Von Nüscht kommt Nüscht

As part of the project “Diversity, Participation, Parity”, we conceived and produced the video campaign Von Nüscht kommt Nüscht – Taking Local Politics into Your Own Hands for the Women’s Council of Brandenburg. The campaign portrays women and queer people actively engaged in local politics across the state of Brandenburg: The first series features Steffi Schneemilch, Sarah Fartuun Heinze, and Petra Quittel; the second series introduces Fereshta Hussain, Birgit Uhlworm, and Lillas Roeder, offering insight into their everyday political work. Further information about the campaign can be found on the website of Brandenburg Paritätisch.

The campaign takes its title from a Brandenburg idiom – “Von Nüscht kommt Nüscht” – nothing comes from nothing – and frames the campaign’s central premise: political change does not happen on its own, and political participation requires initiative, presence, and persistence. The video series focuses on women and queer people engaged in local politics across Brandenburg, creating space for them to speak in their own voices. Rather than presenting abstract arguments about representation, the campaign foregrounds lived experience and the diversity of political engagement—from grassroots initiatives to institutional roles.

Each portrait connects personal biography with specific places, highlighting how political work is embedded in local contexts and everyday realities. The aim is not only to make existing engagement visible, but to encourage others to imagine themselves as political actors and to lower the threshold for participation.

By tracing different paths into local politics, the campaign addresses structural underrepresentation while emphasizing agency, solidarity, and empowerment. It positions visibility as a political tool—one that can contribute to increasing the participation of women and queer people in decision-making processes at the local level.