Project Cooperations

In 2014, the Republic of South Africa celebrates the 20th anniversary of the first democratic elections. The end of apartheid gave millions of previously disenfranchised people a new life horizon. Haus der Kulturen der Welt and the South African Embassy celebrate this jubilee by hosting a critical appraisal of the developments since 1994. Protagonists of the anti-apartheid movement such as jazz musician Hugh Masekela, author Njabulo S Ndebele or poet Antjie Krog appear alongside representatives of the new generation including filmmaker Khalo Matabane or Afro-futurist trendsetter Nozinja. Films and discussions examine not only the successes of the transition to democracy but also the challenges the country has to face: the wounds of the past, growing inequality, persistent social intolerance. As a “test case in democracy,” the analysis of South Africa also grants insights into the promises and challenges democratic societies worldwide have to come to terms with.

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Abba’s 1974 victory at the Grand Prix d’Eurovision with the song “Waterloo” launched an international career. In the same competition, the Portuguese singer Paulo de Carvalho, with “E depois do adeus,” had to settle for a 14th-place tie with the German duo Cindy & Bert and their “Sommermelodie.” Yet he set a revolution in motion: On the evening of 24 April, 1974, Rádio Clube Português broadcast “E depois do adeus,” the first signal to the insurgent factions of the Portuguese army. This was followed a few hours later by Zeca Afonso’s “Grândola, vila morena” – and the Carnation Revolution was a reality. Not only did the dictatorships in Spain and Greece fall in direct succession, but Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, the Cape Verde Islands, and São Tomé and Principe were also liberated from colonial rule.

WASSERMUSIK is taking the 40th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution as an occasion to look at the music that is playing today in the Portuguese-speaking world. Is Brazil still calling the tune, or have Angola and Mozambique now caught up? What has become of the musical boom set off by Cesária Évora in the Cape Verde Islands? And how has Portugal itself navigated the changing times?

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After its outstanding debut in 2012, this new edition of the series “Black Europe Body Politics” expanded with live performances and an all-day screening commemorating Malcolm X’s birthday. “Decolonizing the ‘Cold’ War” was the first Afropean performance showcase, accompanied by roundtable discussions on the aesthetic legacy of the Black Power movement in the radical imagination of Diaspora artists. Parallel to this, its influence in liberation and decolonization struggles in the Global South during the so-called ‘Cold’ War was approached from the continuities of coloniality. According to Enrique Dussel, a liberation philosopher and decolonial thinker, this war was never ‘cold’ in the Global South.

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Every year in November, the nonprofit cultural association, toucouleur e.V. presents the “AFRIKAMERA – current African cinema” film festival showcasing contemporary African film productions in Berlin. Through film, AFRIKAMERA presents the overwhelming diversity of the African continent, contrasting the often stereotypical images and opinions of Africa by the diverse facets of the actual everyday life on the continent, thereby contributing to a diversity of images. AFRIKAMERA sees itself as a new permanent platform for dialogue between African moviemakers and the Berliner audience, and as a venue for exchange between filmmakers, producers and distributors. To attain this, AFRIKAMERA cooperates with African film festivals, from Marrakesh to Durban.

Afrikamera Website

SPOKEN WOR:L:DS builds on the Nairobi vibes with their big variety of styles, languages and genres within performative poetry. It connects the poetry, Spoken Word and Hip Hop Scene in Nairobi and Berlin. In an international lyrical exchange, eight poets from each city take part in an active poetic encounter of up and coming, as well as established artists from Nairobi and Berlin. Styles of performance poetry in Kenya connect with and confront current trends and developments within the German speaking poetry scene and vice versa, generating new pieces of literature in the process. Thereby the project aims to highlight Hip Hop as a global culture that has influenced contemporary poetry with its principles of cut ‘n‘ paste, sampling, freestyling and DJ-ing. Thus we want to go beyond Hip Hop by collecting its repercussions.

Project Website

After the outstanding success of the festival "Border Border Express" in 2011, here is the new contemporary dance festival curated by Alex Moussa Sawadogo entitled "Moussokouma: Contemporary Dance from Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa" taking place at HAU Hebbel am Ufer and Tanzfabrik. Seven world class performances will be staged, some as German Premieres, and will be accompanied by film screenings, workshops and artist talks. The explicit focus of Moussokouma is on female dancers. On the African continent, women are among the pioneers of contemporary dance. In countries where it is considered a political act to appear on stage, female artists have transgressed the old narratives of colonialism and have become self-confident acting subjects.

Festival Website

In Germany, it is common to pretend that racism is a marginal phenomenon. Self-questioning and awareness are almost totally absent in contemporary media debates. A realistic understanding of (everyday) racism does not exist. With a 5-part series of events Frauenkreise together with the Bildungswerk Berlin Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung want to contribute to public awareness and stimulate (self)awareness: From February 28 to June 12 2014, "Her Stories. Presentations and Positions against Racism" presented works and positions of Afro-German, Black and Asian-German women. They describe their and their communities' experiences with exclusion, discrimination and racism, as well as the consequences of this individually and collectively experienced trauma. By letting racism affected women speak for themselves, we want to open a space for social dialogue and initiate necessary changes.

Football and culture: Following its 2006 Copa da Cultura success, HKW advances to the next round, as the House is transformed into an African football center – Berlin’s most international viewing-point for the South Africa World Cup. All games will be shown on a big screen. Between matches, from 5:50 to 8:30 p.m., the African cultural ball will keep rolling, with open-air rooftop concerts, readings and performances. Expert discussions on global football, Hausradio, streetfootballworld on the small pitch, a family program and more will round out the program. AfricAvenir is a media partner of this event.