International Weeks Against Racism

25.03.2023

International Weeks Against Racism

The “International Weeks Against Racism” date back to March 21, 1960. On that day, police killed 69 people in Sharpeville, South Africa. Six years later, the United Nations proclaimed March 21 the “International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Using the slogan “Get involved,” the “International Weeks against Racism” started on March 20, 2023 with a launch event in the state capital Schwerin. The nationwide action weeks will take place from March 20 to April 2, 2023. These weeks are a clear sign of solidarity with all victims and opponents of racism.

What is racism?

“Racism is an ideology that devalues people on the basis of their appearance, name, (presumed) culture, origin, or religion. In Germany, this affects non-white people – those who are seen as non-German, i.e., as supposedly not really belonging.”

A colonial practice that continues to this day: “The idea of dividing people into so-called “races” and then hierarchizing them is a man-made ideology. It is anything but a law of nature. This delusion arose during colonization in the 16th century, when people from the African continent were disenfranchised, enslaved as laborers, raped, and/or murdered.”

Why do we need to talk about racism?

“Contrary to […] scientific findings, the biologistic notion that there are different human ‘races’ has not disappeared, but is ingrained in nearly one out of every two people in Germany.”

“In recent years, the number of racist crimes in Germany has increased significantly. In 2020, the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) counted 10,240 crimes motivated by group-based prejudice – 20% more than in 2019.”

Events in Rostock

Exhibition „DREI STEINE“ – until April 26

The exhibition “DREI STEINE”(three stones) by the author Nils Oskamp will be on display at the Berufliche Schule Technik until April 26, 2023. As a person affected by right-wing violence, Nils Oskamp has found a way to recount his experience and present the topic visually.

Exhibition „Kunst inmitten des Krieges“ – until March 31

In the summer of 2021, the Taliban once again took power in Afghanistan. The threat is omnipresent. Thousands of people are still trying to leave the country. Critical contemporary artists in Afghanistan are prevented from carrying out their work and are under acute threat of persecution. However, they are connecting with each other and using the last remaining niches to continue their work.

For this exhibition, called art in the middle of war, which would be impossible in Kabul, works by the 22-year-old artist and gallery owner Hafiza Qasimi from Kabul and by the group of artists she founded were photographed. The pictures reflect the terrible everyday life in Afghanistan. They show hunger, war and what it is like to be a woman or a child in Afghanistan.