***This event is free***
Information about the play
In December 1930 a remarkable theater show opened in Kliems-Ballroom in Berlin, Neukölln. Inspired by Black theatrical productions in the US and in Paris, the revue ‘Sonnenaufgang im Morgenland‘ (Sunrise in Morningland) was staged by members of the city’s diverse Black population. Written by, and also starring, the Cameroonian actor Bebe Mpessa (better known as Louis Brody), the revue was reported to celebrate African history and to feature a live jazz band. Its staging helps to make evident the transnational connections in which Black Germans were active. Sunrise in Morningland can be seen as both an expression of a diasporic identity in the making as well as one of resistance—resistance against hegemonic stereotypes of race as well as a right-wing backlash against Black performers and Black cultural forms in late Weimar Germany. [Robbie Aitken]
About the staged reading
“Greetings from afar” is a scenic reading by Lulu Jemimah, a writer from Uganda. Using research and interviews, she juxtaposes Black anti-colonial grassroots activism of the 1930s with the contemporary negotiations of identity and activism in contemporary Berlin (2020s.) The original site of the play, ‘Kliems Festsäle' (Kliem's Ballrooms) has over the years been turned into a ballroom, a theatre, a poultry exhibition space, a military hospital in WWI, a cinema, and more recently, the legendary dance club 'Cheetah'. The venue is currently in reconstruction for an art gallery. While Lulu Jemimah is stitching together timelines through writing, architect and designer Maya Alam documented remains of these different stages through photographs and 3D scans. Using AI-assisted re-coloring, she overlaid these with elements of the 3D scans as well as re-generated point clouds to create an almost-still scenography to the performance.
Actor information and Dramaturg
Savanna Morganis a writer, actor, and musician from Dallas, Texas based in Berlin. Her recent debut poetry book, "cow tripe" was published by Hopscotch Editions in 2022. Since arriving in Berlin two years ago to complete a Master's in Devised Theatre (arthaus.berlin), she has performed in concerts and artistic interventions at Bethanien, Haus Der Kulturen der Welt, Oyuon, in addition to others. Her creative process is rooted in time, place, and memory of home in the North American South. Her work aims to foster conversations within the African diaspora centering on histories, triumphs, joy, and healing. https://www.instagram.com/savannanmorgan/?hl=en
Serge Fouha has acted in theatre, opera and cinema between Germany, Switzerland, France and Belgium. He is also a Director and the co-founder of the theater group ACOR Contemporain which he exclusively staged plays by Cameroonian authors of his generation from 2005 to 2008. His acting credits include Lionel Poutiaire Somé's adaptation of Meyerbeer's L'Africaine at the Halle Opera and he can also be seen as an actor in Martin Crimp's The Treatment in Nuithonie Friborg (Switzerland). https://www.instagram.com/sergefouha/?hl=en
Roy Adomako is a lawyer and founding board member of EOTO eV. He is also a diversity- and empowerment-trainer. His activism questions and challenges the idea of the prevailing equation of "being German" with "being white" and the associated denial of reality by many people who perceive people like him as "real Germans." He has worked closely with academics, journalists, and activists contributing to the discourse of Black German history. He is also the grandson of Bebe Mpessa (Louis Brody).
Philipp Khabo Koepsell is a Berlin-based author, dramaturge and an internationally acclaimed spoken word performer of German and South African descent. His work focuses on empowerment and negotiations of race and identity; he has toured Europe and South Africa, sharing in workshops and exchanges on activism and performance. https://www.instagram.com/flybluephil/
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