Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen

The opening night of “Radical Mutation: On the Ruins of Rising Suns” reflects on the forging of bridges between historical struggles for equality, anti-racism and representation in arts/culture and current efforts for radical change in cultural spaces. It features a musical prologue by Lamin Fofana and a conversation between Nyabinghi LAB (Nathalie Anguezomo Mba Bikoro, Saskia Köbschall, Tmnit Zere) and Wearebornfree! Empowerment Radio (Moro Yapha Bino Byansi Bjakuleka, Muhammed Lamin Jadama), discussing visions of cultural realities that deeply reflect our complexities and become spaces for alliances, recovery and healing. The conversation is followed by a key note and performance by actor and comedian Idil Nuna Baydar. Through her famous fictional character Jilet Ayşe, an 18 year old Turkish girl from Neukölln, she performs a is a brilliant social satire that dimantles racist stereotypes, structural discrimination and the notion of integration. The String Archestra will perform fragments from Florence Price (Quartet in G-Dur 1936) and Fela Sowande (African Suite 1951–1952) to retrace the histories of composers from the Black Diaspora, whose music became entangled with narratives of liberation movements. The String Archestra is a chamber string ensemble created in 2016 in Berlin to empower musicians of color in classical music and to recognize composers who have been overlooked in music history because of their ethnicity and gender.

Musical Prologue: Lamin Fofana
Introduction: Nyabinghi LAB (Tmnit Zere, Nathalie Anguezomo Mba Bikoro, Saskia Köbschall) and Wearebornfree! Empowerment Radio (Moro Yapha Bino Byansi Bjakuleka, Muhammed Lamin Jadama)
Performance: Idil Nuna Baydar as Jilet Ayşe
Music: String Archestra