The Colonialism Remembrance Concept for the city of Berlin was developed in a two-year process by Dr. Ibou Coulibaly Diop in collaboration with the initiatives Dekoloniale, Decolonize Berlin, ADEFRA, Korea Verband, korientation, and Afrika-Rat. It will be presented publicly for the first time during a three-day event at HKW.

In August 2019, the Berlin House of Representatives decided to develop a city-wide reappraisal and remembrance concept for the history and consequences of colonialism in the state of Berlin. The Remembrance Concept was worked out in close cooperation with Berlin’s civil society. Two actors funded by the Berlin Senate are significantly involved in the participation process—the association for a city-wide concept for the reappraisal of Berlin’s colonial past (Decolonize Berlin e.V.) and the five-year model project Dekoloniale Erinnerungskultur in der Stadt—as well as other civil society organisations which have fought for a change of perspective in Germany’s remembrance culture.

What could a city-wide remembrance and reappraisal concept on Germany’s colonial past and its consequences look like? What does such a concept have to entail in order to contribute to a transnational culture of remembrance supported by civil society? What actors and positionalities have to be considered when developing such a concept? What specifics come up in a formerly divided city like Berlin? And what expectations toward a city-wide remembrance concept exist in former German colonies? Together with Afro-diasporic civil societies and organisations of BIPoC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) as well as local and international scholars, activists, and artists, the participants approached these questions in a participatory process.

Programme:

Thur., 25.4.2024
In German with English and French interpreting

15:00
Admission and accreditation

16:00
Doors open

Speeches from Claudia Roth (Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media), Joe Chialo (Berlin Senator for Culture and Social Cohesion)

Keynote from Sharon Dodua Otoo (author)

Speeches from Ibou Coulibaly Diop (project management Remembrance Concept) and Max Czollek (author)

Presentation of the demands by the civil society organizations

Performance by Raphael Moussa Hillebrand (choreographer and dancer)

Film screenings Berlin Erinnert by Siska and Within, Through & Beyond by Nicolas Premier

Moderation: Miriam Camara (project support Remembrance Concept)
Musical design: Djelifily Sako (kora musician)

19:00
Reception with food and drinks

Fri., 26.4.2024
In various languages, with whispered translation if required

10:00
Excursions of the workshop groups to places of remembrance in Berlin

14:00
Workshops at HKW:

Group 1: What should a place of learning and remembrance of colonialism in Berlin look like? (in German)

Group 2: The decolonial memorial ‘Earth Nest’ in the Berlin Global Village—possibilities for participation in the development process (in English)

Group 3: Anton Wilhelm Amo in Berlin—Biographies and Memories (in German)

19:00 Opening and visit of the exhibition Dekoloniales Denkzeichen at Museum Neukölln

Sat., 27.4.2024
In German with English and French interpreting

11:00
Film screening Berlin Erinnert by Siska

14:00
Presentation of the workshop results

Panel discussion with Sima Luipert (activist), Reneé Eloundou (Decolonize Berlin), Priya Basil (author), Max Czollek (author)

Keynote by Luyanda Mpahlwa (architect)

Closing discussion with Luyanda Mpahlwa (architect), Lerato Shadi (performance artist), Noa K. Ha (urban researcher), and Tazalika M. te Reh, moderated by Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung

Moderation: Miriam Camara (project support Remembrance Concept)
Musical performance: Djelifily Sako (kora musician)

19:00
Closing with music