The fact that I came to Germany was a coincidence," says Alfons. "The fact that I stayed was not." "The Germans' favorite Frenchman" (FAZ) has been living here for over three decades now, in the "land of poets and plumbers", as Alfons likes to call his second home. It was meant to be a short episode.
But then life intervened: Alfons fell in love - with Germany, with the Germans. "Klasse!" is the title of his new, now eighth full-length stage play. It has become a love letter - and an urgent wake-up call in equal measure.
The wake-up call is not just for his audience. Originally, it was aimed at a school class that Alfons visited rather by chance to discuss with the young people.
But: "Some of the young people didn't say anything at first," says Alfons about this first encounter. "I then heard from some, 'our country doesn't work', from others, 'that's because of democracy - we should try something else!
But some also realized very quickly: 'There's no trial lesson for dictatorships! I was very moved by it all." So the one chance visit quickly turned into countless, very deliberate
conversations and discussions. Thanks to Alfons' perseverance, thanks to a great teacher - and thanks to many young people who quickly shed their "I don't care" attitude and joined Alfons in his search: for the roots of our democracy, the value of tolerance, for the cement that holds this country together - and also for the extremely endearing qualities of its inhabitants.
"Dear Germans, you are totally great - but you don't realize it!" Emmanuel Peterfalvi, as "Alfons" is known in real life, laughs somewhat incredulously: "A great example: compromise - you're really good at it!" he says, smiling broadly but completely serious. "You might not think it's sexy, but it's great: you solve problems by talking to each other. That's not normal, look around you! In France, there
'compromis' means the same as 'compromising' - and nobody wants that! But with you, the word means something completely different: accommodation, helpfulness, togetherness. I know you take that for granted, but it's not: kindness as the foundation of society - that's a great achievement!"
Kindness - this attitude is as much a part of Alfons' DNA as the dachshund look and the amused smile at the corners of his mouth. In 2021, Peterfalvi, who now holds a Franco-German double passport, was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for his services to tolerance, humanity and international understanding. Whether on market squares, television screens or theater stages: Bringing people together is his purpose in life. And is increasingly becoming a larger than life
task in the face of rampant filter bubble fanaticism, pop star populists and crumbling firewalls. "When I arrived in Germany over thirty years ago, it was a slipper democracy: well-organized, routine, comfortable - and incredibly stable. Today it's different: the foundations are shaking!" No reason to run away again - quite the opposite.
In "Klasse!", Alfons, in his inimitable style, acts as a repairer of the dilapidated bridges over the rifts in our society. Warm-hearted, funny and wonderfully far-sighted, he reports on his visits to schools, explores the madness of the world and appeals to people's strengths. And in doing so, Alfons, the cult reporter, passionate storyteller and puschel philosopher, leaves no doubt as to why going back to school has become a vocation for him: "I sense that this young generation has something to say - that's good, after all, it is the foundation of the future. But they don't say it because they don't feel heard - and that's dramatic." His intensive discussions have
effect, in both directions: They are the foundation stone for Alfons' recently established "Grand-Mère Foundation", with the help of which a genuine democracy project is to grow out of his school visits. And they are the impetus for this new program: "As controversial as the discussions are, there is one thing we always agree on in the end.
www.alfons-fragt.de we always agree on one thing in the end: we need to talk to each other more and learn to listen to each other better.
So let's get started - the time of slipper democracy is over!"
This content has been machine translated.