23.11., 6 pm: »Making Wor(l)ds.
Contemporary African Diasporic Women Writing in Europe«
with Jackie Thomae, Lọlá Ákínmádé Åkerström & Samila
M.Bassy ends the year 2024 with a literature & poetry evening by authors Jackie Thomae & Lọlá Ákínmádé Åkerström and poetress Samila as part of the literary project series »Making Wor(l)ds. Contemporary African Diasporic Women Writing in Europe«.
The journalist, television author and writer Jackie Thomae (b. 1972 in Halle, lives in Berlin) and the author, speaker and photographer Lọlá Ákínmádé Åkerström (b. 1978 in Lagos, Nigeria, lives in Stockholm, Sweden) deal with themes of womanhood, family, origin, self-determination, self-realisation, relationship & working life in their literary works. Their words and voices will meet the poetry performance of the Hamburg poetess, creative director and DJane Samila. The event will be moderated by Jumoke Olusanmi and combines reading, performance, visual projection and talk.
The literature series »Making Wor(l)ds. Contemporary African Diasporic Women Writing in Europe«, which is funded by the Hamburg Ministry of Culture and Media Hamburg, invites voices from the African diaspora to Hamburg to engage with the audience on a literary, acoustic and discursive level about the realities of life of Black and Afro-diasporic culture from a female perspective in the context of Europe. These women writers use writing as a means of resistance and personal and collective empowerment. In addition to confronting structural racism, classism and sexism, they also point out to forms of solidarity and connectedness in Black and Afro-diasporic culture. Their written words concretise their own thoughts in the world and create new worlds in which the dominance of the Western, homogenous White and patriarchal narrative of European history, culture and art is increasingly able to dissolve.
Seats are limited. Please reserve via: reservation@m-bassy.org
(Sorry, the event is fully booked)
Jackie Thomae
Jackie Thomas (b. 1972 in Halle) is a German journalist and writer. She is the author of several works of nonfiction, fiction, literary translations, and audio and screen plays. Her debut novel, »Momente der Klarheit«, was published in 2015. Her second novel, »Brüder«, was on the shortlist for the German Book Prize in 2019 and was awarded the Düsseldorf Literature Prize in 2020. In 2021 she was awarded the Lessing Prize of the Free State of Saxony. Her literary translations include »Zusammenkunft« from the English original »Assembly« by Natasha Brown and in 2023, she wrote an audio play based on the novel »Girl Woman Other« by Bernardine Evaristo. This year, she published her latest novel »Glück« as well as the English translation of »Brüder«, »Brothers« (DAS Editions). Jackie grew up in Leipzig and Berlin where she currently resides.
Lọlá Ákínmádé Åkerström
Lọlá Ákínmádé Åkerström (born 1978 in Lagos, Nigeria), a Nigerian-American based in Stockholm, Sweden, is an award-winning author, speaker and photographer. Her work has appeared in National Geographic, BBC, CNN, The Guardian, Sunday Times Travel, The Telegraph, New York Times, Travel + Leisure, Slate, Travel Channel, Adventure Magazine and Lonely Planet, among others. In addition to her contributions to several publications, she is the author of: »LAGOM: Swedish Secret of Living Well«, which is available in 18 foreign language editions and won the Lowell Thomas Award for Best Travel Book in 2018; »In Every Mirror She's Black«, her internationally acclaimed debut novel from 2021 and »Everything Is Not Enough«, her second novel from 2023. She is currently writing her new book »Bitter Honey«, which will be published in 2025. She has been recognized with multiple awards for her work, including being named a Hasselblad Heroine in 2022 and receiving the Bill Muster Award for Travel Photographer of the Year in 2018. She was honoured with the MIPAD 100 (Most Influential People of African Descent) Award in Media and Culture in 2018 and the Newsweek Future of Travel Storytelling Award in 2021. In 2024, she was named one of the ‘Most Powerful Women in Travel’ by Condé Nast Traveler. She also contributed to National Geographic's Image Collection.
Samila
Samila is a poetess, creative director and DJane. Born and based in Hamburg with Nigerian roots, Samila channels her passions for sound and aesthetics through poetry, meditation sessions and affirmations. The multi-faceted artist calls Intention her currency and has performed on several well-known poetry stages in Germany & surrounding areas. As a creative director, Samila has curated and (co-)hosted numerous (poetry) events and projects in the fields of culture, awareness and aesthetics. She is the founder, muse & director of $TUDIO S - a creative agency focusing on creative direction, intuitive arts and event curation. As co-founder of SOIL, she also explores the bridges between culture, nature and pleasure. Her poetry performance at M.Bassy, which is accompanied by ethereal beats, is entitled »I Am the Spell«.
The event series is supported by the Ministry for Culture and Media, Hamburg.
