Witnessing Atrocities: Dissent in the Wake of Gaza
Friday, April 26, 2024 – Sunday, April 28, 2024Spore Initiative (Hermannstr 86, 12051 Berlin)
In January, the International Court of Justice called “for the prevention of genocidal acts in Gaza” by Israel and overwhelmingly found it is "plausible" that Israel is indeed committing acts that violate the Convention on the Prevention and the Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. And yet, German policy arguably criminalizes voices that refuse to be part of an intellectual machinery that enables the atrocities taking place in the name of national “Staatsraison”.
This event is organized by a group of faculty and students at Bard College Berlin (BCB) and the University of the Arts (UdK). It offers a forum for views on wars unfolding in Palestine, Ukraine, Sudan and elsewhere, and brings together voices of students, scholars, writers, artists and activists who work in solidarity with Palestinian, Jewish and other minoritized groups across Germany. It also aims to think forward - towards new possibilities for collective resistance against policing and censorship.
Our event kicks off with an online lecture by Rashid Al Khalidi, the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, in conversation with independent journalist Hanno Hauenstein. This occasion celebrates the upcoming German translation of Khalidi’s The 100 Years’ War on Palestine. Over the following two days, students, activists, scholars and artists will partake in discussions around the themes of student activism, international solidarity, the politics of memory and more.
Friday, 26 April
18:00 Doors open
18:30 Keynote Speech Rashid Khalidi (on zoom)
respondent: Hanno Hauenstein
Saturday, 27 April
16:00-18:00 Workshop: The News we Want - speculative writing as media resistance
Hosted by Gruppe Wissenslücke.
Sunday, 28 April
10:00-11:30 Provincializing Germany and the Politics of Memory
Sarah El Bulbeisi, Dani Gal, Sami Khatib
11:45-13:15 Witnessing Atrocities: the Example of Sudan and other Case Studies
online/offline solidarity group
14:00-15:30 Where is the 5th International?: Creating Space for Resistance in the Midst of Atrocity
Student Contributions
The event is organized by Marion Detjen, Aysuda Kölemen, Hanan Toukan, and Tirdad Zolghadr
Email: m.detjen@berlin.bard.edu