In many parts of the world, women and children are caught in the midst of war and conflict, forcing them to flee their homes and adapt to new everyday lives. To mark International Women’s Day 2026, we have invited the world-renowned Norwegian author and journalist Åsne Seierstad to share her insights into the experiences of women and children in war zones: the struggles, the fear but also moments of hope and empowerment.
To open the conversation, Dr. Silke Krohn, Documentation Centre for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation, will give an insight into the importance of gathering experiences and testimonials of women and children who have fled from war and conflicts.
Together they bring focus to those who are seldom heard in times of war and geopolitical instability.
Program
8.00_Admission and coffee
8.30_Welcome by the Royal Danish Embassy
8.35_Introduction by Dr. Silke Krohn, Documentation Centre for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation, Berlin
8.50_Talk and Q&A with Åsne Seierstad
Moderation: Else Kveinen, Counsellor for Press and Culture at the Royal Norwegian Embassy
9.45_Breakfast and Networking
Breakfast takes place on the first floor of the Felleshus, giving you the opportunity to see the current exhibition »Arctic Heroes – Verborgene Geschichten« with photos by Icelandic photographer Ragnar Axelsson.
10.45_End
Participants
Dr. Silke Krohn
With a background in art history, Roman philology and modern German literature and media at Kiel Univeristy, Dr. Silke Krohn has previously headed the education departments of various museums and exhibition venues, including the Museum for Communication in Berlin, the Kunstmeile Krems and the Museum Barberini.
Currently, she is Head of Education and Outreach at the Documentation Centre for Displacement, Expulsion, Reconciliation in Berlin. In this role, she is responsible for the strategic development of educational and outreach work on flight and displacement in the 20th and 21st centuries, the design of formats for different target groups, and cooperation with schools, civil society initiatives, and international partners. A key focus of her work is on biographical approaches and on how personal objects and life stories can convey complex historical contexts to diverse audiences.
Åsne Seierstad
Through her writing and journalistic practice, Seierstad explores and conveys how war and conflict are experienced – both up close and from a distance. Seierstad depicts both the contours of war and the people who live side by side with conflict every day. As journalist she has covered wars in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Kosovo and Iraq. As an author, she is particularly known for her portrayal of women’s destinies in her international bestseller »The bookseller of Kabul« (2002), in German published as »Der Buchhändler aus Kabul« (2003) and for her book »Two Sisters« (2016), »Zwei Schwestern« (2017), about two Norwegian-Somali teenage sisters joining ISIS in Syria. In the book »One of Us« (2013), »Einer von uns« (2016), Åsne Seierstad wrote about the terrorist attack in Norway on 22. July 2011. Her most recent book »Ufred. Russland fra innsiden« (2025), depicts how the war in Ukraine is changing Russian society and is being published by Hanser Verlag in Germany in September 2026.
Foto Åsne Seierstad: Troll Toftenes | Cappelen Damm