On my first visit to Berlin, a man spat at my feet. His eyes were the eyes of a soldier at war. Precise, alert, and distrusting. And he had just spotted a body he considered the enemy. That body was queer, stout, and black. We were sitting across from each other on a train headed towards the direction of Alexanderplatz. A few moments before, I had just described Berlin to my mother as the embrace of a dearly loved one. Warm, soft, and safe. As I was peeling my phone from my ears, the spitter looked me in the face, coughed out the whiteish foam which he splashed across my feet. The act of spitting at my feet wasn’t a cleansing and or a fortification ritual done to welcome my feet to new and uncharted terrain. That was disgust, anger, and a kind of aggression that sent shivers down my spine. He was sending a clear message. One that was unmistakably meat to say; you are not welcome here. His message had three clear intentions; to warn me, put me in my place, and remind me I did not belong. He needed me to know that. It resonated. I didn’t even say a word. I took the message, got off the train one stop before my intended exit location. There, I waited for the next train in a stooping position. With a sigh and a paper napkin, I wiped my feet clean again.
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by Guest Author | Stories
“I love the Südländer men” was one of the most common messages I would receive when I was still on dating apps, oftentimes as the cherry on top to complete the recipe. Apparently, it was deemed to be a compliment for some but to me, it was downright offensive. It only showed how the lack of race talk in Germany failed to educate people that racial fetishization was not a suave thing and it was blatant objectification. I was never part of the macho and aggressive Südländer stereotype they had in their fantasies and I was never willing to be, to the much disappointment of my suitors.
Conversations about race can be very difficult in Germany, even in our city that people regard as one of the most open-minded and equal places in the world. Self-defensive reactions to race talks and complete rejection of the conversation led our society to define racism differently from other parts of the world, creating multiple misconceptions about it. Some of these experiences of racism in Berlin are narrated by a series of short video portraits called DIRE-Logues by BlackBrownBerlin co-founder Chanel Knight. Established in 2018, BlackBrownBerlin aims to empower POC communities in Berlin and beyond, and speak up about discrimination and misrepresentation. You can read our previous interview with them here to learn about their story, mission, and activities.
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by Burak | Stories
Rice and Shine, photo: Valerie Siba Rousparas.
Following the tragic shooting in Atlanta, Georgia that killed 8 Asian-Americans on March 16, 2021 the topic of anti-Asian racism has been in the spotlight around the globe, an issue that does not exclude our very own Berlin.
Especially due to the pandemic with phrases like “Kung Flu” and “China virus” being thrown around, Asian communities have become wary of increased anti-Asian racism. For myself, this past year has forced me to be aware of my Asianness more than ever, leaving me to wonder if the person who just moved away from me on the U-Bahn only did so because of my almond-shaped eyes smiling at them from behind my mask.
While COVID-19 has exacerbated the situation, racism towards Asians has been around long before the pandemic. Here in Berlin, I have had men fetishize my “exotic oriental beauty” and “ching chong” gibberish shouted at me on the street, just to name a few mild remarks. Attention needs to be brought to such experiences not to complain of our beloved Berlin, but because we care about this city and want to help make it feel safer for the communities that make this place so special.
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by Aisha | Stories
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.
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by Andy | People
Political activism made easy: Sassy YouTuber and witty digital activist Tarik Tesfu picks five social projects against racism and xenophobia that need your financial support right now.
Tarik has been bopping around the web since 2015. As a self-proclaimed “gender-messiah” and “do-gooder” the young Berliner vlogs about gender equality, LGBTQI*rights and racism in Germany in weekly shamelessly spot on and self-ironic videos. As a German gay man of color his politically incorrect, razor-blade lingo served with a charming smile on top does, however, not only gain him fans.
Let’s just say, the comments on his YouTube-channel can get pretty ugly. Apparently, it’s: love Tarik or hate Tarik and nothing in between. Take the hate and turn it into a “Weil wir dich haten, Tarik-Heul-Mimimi-Hymne” (the “Because we hate you Tarik-Whine-Mimimi-Anthem”), is Tarik’s response to that. Even if you don’t understand German, that’s pretty hilarious.
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by Andy | People
photo: DryHundredFear
When is someone truly German? In “Past Present Tense,” filmmaker Christa Joo Hyun D’Angelo creates a discourse on racism that provokes us to examine the question of German identity and its relationship to racism of the past and present. Through the years of social and political transitions, Germany’s identity has been shaped into the contemporary society we know. This film encourages the audience to analyze their perception of class, race and privilege on a national scale, though I couldn’t help but notice how prevalent the issue was in Berlin alone. Through the intimate stories told from the perspectives of Germans of minority descent, I found both solace and frustration in hearing about their experiences and opinions, much of which often go unheard and unseen in Berlin, as topics like racial discrimination may be too fragile for conversation when our society has been working to repress the past. So are we still infatuated with past ideals? Click on to examine the question of racism in contemporary Berlin and see some of the film highlights. Read on…
by Skylar | Movies, Videos
There is a specific mass event in Germany that I find very irritating. For a long time it wasn’t even on my radar, but nowadays the Oktoberfest has become hard to avoid. I don’t now if it is because of the tumblrs of guys puking or the fashion blogger girls starting to wear a dirndl and showing their cleavage or the gay guys showing their ass in leather shorts but the high resonance in social media was very annoying to me. So I am glad to be free from all that for at least a year.
In all the omnipresence there was one fashion shoot that impressed me, regardless of my dislike for the Bavarian tradition. The Berlin-based photographer Claudio Oliverio created an Oktoberfest-themed fashion shoot that is beautiful and provoking at the same time. It tells the story of a couple, of a blond girl and a black guy, going together to Oktoberfest. The 60s styling of the shoot somehow brings the viewer back to a time where relationships between black and white folks were not accepted. And to be honest, I can imagine that in rural parts of Bavaria this would be a problematic commitment even still. What I like about the shoot is that even though it is meant to be provoking the couple looks effortlessly beautiful and their emotions towards each other honest and real. Their confident attitude gives me somehow the innocent and probably naiv hope that one day we won’t be able to see anything controversial in these pictures anymore. See more of the shoot after the jump. Read on…
by Claudio | Fashion
Imagine the Berlin Zoo would not be famous for Knut, the little giraffe or the funny monkey but for a real Kenian family or little Indian babies displayed there. If we would still be in the 19th to 20th century this could actually be possible. Public exhibits of humans, usually in a so-called natural or primitive state, were common in zoological gardens all over Europe. The so-called savages were as interesting to the fine educated ladies and gents as exotic creatures from the forest and the sea. In the piece All White People Look The Same To Me – Notes On National Pornography which premiered at Hau 3 last night, the Human Zoo is recreated with stereotypes of white people. The 50s pin-up girl, the safari hunter, snow-white, a blond hairy monster who looks like coming straight from the Adams family are just a couple of extravagant characters you will meet by visiting this piece. An absolutely hilarious combination of fantastic actors directed and written Ariel Efraim Ashbel and Romm Lewkowicz to create an interesting collage of associative scenes to this anthropologic topic. If you miss to see the piece (because it is nearly sold out) you can still look at their funny tumblr here. Enjoy some pictures and the details after the jump.
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by Claudio | Theater
