Memory Politics as Reparations? Sharing Perspectives from Namibia and Germany
Memory Politics are often juxtaposed with material forms of reparation. With the intention of countering this simplification, we have invited Laidlaw Peringanda to give a lecture followed by a talk with a member of the neighborhood initiative “Stadtteilinitiative Walle Entkolonialisieren”. Laidlaw Peringanda is an Ovaherero activist, artist, chairman of the Namibian Genocide Association and founder of the Swakopmund Genocide Museum. Following on from Peringanda’s work on memory politics and the activities of the Decolonize Walle neighbourhood initiative, we are bringing together the discussion on memory politics with the debate on reparations. In particular, the aim is to relate the experiences of Bremen and Swakopmund to each other. Due to their geographical location, both cities have a strong connection to colonial seafaring. For example, Adolf Lüderitz, who made a significant contribution to German colonialism with his “Meilenschwindel”, came from Bremen and the shipowner and colonialist Adolph Woermann from neighboring Hamburg, and Swakopmund is still the prime example of German settler colonialism today. In Swakopmund, as in Bremen, critical perspectives on this colonial legacy are still marginalized. The historical contextualization of public places in the city is either missing or is interpreted one-sidedly. Demands for material reparations are also not yet sufficiently acknowledged in Germany. But the protest against this hegemonic memory is growing louder. We want to discuss which steps are necessary to think together different aspects of decolonization.
Talk by Laidlaw Peringanda Celebration and Denial: Selective Memory Cultures in Swakopmund
Conversation with Fatou Sillah
The event will be held in German and English.
More informationen from Lilli Hasche (RTG Contradiction Studies)
Co-organizers: Stadtteilinitiative Walle Entkolonialisieren & Hafenmuseum Bremen