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Musician and night mayor Lübke
Photo: Danny Schöning
SPIEGEL:
Mr. Lübke, what are you going to do with Osnabrück at night?
Lübke:
I was brought in to facilitate a hoped-for transition from "We are not allowed anything" to "We are allowed to offer a little night life again".
Depending on the situation, this should then be increased. In the past, people used to say "hands up, weekend".
I'll start in April.
Restaurateurs, organizers, cultural workers can involve me, address me.
I can't make everything possible, but I can go through concepts with the respective entrepreneurs and stand up for them, in politics, in city administration, in the public order office.
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Musician Lübke
Photo: Danny Schöning
Jakob Lübke, 27, will serve as night mayor of Osnabrück from April, initially for two years.
The musician and music teacher trained at the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences actually started his own business as a wedding musician after completing his studies.
SPIEGEL:
What was the nightlife like in Osnabrück before Corona?
Lübke:
That was great.
Osnabrück is not a big city, but there are still twelve clubs, tons of restaurants and a wide variety of events.
Lots of students live here, you can tell.
I studied at the Institute for Music myself.
Perhaps the musical education can be more closely linked with the nightlife, young bands, budding musicians could perform in the clubs.
In general, the following applies: the gastronomy, the culture, the evening events make a city worth living in and offer good points of contact for people who move here.
We still have a full calendar of events, but right now everything on offer is digital.
We want to go back to real life.
"An optimistic signal to all those who often feel overlooked."
Jakob Lübke, night mayor of Osnabrück
SPIEGEL:
There are already a few night mayors in Germany.
The fact that a city is facing the effects of Corona in this way is new, however.
Could other cities learn from this commitment during the crisis?
Lübke:
Of course.
A few years ago Amsterdam actually afforded the first night mayor, in Germany Mannheim was the first to dare.
I am in contact with my colleague.
Night Mayor, that sounds funny at first, but it's anything but a gag.
It is extremely important that Osnabrück is following suit now, of all times, and is sending an optimistic signal in this crisis situation.
With it, a lot of self-employed people are addressed in the culture, in the industry of the organizers, who often feel overlooked in the country.
SPIEGEL:
You are actually a freelance musician.
What was your situation like before this job offer?
Lübke:
Colorful and fulfilled, among other things I had assignments as a studio musician and as the musical director of children's musicals.
Above all, I have performed as a live musician at private and company parties, especially at weddings.
Before the pandemic, I performed 140 gigs a year.
The first rejections came in March 2020, in April I applied for basic security, job center instead of stage.
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SPIEGEL:
How do you assess the situation of cultural workers in Germany now, at the beginning of 2021?
Lübke:
It's dramatic, because a lot of things that don't go well during the Corona period seem to hit the cultural sector particularly hard.
Still.
But maybe it doesn't help at all to always emphasize the cultural aspect, which distracts from the actual problem.
We are no different from self-employed people in other areas of the economy.
That's why I would say it's about jobs, about people who could make a living from them - and who are not to blame for the fact that this livelihood was deprived of them.
The self-employed are the people who don't look at the clock, who work until the stuff is done, until it has become really good.
Everyone benefits from this.
"We create places of exchange - that cushions a lot for society."
Jakob Lübke
SPIEGEL:
Have you regretted starting your own business?
Lübke:
It went well, I didn't do anything wrong.
And I think it is wrong that someone who was able to live from his work and pay taxes before the crisis should now accept that he is treated worse than an employee.
A compensation that corresponds to the short-time work allowance would be appropriate.
SPIEGEL:
What does this approach to the self-employed in culture mean for the future?
Lübke:
People are being told that self-employment is not a blessing, my generation is also being driven out of the entrepreneurial spirit.
And that is to the great disadvantage of the economy.
The event industry is part of the culture, we are also entrepreneurs, but also create meeting spaces for society, places of exchange.
That cushions a lot, clarifies a lot, connects.
It would be bad for the post-corona society if all of this were to go away.
That's another reason why we take nightlife seriously.
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