What was behind this project?
In our world, which is increasingly characterized by armed and warlike conflicts, unfair redistribution of resources, hunger, climate disasters and refugee crises, culture, art, literature and science (more than ever) have a role to play in connecting society and peoples. Their task is to inscribe a humane idea of humanity into the social. The AFRIEUROTEXT Initiative Association is firmly convinced that culture, art, literature and science not only build bridges between cultures, but also create social peace. Austria is an EU country and maintains different relationships with other countries in the world. It is therefore an added value for our valuable social and cultural field of Austria if the connections in our world are made visible and understandable to people living in Austria in a differentiated way in the sense of a culture of dialogue, exchange and peace. The aim of this project is to raise awareness of the interrelations of our present through cultural, scientific and artistic events of various designs and types, in the sense of educational participation. This enables traditional, rigid ways of thinking to be broken down. It is about triggering a process of rethinking. This project is embedded in the vision and mission of AFRIEUROTEXT to make a lasting contribution to a culture of exchange, dialogue, peace and differentiated thinking and action throughout Austria and Europe. AFRIEUROTEXT places great value on texts and the “textuality” of our world. Texts [whether literary or (non)literary] provide an in-depth look at the issues and concerns of respective societies. Texts can contribute to a differentiated view of socio-political, economic conditions, structures and constitutions of African and European societies, as well as to a culture of mutual respect and peace. The AFRIEUROTEXT concept of text is to be understood – beyond the written or spoken word – in a broader sense as a reference to the relations, contingencies and contiguities, as a reference to the fabric-like dimensions of our everyday life. The engagement with texts for a culture of exchange, dialogue, peace and differentiated thinking and action is one of the essential characteristics of a democratic culture.
Nine events were held in this annual program from January to December 2019.
1st AFRIEUROTEXT Street and Memorial Festival
The AFRIEUROTEXT Street and Memorial Festival 2019 took place on March 30th at Max Winter Park in Vienna’s 2nd district. Its motto was “Dialogue, tolerance and acceptance as a guarantee for peaceful coexistence” and was embedded in the culture of remembrance of the extermination of Jews and other peoples in concentration camps by National Socialism as well as in the culture of remembrance of the exploitation and extermination of Africans in colonial plantations and mining colonies. The psychiatrist Frantz Fanon and the writers Joseph Roth and Franz Kafka see the brotherhood between Jews and blacks as founded in these cruel historical facts. We live in a time in which traditional ways of thinking shape our present to such an extent that more and more political-psychological fantasies of a society without others are rampant and becoming socially acceptable. Against this background, the AFRIEUROTEXT STREET AND COMMEMORATIVE YEAR FESTIVAL 2019 set itself the goal of focusing on dialogue, tolerance and acceptance as a guarantee for peaceful coexistence.
This was the supporting program of the street festival:
For the children:
1:00 p.m. AFRICAN-EUROPEAN SOUND WORLDS: Drum and dance workshop for children with professional dancer Jules Mekontso
The children embody the future of our world. It is therefore necessary to awaken awareness and interest in cultural diversity in a playful way, especially in young children, to broaden horizons and for the good of our society. This is done according to the motto “The earlier the better”.
3:00 p.m. READINGS for children and adults with musical accompaniment
– Short stories by European and African authors with musical accompaniment were read from a diverse repertoire of children’s books. The aim is to awaken awareness and interest in cultural diversity in children. – Eva Schörkhuber (writer from the 2nd district)
AFRIEUROTEXT bookstore
BOOKSTAND AND READING COFFEE LOUNGE: The entire range of the AFRIEUROTEXT bookstore was on display – extensive book stands with a focus on AFRICA and EUROPE were made available to visitors.
AFRICAN CUISINE: delicious African specialties for gourmets from 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
5:00 p.m. PANEL DISCUSSION: DIALOGUE, TOLERANCE AND ACCEPTANCE AS GUARANTEES FOR PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE
7:00 p.m. DANCE PERFORMANCE – Jules Mekontso (professional dancer) and his dance group “Afro Yemba”
10:00 p.m. End of the festival
Important: The AFRIEUROTEXT street and commemorative anniversary festival also supported the AfriEurotext women’s vocational training school currently being built in Yaoundé/Cameroon under the project name KILET KIASS (OUR BREAD)
First phase: opening of a training bakery / target group: young women from poor backgrounds / ages between 15 and 22. More details can be found in the project flyer.
- PANEL DISCUSSION: DIALOGUE, TOLERANCE AND ACCEPTANCE AS GUARANTEES FOR PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE
This event took place on March 30, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. in the GB*DISTRICT OFFICE AND NEIGHBORHOOD GARDEN MAX-WINTER-PLATZ 23, 1020 VIENNA as part of the AFRIEUROTEXT street and anniversary festival. We live in a time in which making propaganda using the figure of the culturally other or foreign has become a job like any other job. In the age of political-psychological fantasies of a society without the other, hostility has become the basic feature of the current democratic imagination or weakness. In his latest essay – entitled Politiques de l’inimitié (2016) (Politics of Enmity) – the Cameroonian historian and political scientist Achille Mbembe delves into the pharmacy of the psychiatrist from Martinique (Frantz Fanon) to propose a psychoanalytic cure for our present. This panel discussion took place as part of the AFRIEUROTEXT Street and Commemorative Anniversary Festival 2019 and – just like the street festival – was under the motto “Dialogue, acceptance and tolerance as guarantors of peaceful coexistence”. The panel discussion aimed to explore ways out of persistent hostility logics in order to rethink the political, cultural and economic sensitivities and constellations of our present in a new and different way.
PANEL
Mr. Niki Kunrath, District Councillor for the 2nd District of Vienna
Ms. Christa Bauer MAS, representative of the Mauthausen Committee Austria
Dr. Daniel Romuald Bitouh, cultural and literary scholar, head of AFRIEUROTEXT (cultural association and bookstore)
Moderation: Simon INOU, journalist, founder and editor-in-chief of Fresh Magazine
Date: March 30, 2019, 5:00 p.m.
3rd LITERATURE EVENING – CELEBRATING THE WORLD OF SHEA
This event took place in cooperation with the small association SaWaShea on June 26, 2019 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in the AFRIEUROTEXT bookstore (Lassallestrasse 20 / 3, 1020 Vienna).
There were numerous short readings of text excerpts from world literature in which the social, medical-therapeutic, economic and cultural-anthropological meanings of the fruit called shea are discussed. The readings and the stimulating discussions afterwards were accompanied by the Ngoni by the virtuoso Adama Dicko.
- MIGRATION, ECONOMY and DIGITALIZATION VIEWED FROM AN AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE
This event took place on July 3, 2019 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the AFRIEUROTEXT bookstore (Lassallestrasse 20 / 3, 1020 Vienna). African diaspora organizations in Austria as serious actors. How can the entrepreneurial potential, the terrain experience and the expertise of African diaspora organizations in Austria be used in this POST-NETWORKING ERA to implement job-creating projects, initiatives or investments in African countries?
The term post-networking era (in relation to African diaspora organisations) does not mean that networking work has lost importance, but rather highlights the increasingly action- and implementation-oriented work of African diaspora organisations, which aims to sustainably change people’s living conditions, i.e. the balance of power on the ground. In an age where long-term African rulers and decision-makers have made the embezzlement of tax money paid to the state by market women, banana or cassava sellers and day labourers their favourite sport. If little or nothing can be expected from above (i.e. from long-term African rulers), then it must come from below or from grassroots projects and organisations. On December 18, 2018, the EU-Africa Summit took place in Vienna, during which African and EU statesmen and women resolved to view African countries as economic partners on an equal footing in the future. The topic of digitalization played a leitmotif role, “Taking cooperation to the digital age.” The topic of migration from Africa to Europe did not seem to be in the foreground, but it was there and resonated from time to time in the discussions. After all, it is about creating jobs for the constantly growing number of African young people and thereby making prospects more concrete. The assembled European policy makers therefore agreed to increase and stimulate European economic investment in Africa and to create a legal framework so that this can be done without bureaucracy. Nevertheless, in order for these intentions of a differentiated partnership with African countries to become tangible reality, it is essential and a must to take into account Austrian African diaspora organizations and to include them in the practical implementation. It should not be one-sided, the undertaking of small or large Austrian companies. Austrian African diaspora organizations are not only suitable as components of a project environment, but in the future they should be brought into focus as necessary partners in dealing with “blind spots”. Isn’t it time to step up support for job-creating projects that are initiated and implemented in African countries by Austrian African diaspora organizations? Win-win partnerships are opening up between small, medium and large Austrian companies and African countries. The panel discussion aimed to convince Austrian civil society and, above all, the relevant Austrian funding institutions of this fact and to work out implementation plans together. Texts on the economy and digitization related to the African continent served as a starting point for discussion. During the discussion, it became clear that education and, above all, (vocational) training are a basic requirement for dealing efficiently and confidently with our digital age. Long-term rulers are not the only problem; in many African countries there is a clear infrastructural gap between urban and rural areas when it comes to the distribution, application and use of digital media. A minimum level of infrastructural investment appears to be a prerequisite for being able to use digital media productively and sustainably. Despite this undeniable fact, African societies are undergoing a transformation thanks to the move into the new media age. The fact that an application must provide an answer to a specific question is a verifiable fact in the African context. “Algorhythmic reason” has reached rural areas of Africa and is taking hold of and shaping the everyday lives of farmers. The development of applications can never be an end in itself. The fact that digitization and industrialization go hand in hand is evident in the example of numerous European countries. Only the new information technologies prove their adaptability every day. They adapt to social circumstances and they continuously break down the boundaries of what is conceivable and feasible.
PODIUM
Dr. Ing. Günter SCHALL, Head of the Economics and Development Department at the ADA (Austrian Development Agency)
Dr. Andreas MELÁN, Head of the Africa Department at the BMEIA
Mag.a. Nella HENGSTLER, Africa expert at the Austrian Chamber of Commerce
Pascaline SALAY, entrepreneur from the DR Congo living in Austria
Moderation: Dr. Daniel Romuald Bitouh, Head of AFRIEUROTEXT (cultural organization and bookstore with development policy and social entrepreneurial agendas in Austria and African countries)
As part of this event, the AfriEurotext women’s vocational training school, currently being built in Yaoundé/Cameroon under the project name KILET KIASS (OUR BREAD), was publicly presented.
First phase: opening of a training bakery / target group: young women from poor backgrounds / ages between 15 and 22. Further details can be found in the project flyer.
- LECTURE: China’s role in Africa’s economy using Senegal as an example
This event took place on July 13, 2019 at 12:00 p.m. as part of the Kenako Africa Festival in Berlin.
The Chinese influence in Africa can hardly be denied anymore; various infrastructure, general construction and education projects are being carried out in African countries in cooperation with Chinese companies. Chinese President Xi Jingping regularly visits the African continent. In 2018, for example, he visited Senegal to expand economic cooperation. How can Senegal benefit from this and what are the potential dangers of such close cooperation?
Speaker: Dr. phil. Daniel Romuald Bitouh
- LITERATURE AND REFLECTION EVENING ON NELSON MANDELA’S LEGACY
Politics and poetics of the possible / Literature evening dedicated to South Africa. On the occasion of Nelson Mandela Day
This event took place on July 31, 2019 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the AFRIEUROTEXT bookstore (Lassallestrasse 20 / 3, 1020) on the occasion of the 101st birthday of Nelson Rolihlahla Madiba Mandela, [nelsɒn xoˈliɬaɬa ma´ di: ba´ man´ deː la´] (1918-2013). A political figure of global dimension who has gone down in world history as a personality who not only worked and fought for the end and removal of the apartheid regime in South Africa, but through his tireless peace work he laid the foundation for peaceful coexistence in post-apartheid South Africa. Nelson Mandela thus became a source of inspiration for millions of people around the world and will remain indelibly in the global collective memory. The focus of the evening of literature and reflection was on texts by South African authors who deal with the history, present and future of the so-called rainbow nation in poetic or prose form. Various actors from the African community living in Vienna and from the wider Austrian civil society exchanged ideas about Nelson Mandela’s work and analyzed current conditions in South Africa in a constructive and productive manner. Achille Mbembe, a political scientist and historian from Cameroon who has lived and worked in Johannesburg since the 1990s, describes post-apartheid South Africa as a country in which the future of our world is different from that in Europe. A country at a paradoxical crossroads. South African writers and poets such as Ivan Vladislavić, Imraan Coovadia, Antjie Krog and Koleka Putuma (among others) each underline the complexity of writing in contemporary South Africa in their own way.
Ivan Vladislavić, South African writer with Irish and Croatian ancestors. He is concerned with the complex search for new ways of living together in a security-obsessed post-apartheid society. His novel Exploded view. Johannesburg (2004) takes the reader into the meanders of the global metropolis of Johannesburg, a city that Achille Mbembe describes optimistically and predictively as follows: “The peculiarity of this place is that it belongs to multiple worlds at the same time. There are parts of this city, which look like Los Angeles. There are other parts, which look like Kinshasa. There are people coming from all over the world. It is this cosmopolitan flavour in Johannesburg that is pretty unique.” (1). The talented artist Natascha Merveille Bope read passages from the novel Exploded view. Johannesburg.
Imraan Coovadia is a South African writer with Indian ancestors who emigrated to South Africa. Part of the South African community of Indian descent fought side by side with the blacks of South Africa against the apartheid regime. After the regime was abolished, the Indian community felt abandoned. Imraan Coovadia addresses this in his socially critical writing. A spirit of optimism and resignation are the poles in which the characters in his novel Surveyed Land (2016) move. The Indian-born South African middle class, which is enjoying a certain economic boom, is nevertheless experiencing that money or gold does not protect against discrimination. John Osamwony read passages from Surveyed Land. Coovadia’s novel Changing Tide (2011) describes a South Africa where black people hold positions of power, but the country is still far from being a paradise. The action in Changing Tide takes place during the term of office of Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki. Thabo Mbeki, who served as President of the Republic of South Africa from 2002 to 2009, denied the connection between HIV infection and AIDS. The HIV debate in South Africa is nevertheless very complex and cannot be discussed in a simplistic way.
Antje Krog comes from Cape Town and is the daughter of white Boers. As a teenager, she was already a committed fighter against the apartheid regime. In her book Country Of My Skull (1998), Antjie Krog reflects on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission set up by Nelson Mandela in 1996. One of the aims of this commission was to pave the way for a new and, above all, peaceful coexistence in post-apartheid South Africa and to enshrine it in law. According to Antjie Krog, the Truth Commission turned into a stage where former perpetrators portrayed themselves as victims. Antjie Krog used to write in Afrikaans (the language of white Boers) and after the end of apartheid no longer knew which language she could write in. From then on, she considered Afrikaans to be the language of the perpetrators. What should we write about and in which language? This is the fundamental question that South African writers are currently asking themselves. Antjie Krog’s texts were read by Ms. Christina Bauer and Ms. Melissa Bope.
Koleka Putuma was born in 1993, one year before the official end of racial segregation. She belongs to the South African generation known as “the born free”. With a chili- and scalpel-sharp language, she dissects a nation that still shows symptoms of racial segregation. In her volume of poetry Collective Amnesia (2017), the confident, breathtaking and talented South African slam poet poses questions in a different way. Koleka Putuma’s poems were recited by the artist Natascha Merveille Bope.
Among other questions that were discussed: the question of fair land distribution, the question of the gap between rich and poor and other questions. A separate report on these questions is in preparation. The South African writers whose texts were staged are paradigmatic of the diversity of South African society.
(1) Quoted from Claudia Kramatschek. Between elegy and departure – literary impressions from South Africa. A program from the literature series by Deutschlandfunk. Broadcast on July 15, 2018. Page 2.
The evening was led by a fascinating and informative high-tech keynote speech about Nelson Mandela’s legacy by Dr. Yves Ekoué Amaizo.
Feedback geben
- BOOK PRESENTATION: >> Idil and Warsame << by Warsame Ahmed Amalle
A nuanced immersion in a complex and wonderful country: Somalia.
This event took place on October 10, 2019 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the AFRIEUROTEXT bookstore (Lassallestrasse 20 / 3, 1020).
At first, the nomad boy Warsame does not want to be seen by a girl with the goats and sheep because he is ashamed of doing a girl’s job. But then he meets the lively Idil. He admires her skill and intelligence, her vision and her critical mind. A feeling awakens in him that he has never known before, and he no longer wants to be separated from her. He tells her about his plans for the future, but she leaves everything open. Before they say goodbye, however, she lets him know that she is looking forward to seeing him again the next day. Because he does not want to miss this rendezvous under any circumstances, he has to convince his family to send him back to the pasture with the animals the next day. This surprises everyone. Before sunrise, he rushes to Idil to tell her how happy he is. But all he finds is an abandoned camp site and the tracks of the animals. This is how Warsame Ahmed Amalle describes Somali culture and society in his novel, about which we do not know much, and if we do, it is mostly negative. Somalia is a country that is usually portrayed in the media headlines as the main exporter of refugees. The book Idil and Warsame shows in counterpoint that generally humane phenomena such as happiness through love (also) germinate and blossom there. This book also invites you on a journey into the depths of Somali culture in order to get to know the country and its people better and, above all, in a more differentiated way.
Here are a few photos from the literary evening:
This event replaced the event planned according to the annual program entitled: African Jews of Vienna – Jewish Africans: Productive cultural overlaps
- AFRICAN WRITING SYSTEMS AS ALTERNATIVE HISTORY WRITING; WRITING AND LITERATURE CONCEPTS
This event took place on November 26, 2019 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the AFRIEUROTEXT bookstore (Lassallestrasse 20 / 3, 1020).
In contrast to a Hegelian thesis that attempted in the 19th century to disqualify the African continent as having no writing and thus no history, it turns out that different and fascinatingly coherent writing systems were developed and worked out in Africa. Reference is made here, for example, to the Shümom, the writing system of the Bamun people in (post-)colonial Cameroon, the NKO writing system in Guinea Conackry, and the Amharic writing system in Ethiopia. The historical novel The Shadow of the Sultan by the Cameroonian writer Alain Patrice Nganang represents one of the textual places in which the Shümom writing system is staged as a differentiation of a one-sided conception of writing. The core question of the panel discussion was: to what extent all these writing systems can be embedded in a project of counter-history writing and interpreted as a questioning and scrutiny of a Eurocentric conception of writing. This panel discussion not only illuminated the sociohistorical context of the emergence of these differing concepts of writing, but above all their sociopolitical function in the (post)colonial African context. In this context, other writing systems were debated. The event aimed to raise awareness of alternative concepts of writing or alternative historiography, i.e. also of alternative literary and social forms of organization.
The following planned events could not be held due to limited financial resources:
– African art/painting and European modernity
– Madness and society: On the political psychiatry of our time
– Charlotte Bronte and Mongo Beti on patriarchal and matriarchal humiliation rituals
– Patrick Chamoiseau’s novel The Trace of the Other
The cultural association AFRIEUROTEXT would like to thank all funding institutions that financially supported its event program for the 2019 event year. In 2020, the cultural association AFRIEUROTEXT will remain active with cultural events that demand and promote dialogue, peaceful coexistence and differentiated thinking and action in Austrian civil society.