Black Feminism and Afro-German, Afrofuturist Theater

Compared to the rest of the African diaspora, Germany’s Black activist movement is especially unique, because of the prominence of women in the movement. An important factor in this difference is the role that African American feminist and poet Audre Lorde played in unifying and mobilizing Black German women in the 1980s. In this presentation, Dr. Layne will provide context for understanding the development of Black German activism in the postwar era and the important role played by feminism. She will also consider how Black German artists’ recent turn towards Afrofuturism interacts with Black feminist thought and in combination proposes new forms of resistance and offers liberating visions of the future.