Bard College Berlin faculty, students, and alumni lead several events for Pankow Weeks Against Racism 2024

This month, the organization Pankow Gegen Rassismus (Pankow Against Racism) is organizing the annual Pankow Weeks Against Racism, and Bard College Berlin is partnering with the initiative through a series of events both on- and off-campus aimed at opposing racism in the neighborhood.

With right-wing extremism on the rise in Germany in recent years, Pankow Weeks Against Racism formed in 2020 when a network of Pankow associations, initiatives, and libraries joined together to raise awareness of racism and exclusion and to start conversations in the district. BCB joined the initiative in 2021, and since then has organized public workshops, discussions, readings, and more as part of the annual event. Faiza zu Lynar, BCB’s Civic Engagement Manager, says, “The events are an opportunity for people to meet and connect in the neighborhood, and it’s important BCB continues to be part of that effort. I put hope in neighborhood networks that allow for real life encounters and deliberate conversations about racism and antisemitism.”

This year, there are four events within the broader Pankow Weeks Against Racism program that BCB has organized for both students and community members. On March 12, BCB alumnus Ahmad Denno ‘22 returned to campus to give a talk about cultural exchange and political engagement in Germany. He provided students with practical tips for navigating German bureaucracy, becoming socially engaged and connected in Berlin, founding their own association, and applying for public funding. Denno is a Syrian refugee turned German citizen, arriving in Germany in December 2014 and gaining citizenship in March 2022 on the grounds of demonstrating exemplary integration. Since his arrival in Berlin, he's been an active volunteer with various social NGOs, initially stemming from his experience in a refugee camp. In 2016, Denno established Eed Be Eed, fostering support for Arab/Syrian refugees in Germany through a free newspaper, workshops, and initiating the first Arabic Arts and Culture Festival in Berlin in 2017. Denno also co-founded the neighborhood center KulturMarktHalle to bridge cultural gaps between locals and migrants in Prenzlauer Berg, in southern Pankow.

As its contribution to Weeks Against Racism, KulturMarktHalle will host BCB faculty member Dr. Nassim AbiGhanem for a talk on March 17, alongside Blaise Baneh Mbuh, founder of Bamenda Film School in Cameroon. The discussion will focus on the obstacles, challenges, and duality in identity that modern-day migrants, refugees, and people in exile experience by analyzing the seminal work Season of Migration to the North by Tayib Saleh. The talk will “draw on the variety of cultural and historical complexities that shape individual identity prior to migration, and not only in the aftermath,” AbiGhanem explains. “The ‘before’ facet is normally overlooked when discussing inclusivity in societies. In today’s polarized world—and as the trend of illiberal democracies in Europe and beyond continues—I hope that this talk will shed some light on truths and counter-narratives that we need to arsenal ourselves with in facing nationalism, isolationism, and perceptions of ‘othering.’”

On March 13, Neukölln-based association Give Something Back to Berlin (GSBTB) will co-host a public event on BCB’s campus. Taste of Home centers the role that food plays in creating a sense of home and belonging, building communities, and how food can be a part of building more inclusive societies. GSBTB will introduce the Open Kitchen shared cooking project and The Feast, a cookbook featuring stories and recipes of Berlin’s migrant communities.

Finally, BCB’s involvement with Pankow Weeks Against Racism will also include a visit from Decolonize Berlin’s Renée Eloundou. As part of the course Civic Engagement and Engaged Research: Berlin Lab, Eloundou will speak to students about the work of the Decolonize Berlin office. Decolonize Berlin has been committed to the critical examination of colonialism, racism, colonial injustice, and decolonization since its founding in 2019, when it emerged from a civil society network of Black, diasporic, postcolonial, and development groups in Berlin.

"The Pankow Weeks Against Racism provides our local community an essential opportunity to speak up, educate each other, and celebrate our diversity,” says Lauren Gaillard, BCB’s Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. “It is in these weeks that we boldly and unapologetically share a space with a common goal: to face and fight for the elimination of racial discrimination in order to create equality and foster harmony… It is an honor to join forces with our local community members as we all take action together to continue the fight against racial discrimination for the promotion of equality."

View the full program of Pankow Weeks Against Racism events here, and learn more about Bard College Berlin’s Office of Civic Engagement here.

Post Date: 03-12-2024