ADEFRA
ADEFRA e. V. - Black Women in Germany is a cultural and political forum for black women and " Women of Color " based in Berlin . In 1992 it was entered in the register of associations.
history
The association (initially the Initiative for Black German Women , later Black Women in Germany ) was founded in the mid-1980s and is considered to be one of the first associations of black Germans in the post-war period. At the same time, ISD ( Initiative Schwarzer Menschen in Deutschland ), the organization of Afro-German people in Germany consisting of men and women, was created . The abbreviation stands for ADEFRA a fro de suction Fra uen.
The reason for the foundation was the debates about the book “Color confess.” Published in 1986 by May Ayim (Opitz), Katharina Oguntoye and Dagmar Schultz from the Berlin women 's publisher Orlanda . Afro-German women on the trail of their history ”, as well as the discussions on racism , sexism and homophobia that were inspired by the Afro-American poet Audre Lorde . Together with the Caribbean-African-American activist Audre Lorde (1934–1992), the term Afro-German was developed in 1984 with black German activists.
Initiated by Lorde, black activists in Germany learned to consciously relate to other black women. This happened in long process-like developments in different rooms, such as in the women's class at the Free University of Berlin. The search for a common language for the shared experiences as black activists in Germany resulted in the political self-designation 'Afro-German', later 'Black German'. The self-designation established a new collective self-image. This acted as a motor to mobilize black activists nationwide.
The foundation of the nationwide associations ADEFRA and ISD (initially an initiative of black Germans, now an initiative of black people in Germany ) is considered to be the initial spark of the black movement in Germany . Discussion processes and attempts at definition thus characterize the tone of debate in the initial movement. The appropriation, challenge and subversion of hierarchizing categorizations was valued as a political tool. Autobiographical writing was an important part of this. Black female realities and gaze perspectives were framed in the German language in texts and poems.
aims
The central themes of the initiative are empowerment and educational work for black women and girls, consciousness raising as well as flight and migration . The establishment of contacts to other black women's movements with a long history of movement provided a start-up for the young movement in Germany. Joint trips by the German activists played a role in the initial development of the organization. Black activists from London and Amsterdam contributed to the thematization and analysis of the living conditions of black women in Germany with theater workshops, writing workshops and exchange meetings. Numerous literary productions with autonomous representations of black femininity grew out of this. This included the magazine AFREKETE. As a result, the documentation of political actions by black activists in Germany increased significantly. In this respect, ADEFRA works internationally with black women's organizations.
Black activists joined the movement at different biographical points. Especially in the first and second waves of the movement it is characteristic that a common togetherness, growing up in one movement, was important. Developing one's own, more autonomous view of oneself as a black woman and of one's own living conditions in the context of racism and sexism was part of growing up in an activist manner.
A turning point in the movement was the encounter between the East-socialized black activists and the West-socialized black activists after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. These meetings mainly took place in the united Berlin within the framework of autonomous women's shared apartments. Black activists from East Germany such as Ina Röder-Sissako, Raja Lubinetzki and Peggy Piesche shaped the transition from the second to the third wave of the movement in a significant way with their activist, literary and social contributions.
The association now mainly organizes events and arranges speakers for the “black community” and German organizations and institutions. This includes historians , scientists from the fields of racism research and migration , specialists in health professions, (social) pedagogues, artists and media workers. The association is based in Berlin and is financed almost entirely without public funds.
literature
- Katharina Oguntoye, May Ayim , Dagmar Schultz (eds.): Show your colors. Afro-German women on the trail of their history. Orlanda, Berlin 1986. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 1992, ISBN 978-3-596-11023-0 .
- Ekpenyong Ani, Jasmin Eding, Maisha M. Eggers, Katja Kinder, Peggy Piesche: Transformation potentials , creative power and confrontations with a critical perspective of difference. Black lesbians in Germany. In: Gabriele Dennert, Christiane Leidinger, Franziska Rauchut (eds.): Keep moving. 100 years of lesbian politics, culture and stories. Querverlag, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-89656-148-0 .
- Maureen Maisha Eggers : Knowledges of (Un-) Belonging - Epistemic Change as a defining mode for Black Women's Activism in Germany. In: Ulrike Lindner , Maren Möhring , Mark Stein , Silke Stroh (eds.): Hybrid Cultures, Nervous States. Britain and Germany in a (Post) Colonial World. Cross / Cultures Series 129. Rodopi, Amsterdam / New York 2009, ISBN 978-90-420-3228-6 , pp. 190-202.
- Peggy Piesche (Ed.): “Your silence does not protect you!” Audre Lorde and the black women's movement in Germany. Orlanda, Berlin 2012, ISBN 978-3936937-95-4 .
- Maureen Maisha Eggers, Sabine Mohamed: Black Feminist Thinking and Action in Germany. In: Yvonne Franke, Kati Mozygemba, Kathleen Pöge, Bettina Ritter, Dagmar Venohr (eds.) Feminisms today. Positions in theory and practice. Transcript, Bielefeld 2014, ISBN 978-3837626-73-5 .