photos: Roger Sabaté.
In 2020 –– despite all its setbacks –– the Black Lives Matter Movement and its fight for justice and equality for BIPOC* has gained new momentum, not only in the US but in Europe as well. Yet, while education and awareness around colonial crimes, racism, and xenophobia are a global affair, change begins right in front of our doorstep.
So –– do black lives matter in Berlin? Do black/brown people, and any other marginalized group in Berlin –– no matter its identity, sex, or ethnic background –– get the representation, recognition, and protection they deserve? In a post-Hanau Germany, our eyes need to be wide-open to the realities of racism today, and the rise of new fascism presenting itself as an electable “Alternative”. In recent polls the “AfD” passed 10 percent even in Berlin; that is Europe’s self-proclaimed capital of freedom and excess.