In Germany, the world of performance arts is taking on the country’s hottest topic: the debate over refugees.

CCTV’s Guy Henderson reports from Berlin. Follow Guy Henderson on Twitter @guyhendersonde

Firas Al Shater was a Syrian refugee and now a celebrity comedian. A viral video led him to his new fame.

Al Shater hopes bringing humour to an often heated debate might just break down barriers.

“It’s not just from the refugee side: how can I get in, if the German people don’t let me in, if they don’t say ‘you are welcome with us’. Unfortunately, there are some areas in Germany where they don’t have that really ‘Welkomcutlur’ and they are somehow afraid of these refugees,” Aalshater said.

While the debates going on in these settings and on the stage aren’t necessarily a reflection of the balance of the wider discussion taking place across Germany. But what they do show is how these issues aren’t just the domain of politicians and street protesters. They’re also prominent in the German capital’s famous cultural scene as well.