Grenzenlos und Unverschämt: Radical Feminist Solidarity

May Ayim: grenzenlos und unverschämt – ein gedicht gegen die deutsch sch-einheit (1990)

ich werde trotzdem                                                                                                              afrikanisch
sein
auch wenn ihr
mich gerne
deutsch
haben wollt
und werde trotzdem
deutsch sein
auch wenn euch
meine schwärze
nicht paßt
ich werde
noch einen schritt weitergehen
bis an den äußersten rand
wo meine schwestern sind
wo meine brüder stehen
wo
unsere
FREIHEIT
beginnt
ich werde
noch einen schritt weitergehen und
noch einen schritt
weiter
und wiederkehren
wann
ich will
wenn
ich will
grenzenlos und unverschämt
bleiben

Ayim, May (1995): “Blues in schwarz weiss: Gedichte.” Orlanda, Berlin. S. 61

Drawing inspiration from May Ayim’s poem “grenzenlos und unverschämt”, written in 1990 in the wake of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, this evening reflects on our current moment of caesura and the way it amplifies conflicts and debates around questions of coexistence, identity and systemic inequality. It features a musical intervention by Caxxianne, a rapper and hip hop rebel revolutionist, followed by a conversation between journalist Nyima Jadama and Jennifer Kamau, activist and researcher, who  reflect on the ways in which the Covid-19 pandemic has amplified already existing inequalities. The discussion will focus on strategies that center solidarity and alliance-building in times of social distancing and isolation by countering the logic “of a world that combines a material reality of intense interdependence with moral and political systems that leave people to look out for themselves.” (Jedediah Britton-Purdy).

Even though this logic didn’t start with the current pandemic and will potentially exist long after, it is this moment of uncertainty and instability on a global scale as well as the ongoing discussions about the long-term effects, that move historical and present struggles for new ways of living together from the margins closer to the center of attention. While for some this situation signified a new awareness of their own vulnerability and dependency on systems of care and support, for many it has long been an integral part of their daily lives. In times of a pandemic, what can we learn from the practice of radical feminist solidarity?

Musical Prologue: Lamin Fofana
Music: Caxxianne
Conversation: Nyima Jadama, Jennifer Kamau (International Women’s Space)

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More information: https://www.hebbel-am-ufer.de/en/programme/pdetail/radical-mutation-day-3/?fbclid=506