RABBAZ on the campus

Julia Jesser & Svenja Jäger

Julia Jesser and Svenja Jäger - two students at Chemnitz University of Technology - want to give young, creative people in Chemnitz a voice. For this reason, in what they call a "wine-soaked" night, they decided to launch a magazine by students for students at Chemnitz University of Technology. The first issue of RABBAZ was published in October. And the two have even more plans than just publishing a magazine. We met up with the Digital Media and Communication Culture student (Julia, 24) and the Media Communication student (Svenja, 22) in Chemnitz for an interview to find out more about them and their magazine.

A university magazine by students for students is a first for Chemnitz University of Technology. How did you come up with the idea?
Julia: At first it was a kind of crazy idea overnight. I previously studied at the University of Bamberg. There's an established magazine there. It triggered some internal university discussions because it uncovered grievances. I thought this university needed something like that. I wanted to orientate myself as a journalist in Chemnitz anyway and take part in something like that. Then I realised that there was only the blog "TUschler". But it's published by the university and isn't independent. I then told Svenja about my idea. She was immediately enthusiastic. I knew that she would like to write and publish articles. She also knows a lot of people through her media communication degree programme. So a small group gradually formed.

How did you come up with the name RABBAZ?
Svenja: We thought about a magazine name for a long time. It's almost as difficult as naming a child. In any case, we wanted something short and concise.
Julia: But it should also be localised. That's why we looked it up in an online dictionary of Saxon terms and came across the word Rabbaz, which translates as "unrest, making noise". Our editorial team immediately agreed that this word fits perfectly with our goals and the way we characterise ourselves. Since then, we have been making RABBAZ.

The first issue was published on 14 October. How much time did you invest in it?
Julia: We started planning in January. We started meetings and writing in April 2019. So it took almost half a year. The entire organisation and structures were also created. For example, we registered as an association.

How was the response when the magazine was published in its 1000th edition?
Julia: We received very positive feedback. Many people said that there were of course a few mistakes, but that's totally normal for the first time. We are definitely very proud of it. People are happy that something like this now exists at the university.

What is your aim with this magazine?
Julia: We want to be the mouthpiece for students in Chemnitz and for young people. We want to offer a platform for people who want to express themselves creatively through writing, illustrations or photography.
Svenja: We have weekly editorial meetings where we have the opportunity to discuss and evaluate ideas and see how they can be realised.

What are the topics that concern you and that are addressed in the magazine?
Svenja: Among other things, we wanted to show that not everything in Chemnitz is negative. For this reason, we presented a project that is committed to a diverse, cosmopolitan Chemnitz. To this end, we interviewed several protagonists, e.g. Die Buntmacher*innen or the intercultural garden "Bunte Erde". There is also an interview with Martin Neuhoff. He himself interviews people who stand up for others. As this is the first issue, we're taking a general look at the topic of 'The first time': What it's like when you come to Chemnitz for the first time, live in a shared flat for the first time or move into a hall of residence - in terms of students.
Julia: The next issue will be about sustainability. We want to knit all articles around the topic of sustainability.

Thanks to Chemnitz's bid to become European Capital of Culture 2025, Julia Jesser and Svenja Jäger were able to fully finance their premiere magazine. Chemnitz residents are invited to take part in the Capital of Culture bid with small creative projects, so-called micro-projects, and thus support Chemnitz. The projects cover various topics, such as the design of the city, but also the cultural education of children and young people. A jury selected their favourites from various projects, which were then supported financially.

You financed the first issue as part of a micro-project. How do you plan to finance the second one?
Svenja: With advertising partners. We are currently finalising our website so that the magazine can also be uploaded online. Once it's ready, we'll be looking for advertising partners.

How much time do you invest in the magazine each week?
Julia: In our editorial team, everyone is free to decide how much time and energy they want to invest. The two of us currently spend about two days a week on the magazine.
Svenja: But we also do a lot of planning and have a lot of email correspondence. In this issue, we took on the role of editor-in-chief. The plan is to rotate it. We would also like to hand over the task to others.

In addition to the magazine, the RABBAZ group organises the party series "KMS - State of Mind". The speciality: fruit cards from the classic game "Halli Galli" are handed out at the entrance. If two people find each other with the same fruit on their card, they can drink a free shot together. Activities like this are designed to encourage interaction and socialising among partygoers. Similar socialising activities are being planned. "In future, we also want to organise lectures, talks, readings followed by discussions and workshops," says Julia Jesser.

How did you come up with this party series?
Svenja: We thought about how to finance the magazine. As we didn't have any funding yet, we wanted to start with a party that would fit in with our concept. Or rather, we thought about a concept for it that was also about connecting people with each other.

Where did the first party take place and do you want to do it regularly now?
Svenja: The first party was at ZUKUNFT. The second party was the RABBAZ release party, which was even bigger than the first one.

You're both not from Chemnitz. Your identification with your university and the city is very impressive. Why?
Julia: I've been here since August 2018 and come from near Würzburg. When you come to Chemnitz for the first time, you have to find something to settle in here. Chemnitz is not necessarily a city that serves you life on a platter. But if you look for the things you want to do, you'll find them. Because we like to write and are creative, we have come together to form a small creative community.
Svenja: I'm from Cottbus and have been here since 2017. We are also involved in other things. I'm still active in ZUKUNFT and Julia is in the theatre group "Turmbau62". I think it's important when you come to a city to actively participate in city life and do something good to make the city more colourful. That's my concern, that's our concern.

Is it difficult to bring students from the campus to the city?
Julia: I think it depends a lot on how you promote it. At our party, we made sure that everyone knew about it and that we were well known. People know what's going on with us. We gave the party our name: RABBAZ Release Party. The party took place after the magazine was released. People have already realised what the party is about.
Svenja: It's fair to say that there was quite a lot going on and many students came to ZUKUNFT. It was a good mix of people.

What do you want to achieve with the magazine in the future?
Julia: We hope that the magazine will continue to establish itself. Our editorial team will grow and the quality of our articles will improve. That we all continue to develop. Perhaps we will also succeed in uncovering grievances at the university and changing things that may be going wrong here. We would like to be the voice of the students.
Svenja: We want to be the point of contact for journalism for the young people here. Our fellow students should know that if they want to write something about the topics that concern them, they can do so with us. It would also be great if the magazine could be maintained for the next few semesters, if others could take it over and we are no longer completely responsible for it.

Final question Capital of Culture: Will Chemnitz be the Capital of Culture in 2025?
Julia: I think the Capital of Culture project is very good for Chemnitz. There are so many projects, people are waking up and doing things for their city. That's why I think it's great that Chemnitz is applying. Whether Chemnitz can really become one is another question. But I think the endeavour to invest money in Chemnitz's culture is incredibly important and great.
Svenja: I think it's good that the city has received funding and that projects are being made possible as a result. It makes the city look younger. Of course, we hope that the title will come to Chemnitz.

Since 14 October 2019, the RABBAZ magazine has been available free of charge in all cafés and bars as well as at Chemnitz University of Technology. The next issue is planned for the summer semester 2020. If you would like to support the editorial team, please contact rabbaz.mag@gmail.com.