THE LAST CONFERENCE / HEIMATHAFEN NEUKÖLLN 2025
“There is something compelling and unique about this evening. And that has to do with Ukrainian-born actress Oksana Cherkashyna, who uses the political scenario to deliver a powerful indictment of Russia. Not only because of the humanitarian terror, but also because of the ‘ecocide’ that Russia is committing in Ukraine. To illustrate this, Cherkashyna shows us in a short slideshow which animal and plant species have already been wiped out by the Russian war: the steppe crane, the spotted ground squirrel, the European sturgeon—simply listed, soberly presented. It’s almost unbearable. The lump in my throat grows bigger.”
Christian Rakow, Nachtkritik, Oct. 12, 2025
The voting scenarios that are available alternate between plague and cholera, because every climate issue has now become a social battle pose: should climate refugees be allowed to come to still intact, rich countries and thus risk social upheaval there, or should they be resettled in areas that were newly developed after the ice melted? Should we control the media and thus prevent anti-scientific fake news? Surprisingly, a majority voted yes to the last question. Minkowski and his newly founded "Theater of Knowledge" take a fatal and mercilessly populist approach, but also put a finger in the wound.
Doris Meierhenrich, Berliner Zeitung, 12.10.25
“There’s no question about it: the evening is well-structured. It’s compelling. Will it persuade those who deny climate change to change their minds? Can dystopian narratives even spur change, or would utopian stories be more effective? ‘The Last Conference’ raises these questions as well while you watch and vote. And that’s a positive thing. Every moment of reflection keeps the issue in the public consciousness.”
Patrick Wildermann, Tagesspiegel, Oct. 12, 25
“The Last Conference” – K. Minkowski/Theater des Wissens at Heimathafen Neukölln