Nyabinghi Lab presents

What the Body Remembers: The Colonial History of the Green Movement

  • Dialogue
  • Performance
English /  approx. 180 min.

The colonial history and entanglements of the Green movement in Germany remain overlooked until today. Many of its offshoots, such as organic farming, veganism, yoga, the cult of the body, fitness and sustainability, seem like modern trends, but emerged at the end of the 19th century, in the course of the Life Reform movement. Life Reformers postulated a “return to nature” as a futuristic and avant-garde endeavor that would liberate (white) bodies from the “constraints of civilization”. However, the same connection to nature was often used to justify the domination and exploitation of colonized peoples and their lands. The programme of this evening explores how this discrepancy has profoundly shaped body politics and environmental discourses to this day.

Programme
19:00-20:45, HAU2
Panel with Dr. Morcedai Ogada, Zara Zandieh and Kwesi Aikins, moderation: Saskia Köbschall

Screening of “Zamani” (Zara Zandieh)
Germany (2022, 11:50 min.)
In a magical forest where everything seems to talk to one-another, four siblings from another time-space reality come together to summon one of their kins from the past. The ancestor beholds a message for them. A message to the Earthlings on how to face climate change.

21:00-22:00, HAU2
“What the Body Remembers” – Performance by Amora C. Bosco

22:00, CAN Bar
Afterparty with DJ Set by Mandy aka Bad Puppy
 

The participants

Mordecai Ogada is a Kenyan carnivore ecologist and conservation scholar who has been involved in conservation policy and practice for over 20 years in Kenya and other parts of Africa. His work focuses on human-wildlife conflict mitigation, carnivore conservation, community-based conservation, wildlife policy, wetlands ecology and conservation education. Dr. Ogada is the author of “The Big Conservation Lie” (2017), a book focused on Kenya co-authored with John Mbaria. Zara Zandieh is a filmmaker born and based in Berlin. The stories told through Zara's projects are dedicated to a decolonial queer gaze that weaves complexities and multi-layered representations of post-migrant and marginalized subjects into poetic narratives.

Amora C. Bosco is a Kenyan writer, poet, multifaceted artist, performer and activist based in Berlin, Germany. Her mission is to bring about empowerment and positive change in the lives of Africans and the African Diaspora, tackling issues of social justice, cultural intersections, health, and education through creative writing, storytelling, and performance art. Amora Bosco is the pioneer of ‘Poetry_Lab’ an extensive creative writing mentorship program for BIPoC writers/poets in Berlin.

Bad Puppy is a trans femme creature from Iztapalapa, that is living for a couple of years in Berlin. Their sets are full-on perreo rave, where it is easy to dance to a classic reggeaton vocal with a massive techno beat and other endless possibilities to put aside your worries, at least for a night. 

Cast

Curated by: Anguezomo Mba Bikoro, Aouefa Amoussouvi, Saskia Köbschall / Curatorial assistance: Ragil Huda / Management: Tine Elbel

Dates

Past
Fri 24.11.2023, 19:00 / HAU2

Credits

Funded by the TURN2 Fund of the Kulturstiftung des Bundes (German Federal Cultural Foundation). Funded by the Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien (Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media). In Cooperation with HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Chimurenga and Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien. Part of the exhibition “The Roots of Our Hands Deep as Revolt: Entangled Colonialities of the Green” at Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien (18.11.2023–14.01.2024).

Location

HAU2
Hallesches Ufer 34, 10963 Berlin

There are two marked parking spots in front of the building. Barrier-free restroom facilities are available. Four relaxed seats are available in the first row of HAU2. Tickets for wheelchair users and accompanying persons can also be booked via the ticketing system. If you need help, please contact our Ticketing & Service team at +49 (0)30 259004-27 or send us an email to tickets@hebbel-am-ufer.de.

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