»Entanglements« – Talk by Eric Otieno

Within the framework of »Membrane – Refracted Gazes«, Eric Otieno will speak about transnational memory politics.

»Entanglements in Transnational Memory Politics« is an experimental piece triangulating postcolonial memory politics between Kenya, Germany and Tanzania based on an impromptu visit to the Tanzanian town of Bagamoyo in March of 2017. Borrowing the »small fates« style from Teju Cole it combines personal biographical background, quotes, travel reportage and essay to highlight the intricacies of transnational memory. Understood as entanglements, the piece underscores its complexity by bringing together the pan-african family history of the author and marginalized historical facts together to explore what they might mean for colonial legacies in contemporary societies.

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Eric Otieno is a scholar, writer and facilitator interested in the intersections between social justice, postcolonial politics, the global ‘order’ and contemporary art & culture. He is a PhD candidate at the Department of Development and Postcolonial Studies at the University of Kassel, Germany, a commentator on various online/print platforms and contributing editor and content creator at GRIOT mag.

Anja Saleh is the founder of Tavii, an online-shop and blog, which blends memory culture, visions of the future and stories from people in the diaspora through the media of jewellery and art. She is an independent speaker and poet and is active in civic education and community work. In her job, she directs an empowerment project for young adults; she is also head of the artists’ collective i-slam in Stuttgart.