Wanted: Writers who want to write about the Black experience in Germany


Via Black German Cultural Society, NJ
Sharon Dodua Otoo is looking for Black authors who want to write about the Black experience in Germany. The project is called "Witnessed" and is a book series written in English by Black authors, who live or have lived in Germany. It is edited by Sharon Dodua Otoo.

On the website she writes: "The idea for the series came to me one day as I thought about how little people know about life in Germany as a Black person - or how dated this knowledge is.




Even within Germany, discourse around ethnicity and diversity goes something like this: "if the foreigners learn German, they will integrate then there will be no problems".

And yet, Black people have lived in Germany for over 300 years. Black Germans can be found in all fields from science to art, from education to sport, from music to entrepreneurship. Where there are problems, these rarely have to do with lack of proficiency in the German language.

It is also incredible how little voice Black people within Germany have, despite decades of activism, academic research, creative publications and performances.

So I thought - fine! If we don't find recognition within Germany, we surely can on an international stage.

The Witnessed book series aims to enable English-speaking readers to access literature by Black authors who live (or have lived) in Germany and are from (or residing in) English-speaking countries, which bear witness to the experience of being Black in Germany."

Witnessed will be launched in Autumn 2012.

More authors

Philipp Khabo Köpsell. Check out his very interesting blog
"Die Akte James Knopf"
. He also wrote the book "Die Akte James Knopf: Afrodeutsche Wort- und Streitkunst"


Joshua Kwesi Aikins


Mirjam Nünning

3 Comments

  1. A very positive idea. I agree with you on this. I do look forward to the lauching in 2012. Keep up the good work.


    http://afromeetseuro.blogspot.com/

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  2. I've known many African Americans who have lived in Germany for a short time but I have never known of an African German who was born and raised in Germany. Those are definitely voices that I hope to read from this project and of course from those of African descent who have come elsewhere to live in Germany. Thank you for sharing and educating!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. You're welcome! Check the Afro-German label on the blog.

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