The new Lucy-Lameck-Straße - renaming and supporting program

Personal message

After a long process, the previous Wissmannstrasse is now finally being renamed. Instead of a colonial ruler, the street will in future be named after Lucy Lameck: a Tanzanian politician who campaigned for women's rights and the pan-African idea. The renaming was preceded by an extensive participation process with civil society.

Occasionally people ask what Lucy Lameck has to do with Neukölln. She will not have known our district. But Neukölln has a lot to do with Lucy Lameck and her work. Their political work represents a counterpoint to the colonial era. As a municipality, we want to participate - at least symbolically - in the reparation of German colonial crimes.

As perhaps the most diverse place in the republic with people from 150 nations, Neukölln today stands for diversity, for a self-determined life and against all forms of racism. People from all over the world have their home in Neukölln - and with them countless initiatives that work towards our common goals.

Our joint supporting program around the renaming of streets is evidence of this. I cordially invite you to take part - in the online events, the walks and the ceremony on April 23rd. And I hope that the name Lucy Lameck is not just an address, but becomes a statement - for the residents as well as for all Neukölln residents.

Martin Hikel, Neukölln District Mayor

Illustration: © Elena Anna Rieser, elenaannarieser.at

21.04.2021, 17:00-18:30 Uhr

Lucy Lameck and her time. Historical classification and getting to know each other - online panel discussion (zoom conference)

The official renaming of the former Wissmannstraße will take place on April 23, 2021. The right time to get to know the new namesake Lucy Lameck and her time better. How were the early years of independent Tanzania shaped? How did Lucy Lameck become the first woman in the Tanzanian parliament? Why was Pan-Africanism so important? What is the Ujamaa idea? What did Lucy Lameck accomplish back then and why is her work still important today?

Our panelists try to answer these and similar questions. For this we have the Tanzanian historian Dr. Oswald Masebo from the University of Dar es Salaam, Dr. Manuela Bauche from the Free University of Berlin and Prof. Andreas Eckert from the Humboldt University of Berlin were invited.

The audience is cordially invited to ask questions to the panel in the chat.
Link to the Zoom conference: t1p.de/lameck-onlinepanel.
Email contact for queries: mk-amtwbku@outlook.de 

Organizer: Office for Further Education and Culture, Department of Education, School, Culture and Sport of the Neukölln District Office

23.04.2021, 16:00–18:00 Uhr

Ceremony for the naming of Lucy-Lameck-Strasse - (Live Stream)

The official renaming ceremony takes place in the garden of Oyoun. Following the welcome speeches, the name tag will be officially unveiled on the corner of Karlsgartenstrasse. Finally, a performance by the group Out Of Time Embassy will take place in the garden of Oyoun.

Due to the pandemic, the event is limited to a maximum of 50 people. That is why the event will also be live at YouTube and transferred to the homepage of the district office. We therefore ask you to participate online if possible.

Martin Hikel (District Mayor of Neukölln), SE Dr. Abdallah Saleh Possi (Ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania), Karin Korte (District Councilor for Education, Schools, Culture and Sport) and Mnyaka Sururu Mboro (co-founder and board member of Berlin Postkolonial eV). The program will be accompanied by the Paul Hindemith music school, among others.

24.04.2021, 16 clock

DECOLONIZE NEUKÖLLN! Special tour with Berlin Postkolonial. Starting point on the corner of Lucy-Lameck-Strasse and Karlsgartenstrasse

On the occasion of the celebratory renaming of Neukölln Wissmannstrasse to Lucy-Lameck-Strasse, for which the Berlin Postkolonial Association has been working with other activists since it was founded in 2007, we invite you to a special tour Decolonize Neukölln! a.

As part of the tour, we highlight the personalities of the old namesake Hermann von Wissmann as well as those of the campaigner for the independence of Tanzania, Lucy Lameck.

At the New Garrison Cemetery on Columbiadamm we visit the graves of honor of the German military who were involved in the violent colonization of today's states of Togo, Tanzania, Somalia and Namibia.
The memorial plaque for the (countless) victims of the (unmentioned) German genocide of the (unnamed) Ovaherero and Namas, which was let in in 2009, is to be critically discussed.

Organizer: Berlin Postkolonial e. V. in cooperation with the Neukölln district office

28.04.2021, 17:00-18:30 Uhr

Decolonial culture of remembrance and activities in Neukölln - ONLINE TALK (Zoom conference)

In addition to Lucy-Lameck-Strasse, the so-called Herero stone on the garrison cemetery is another important location on Berlin's colonial past. In both places there were civil society struggles for years against the trivialization of the colonial past. Two representatives from the African community will give a lecture on this. But in Neukölln there are currently also important decolonial approaches. The planned publicly accessible art project “Decolonial Memorial” is intended to provide an important impetus.

Contributions to the online conversation by: Mnyaka Sururu Mboro (Berlin Postkolonial): Activist resistance from the African community against Wissmannstrasse
Israel Kaunatjike (Herero representative): The "Herero stone" and the "Namibia memorial plaque" on the garrison cemetery - How genocide is kept secret
Michael Küppers-Adebisi (Berlin Global Village): The decolonial memorial project and other decolonial approaches at Berlin Global Village

Please register by April 27.04.2021, XNUMX at: info@berlin-global-village.de. The access link will be sent after registration.

Organizer: Berlin Global Village - funded by: State Office for Development Cooperation of the Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Enterprises

April 29th and 30.04.2021th, 14, 00 p.m. - 20 p.m.

OUT OF TIME EMBASSY - performance and panel discussion (livestream from OYOUN's garden, Lucy-Lameck-Str. 32)

Out Of Time Embassy (OOTE) is a multicultural group of curators producing conversation and curiosity about art and culture in Berlin. OOTE embodies an international unity for seemingly disparate worlds, building bridges and creating safe spaces for expression to be cultivated and nurtured. Together, they produce outdoor pop up concerts such as Sonic In (ter) ventions and artist led workshops such as Ancestral Body Noise. OOTE has collaborated with organizations such as Oyoun, Onebeat, Cabuwazi, and Alex TV and has plans to produce work in 2021 with the support of Musicboard Berlin.

“The collective emerged out of a pure necessity to create and build community. Microcosms of the local and immigrant scenes in Berlin connected, trying to heal a state of internal angst in response to global mess. A weekly ritual [Sonic In (ter) ventions] organically curated itself; passions and skills synthesized and the community building ideology manifested as a sustainable collective. "

As cultural workers we are committed to cultivating learning environments of empowerment while curating spaces that honor free artistic expression and societal engagement. Together, with such essential services as artistic production, creative education, and collective meditation, we affirm the need for a society of wellbeing. OOTE is committed to supporting communities of globally disenfranchised individuals, groups and artists navigating complex migration histories and lived experiences. We strive to support and create safe space to express and produce artistic visions in an ever more de-colonial world.

Organizer: A coproduction by Out Of Time Embassy (OOTE)