Decolonizing Germany’s Capital With ‘Dekoloniale’, Zewdi & Berlin Postkolonial…
Migration is often portrayed as an isolated occurence, despite the fact that individuals have moved for centuries over centuries and that our ancestors were certainly no less nomads than us. The latter is to illustrate, when we move to another country – we are probably not the first of our culture to have done the same. Multiculturalism, diversity, mobility and belonging are enshrined into history and places, but how we tell history, how we allow ourselves and others to remember and understand – shapes, how we see the world and experience it. This article will provide a few insights about three interesting projects in Berlin – ‘Dekoloniale’, Zewdi and Berlin Postkolonial. The latter projects do not only show that there is space for black founders to actively engage with local communities in Germany, but also that some black founders have made ‘decolonization’ the cornerstone of their business idea! Curious? Read on below…
‘Dekoloniale’ – Decolonizing Memory, Rewriting History Until 2024 and Beyond…
As the German Federal Cultural Foundation (‘Kulturstiftung Des Bundes’) explains, ‘“Dekoloniale” is a programme comprised of various research projects, exhibitions and events on colonialism and post-colonialism of the present-day” – and this programme has already been running in Berlin since 2020. Until 2024, it constitutes an incentive for civic and cultural organizations to rewrite what has too commonly been accepted as history in the last decades, in German school education and beyond. Some of the participants of the programme include the Initiative for Black People in Germany (‘Initiative Schwarze Menschen in Deutschland ISD e.V.’), Each One Teach One (EOTO) e.V., Berlin Postkolonial e.V., Berlin Municipal Museum Foundation (‘Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin’) and the Berliner Entwicklungspolitischer Ratschlag (BER) e.V.
So far, the programme has worked towards two sub-projects. The first, referred to as ‘Dekoloniale Mapping’, describes an effort to establish an “interactive map [that] depicts the transcontinental interconnections between memorial sites in Germany’s capital Berlin, other German cities and Germany’s former colonies” as stated on the website of the German Federal Cultural Foundation. The map can be accessed via the following link and, among others, tells the stories of various African activists. One of the activists that the map introduces is Joseph Ekwe Bilé. Being originally from Cameroon, Bilé came to Germany with his family in 1912. As the Senate Department for Culture and Europe points out in a press release from April 2022, which was shared on the occasion of inauguration of a commemorative plaque in his name in Berlin, Bilé was unable to go back to Cameroon after the First World War broke out and Cameroon was occupied by the French.
Staying in Germany as the Nazis gained power, Bilé held himself busy working towards the internationalization of Germany’s first black movement and achieving the establishment of a German section of the Ligue de Défense de la Race Nègre (LDRN) in 1929. Just a year after, he joined the German Communist Party (KPD) to openly speak up about “the colonial terror of the Europeans in Cameroon, which he related with the anti-black racism in Germany and in the United States”. Leaving Germany for Moscow between 1932 and 1934, Bilé could save his own life as the Nazis brutally murdered Afro-Germans, Jews, Roma, Sinti, Slavs and members of the LGBT community. His legacy still lives on in Germany today – one could even go so far to argue that supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement in Germany walk in Bilés footsteps.
Next to the ‘Dekoloniale Mapping’, an exhibition series is part of ‘Dekoloniale’. As stated on the website of the German Federal Cultural Foundation, between 2021 and 2024, the exhibitions will showcase Berlin’s colonial history. Whereas for 2022 the exhibition “The Migration History of the Colonial Metropolis of Berlin, 1884 – 1918” was planned to be executed in the FHXB Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Museum, it might be a good idea to watch the website of ‘Dekoloniale’ for any changes! Until February of this year, the programme again invited applications from artists, in the widest sense, for three residencies with this year’s theme being “‘[De]colonial Migrations: From obscurity into the public eye’”. With Lulu Jemimah, Maya Alam and Vitjitua Ndjiharine having made it to the final selections, the 2022 ‘Dekoloniale Festival’, which will take place from 2nd to 4th September, might certainly get exciting. Jemimah is a creative writer, editor and media consultant based in Uganda, Alam is a German-born architect and designer, and Ndjiharine is a Namibian multidisciplinary visual artist! Find out more in the links!
Zewdi – Encouraging the African Diaspora to Explore Africa and Berlin’s Colonial History
The act of decolonizing can also be a business practice! Doubts? Then be informed by the work of Miriam Fisshaye, who is the founder and CEO of Zewdi, which Travel Noire describes as “the first decolonial Black travel agency in Berlin”. Now – what does it take to turn travels into a decolonial experience? In simple terms – a good guide and an open mind! Having grown up in Germany and possessing Eritrean roots, Fisshaye has herself gained the experience that Berlin is not yet welcoming enough, when it comes to providing the black community with touristic and leisure activities that actually ‘represent’ them and the entire history of Afro-Germans.
With Zewdi, Fisshaye intends to fill this gap, for instance through a ‘Berlin’s Black History by Bike’ tour. In June 2022, it is again so far, for two hours interested individuals can join Fisshaye and learn about the “Afro-German culture and social history, the contributions of black people during the First and Second World War […,] the influence/traces of US civil rights leaders in [Berlin] Mitte […] and the precolonial slave trade in [Berlin] Wedding”. If you have any time, you certainly should not hesitate to join this tour or spread the word! Next to the bicycle tour, Zewdi has also offered a Kemetic yoga workshop so far. With the latter originating in Egypt and other parts of Africa, the experience of Kemetic yoga is an experience to understand the life and thought of the Kemetic people. Next to the latter offers of Zewdi, there also is a walking tour – for more information see below! And finally – of course Zewdi also organizes trips to African countries! Reconnecting with one’s roots and travelling safely especially matters for the black community, as Fisshaye emphasizes…
Berlin Postkolonial – A Postcolonial Walking Tour Through Berlin
Have you ever heard about a postcolonial walking tour? No – then join Berlin Postkolonial, which cooperates with Zewdi for the latter purpose! In a nutshell, Berlin Postkolonial e.V. was founded in 2007 with the mission to “critically reappraise the colonial history of Berlin and reveal the postcolonial and racist societal and ideological structures [in] present” day Berlin. Led by descendants of formerly ‘colonized populations’, the association puts a strong emphasis on claiming justice and representation in the present to commemorate the atrocities of, among others, colonialism, imperialism and WWII.
Next to offering walking tours, Berlin Postkolonial also regularly updates its followers on events and developments in relation with decoloniality, which has roughly been defined as “a way for us to re-learn the knowledge that has been pushed aside, forgotten, buried or discredited by the forces of modernity, settler-colonialism, and racial capitalism”. Among the events of this year were already a musical narration of black history, a discussion about Dr. Friedrich Omo Kustaa’s research about the Nama and Herero genocide in Namibia from 1904-1908 and a resource to listen to and celebrate the day against racism. If you are curious to dive deeper into what decolonization means today, certainly give Berlin Postkolonial a follow and engage yourself within the community!
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Are you a black founder or a founder with African roots in Berlin or another German city? Then we would be grateful to proactively support you with your business plans! Our team is not only specialized across various African jurisdictions, but also in supporting businesses between Germany and Africa in a variety of legal domains. Our support starts with providing help on immigration and relocation matters, but it does not stop there – taxes, tech, intellectual property…You heard us! Find out more about potential synergies today by pitching us your business or expansion idea/plan! We cannot wait to hear from you…
