Black artists in Germany
share their stories in new book
The book is entitled "The Little Book of Big Visions: How to be an Artist and Revolutionize the World" and it's edited by Sandrine Micossé-Aikins and Sharon Dodua Otoo.
Synopsis: Black artists in Germany find themselves – necessarily – in a position in which subversiveness and resistance – implicit and explicit – become essential strategies to be used in their work if they wish to survive in this predominantly white context. However, after resistance is no longer necessary, what could be the vision then? And what is the central role of the artist in shaping or creating these visions?
This book contributes to the discourse firstly by providing a contextual discussion of the current situation of Black artists in Germany, and secondly, by reflecting on the question of how contemporary Black artists in Germany create and convey visions of equality. The methods used to engage with these ideas, concepts and questions are partly in written form (fiction and non-fiction), and partly in visual form. This results in an innovative work focusing on the visions of Black artists in Germany.
The book also has a Tumbler page and it's full of interesting information about the book and the authors, see http://littlebookbigvisions.tumblr.com
Also check out the story Eric of American poet, playwright and journalist Gyavira Lasana . For more stories take the shortcut to the archive.
The Little Book of Big Visions is part of a very ambitious project called Witnessed. The Witnessed series contributes English language testimonies to existing "Black in Germany" accounts (both fiction and non-fiction) while simultaneously providing access to this literature to international English-speaking audiences. So it's must-read for everyone who is interested in the Black community in Germany and Afro-Europe.
The project is founded by Sharon Dodua Otoo, who is originally from the UK. In the video below she is one of speakers at the launch of Witnessed.
Wanted: Writers who want to write about the Black experience in Germany