Traces of Memory: Fragile Archive zwischen Windhoek und Berlin

How do archives connect past and present? What role do digital technologies, international cooperation and collaborative research processes play in this? The themed evening curated by Kulturprojekte Berlin at the Gropius Bau is dedicated to these questions. The event will kick off with an exchange on current projects and future plans relating to digital archive work between Dr. Yvette Mutumba from Contemporary And (C&) and Gita Herrmann from TheMuseumsLab. Important focal points here are access to resources and sustainable forms of international cooperation with the African continent.

Prof. Eyal Weizman presents another project that addresses these issues with the exhibition "Inherited Testimonies: Re-Tracing the Genocide with Nama and Ovaherero Descendants", which was shown at the National Art Gallery of Namibia in 2025. The presentation shows the results of several years of collaboration between the interdisciplinary research agency Forensic Architecture and Ovaherero and Nama communities, making traces of the German colonial genocide visible in landscapes, materials and memories. This will be followed by a discussion between the artist Hildegard Titus and Mark Mushiva and Agata Nguyen Choung from Forensic Architecture as well as the film screening of "Shark Island" (Forensic Architecture). Both will examine the extent to which collaborative research processes contribute to a critically reflected culture of remembrance and create spaces for recognition, responsibility and public visibility.

Finally, Rudolf Netzelmann from the cultural association urban dialogues berlin, together with artist Laura Horelli and Ndamian Hangula from the National Archives of Namibia, will discuss transnational processes of archive work. The focus will be on the question of how historical film material can be artistically processed in Namibian-German collaborations and how it can be used for educational purposes in a way that is appropriate for the target group.

Timetable:

18:00 - TheMuseumsLab meets Contemporary And (C&)

19:15 - Forensic Architecture presents: Film screening "Shark Island" & Panel

21:00 - urban dialogues berlin meets National Archives of Namibia

With: Agata Nguyen Chuong (Forensic Architecture), Ndamian Hangula (National Archives of Namibia), Laura Horelli (artist), Gita Herrmann (TheMuseumsLab), Mark Mushiva (Forensic Architecture), Dr. Yvette Mutumba (Contemporary And (C&)) Rudolf Netzelmann (urban dialogues berlin), Hildegard Titus (artist and activist) and Prof. Eyal Weizman (Forensic Architecture)

Moderation: Celia Parbey (journalist and managing director of RosaMAG)

Participation in the event is free of charge. Registration is not required.