peace.