Doxumentale’s Live (and video) Podcast with Prens Emrah

What does it mean to find your voice and community through art? 

As part of this year’s Doxumentale non-fiction Festival in Berlin, Stories from the Beauty Parlor closed its first podcast season with a live conversation featuring guest Prens Emrah. Their story reflected the mission we have here at the parlor: building community and sharing stories through spaces where beauty thrives. 

In our episode, we sat down with Prens Emrah, a belly dance, drag performer, and makeup artist, and founder of the QueerBerg Collective in Berlin, for a conversation on creativity, identity, and belonging.

The episode followed several memorable stories from Prens Emrah, such as the time they started their career with an outfit made out of a curtain from a refugee center. This was the first time that, as a sheltered queer refugee with only 100€ monthly allowance, he could begin his long-standing artistic journey.

Through performance and costume, our guest shared how art has become a powerful tool for navigating the interplay among culture, political repression, community-building, and identity. 

As queer and migrant spaces face political challenges, Prens Emrah says, “We understand the hardening situation, the things happening around, but still I think that Berlin is for many people like a home because it was supported by our community.”

Whether it be from the stage or everyday life, our conversation engaged with the courage and importance of spaces of belonging, and why storytelling becomes the heart of social change and power!

Listen to our full episode on YouTube and join us for a spectacular ending to our final season with a celebration of art, resilience, and queer expression!