In this series, the “Um…” isn’t something to be trained out of you – it’s actively sought after!
What does a safe space for uncertainty look like? Is that even possible on stage?
Zurich-based artist Fatima Moumouni is finally continuing her conversation series “The New Uncertainty – Disco Edition”! In it, moments of conversation that are allowed to be thoughtful, self-critical and decidedly insecure are brought to the stage – guests and the host are equally unsettled. And then we reflect together in public, because when it comes to progressive discourse – almost by definition – there is still much to think about, beyond the pitiful question of ‘WHAT IS IT ACTUALLY OKAY TO SAY THESE DAYS?
The topics of this edition: ‘Loving white people’ and ‘Talking to the right wing’
What does it mean to grow up in a white society? And what does it mean, as a migrant or racialised person, to be surrounded by white people? What does it mean to love white people – in a familial, friendly and romantic sense? And then there’s the eternal topic of ‘talking to the far right’: how much love does anti-racist discourse need, who do we need to talk to, and where do we draw the line?
Guest in this issue: David Zabel
David Zabel grew up in East Germany in the 1990s, during the ‘baseball bat years’ marked by right-wing violence. He is a cultural mediator, educational innovator and researcher in Afrofuturism. His work lies at the intersection of art, education and social change. As a member of the advisory board of the Initiative Schwarze Menschen in Deutschland e.V. and chair of the Cultural Advisory Board of the City of Kassel, he advocates for cultural participation and greater visibility for marginalised perspectives. He is also involved with Roots Against Racism in Sports e.V., where he develops educational and empowerment programmes that address racism in sport and open up new perspectives on sporting culture.
In terms of content, David has been engaged with Afrofuturism for many years, exploring the visions of the future presented by Black science fiction authors such as Octavia E. Butler and Nnedi Okorafor. He sees Afrofuturism as a tool for developing new social concepts and creating spaces for imagination, empowerment and dialogue. Through lecture-performances such as ‘Your First Contact with Postcolonial Aliens’ and ‘Copagand’, he brings these themes to cultural and educational institutions, combining pop-cultural analysis with political education. His formats invite audiences to critically question familiar images and narratives and to develop new perspectives on society, power and the future.
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