As an Adult in Germany 'Post Traumatic African-Dis Order'

By +Caroline Anande Uliwa

On cultivating a new sense of our practice, what kind of uhmn means in your context here in Germany, arise for culture journalists who want to know how to play with words or play with format, do they ask for training?” Heba El-Sherif culture journalist in her 30’s from Egypt, asks culture editor/journalist Von Ronald Meyer-Arlt from Hannover, Germany.

An installation detailing the life of Luz Helena Mavin Guzman
in a city window inside
Braunschweig's theatreformen festival 2018.
So much to depict from it, so much thank you anonymous artist :)

Meyer –Arlt has 31 years experience in his field in responding to Heba he says “By criticizing...First time and the second time it gets boring, you can’t always get new perspectives on this issue...maybe a book is a good medium for that but a newspaper. You have to bring out every day something curious something tricky, something brilliant.”

This summer (June 3rd^th -15^th) I found myself in the quiet city of Braunschweig in Germany, invited with other 11 culture journalists, from various countries in Africa. To document the ‘Theatreformen’ festival, as well coagulate and solidify a network of African Culture Journalists, in an all expenses paid and facilitated for trip.

I was ecstatic, see I hail from a country-Tanzania, where bloggers are currently asked to pay an annual fee of 900USD as tax and despite protests leading to a court case, the edict is now enacted.

As a culture journalist currently freelancing for newspapers in my country & region of East Africa, where according to existing rates, I get a maximum of 50USD per article, with an average 100USD salary from the same. I resorted to blogging back in 2014 not to make money initially (I haven’t made a penny blogging to date) but to fairly test my ability to; ‘bring out ...something curious...something brilliant’ as Meyer -Arlt puts it.

Yet here I was in Braunschweig a first world planned city. The universe dared clash me with titans of my industry, coming from all corners of the continent think Nigeria, South Africa, Mozambique, Cameroon, DRC Congo, Kenya and two from my host continent Europe, both hailing from Germany.

Something began to break open inside me, on both a professional and personal front. Something I saw reflected in the pieces I saw on several stages inside the ‘Theatreformen’ 2018 festival https://www.theaterformen.de/en/news a festival which this year asked ‘what will freedom look like?’.

I answer it will be, once the stereotype of mainstream journalism patriarchal reporting as it were. Acknowledges it has had a wife, who for too long has been brushed aside as mere ‘gossip’ or ‘sensational paparazzi’. When this wife screams I am ‘culture journalism! Then more and more countries of our one world; will enable the likes of culture journalists Oprah Winfrey and Anna Wintour. Where I in turn will breathe see what freedom looks like. Then again I am probably venting.

Here are three performances I witnessed inside ‘Theatreformen’ that coaxed the following words from my cultural pen.

Independent Living

From left Mounia Melborg from Germany,
Mihel from Germany, facilitators
for the culture journalist afro network

It’s a Saturday night but the sun is still out, as we shuffle onto our theatre ascending like seats, citizens of Braunschweig are sweating profusely; where I find myself pleased to come from a humid tropical climate.

Soon the director Takuya Murakawa proceeds to introduce his play, “China, Korea and Japan have a big role in this play, and the home-care of a physically disabled person becomes the main subject...”

We sit attentively witnessing a play with mime like instructions, as the set save for the hospital bed, a chair, ‘television’ and border lines on the floor. Is made alive by gestures operating imaginary objects from the actors, with the main character (Mr Yokomori an old veteran now bedridden unable to speak or move) acted by a woman. ‘His’ body is automated by the care givers, at their whim they dictate how he sits, eats, what channel he sees, how he regulates his bowel movements and so forth.

Sitting there watching the monotony of painstaking motions, as I put myself in the characters shoes. I found myself wondering whether Mr Yokomori was truly taken care of, yes his body was 'alive' but was he free?

Hearing the actors speak in Japanese, Korean & Chinese, I felt a cognisance better explained by this African proverb. ‘Until the Story of the hunt is told by the Lion, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.’ Independent living, made me see a country with a ‘dictator’ like Kim Jong-un, inhabiting persons not so cold, not so in-humane. 

 Hailu Mergia  

The  big city park in Brunswick, Germanny where Hailu Mergia
performed on the first night of the Theatreformen Festival
2018.

On the first night of the Theatreformen festival, at the city park in Braunschweig, under the smart direction of Chrstoph Braun (manager and curator of the music programme in the Theatreformen 2018 festival).

Smart for as I neared the stage, there were no sudden screeches from the microphones being too close to the speakers, despite it being a small stage (about four by six metres square) set outdoors. There was no rapid hand gestures from the musicians to the sound desk at the back, motioning for this’ or that’ volume to be increased.

As my ears witnessed the genius of Hailu Mergia’s trio, https://hailumergia.bandcamp.com/music my bones were enticed to dance! What made his music special on this night was visible in how the eclectic crowd present. Including a band of native Ethiopians, a healthy dose of Caucasian Germans as well sprinkles of Afro/Asian-politans like myself.

Despite our melody v/s percussion affiliation in how we dance, Hailu together with Mr Atemseged Kebede’s base guitar and Kenneth Josephs drums; had us gurgling on real music myrrh as our bodies giggled to the music. “We do stuff that’s from the heart...if you’re not touching hearts you’re not doing your job.” Hailu 72 relays with a smile befitting an old kind wise man. He also gave me the best advice as a young musician that will stick with me for a long while "Keep practicing, don't abandon your instrument it's like breathing do it everyday." 

Because I always feel like running

21:20 sharp on the 10^th June, the show begins Ogutu Muraya takes us on a journey weaving poetry, moving pictures and body installation. Whole script in his head the African griot is resuscitated on his tongue, as he tells us the story of three East African athletes.

From left culture journalists Heba El Sherif
from Egypt and Monica Nkodo, and Yvon Edoumou

‘Because I always feel like running’ isn’t for the faint hearted Mr Muraya in this performance, touches the live wire of African racial and colonial mutilation. Such that I found myself as an African woman, who had recently landed on European soil for the first time as an adult.

Acknowledging in a real way how this soil whose inhabitants in less than five generations past, had defeated mine. Looting items from the Serengeti (Ivory, Leather hides, Minerals), to the homes of thousands of my ancestors in Tanzania as though it was ok. Relics of which remain on this soil to date.

As Ogutu kept reciting the bravery of Abebe Bikila from Ethiopia, Kipchoge Keino from Kenya and John Steven Akhwari from Tanzania, something cracked open in my mind and I walked out. This poem below tries capturing why, for...

Somewhere I break

Like the wings of Sthembile Msezana

Najikuta natafuta wapi naruka

Kepi ntajitambua,

Ukiniruhusu, kama nnavyo pumua

My Post Traumatic African dis-order

Breathes in percussive resurrection

A hairstyle, squeezed fences,

All head to my great, great mother’s door.

Kama machozi ya anayevuliwa nguo k/koo

Najikuta natafuta wapi naruka

Kepi ntajitambua

Ukiniruhusu, kama nnavyo pumua