the AfroGreeks at the exhibition Space of Togetherness, NEON
| 9 September – 20 October 2024|
At the Drama School of the National Theatre of Greece |Pireaus street 52, 185 47, Piraeus|
The exhibition explores how preconceived ideas of racism, social mobility, and rights of migrants in contemporary society, are woven into our daily lives and how we can find a sense of belonging and learn to live and co-exist through the thoughtfulness of class, race, and gender.
Participating artists & collectives | Igshaan Adams, Taysir Batniji, Enri Canaj, Marianna Christofides, Døcumatism, Mona Hatoum, patricia kaersenhout, Menelaos Karamaghiolis, Bouchra Khalili, Grada Kilomba, Tarik Kiswanson, Sophie Kovel, Kalliopi Lemos, Maria Loizidou, Malgorzata Mirga-Tas, Stella Nastou, Kostas Roussakis, Georgia Sagri, Antrea Tzourovits, VASKOS.
Curated by Elina Kountouri
Metro | Moschato Station (Metro Line 1, 13-minute walk)
Buses | 049, 420 (ION stop) & 860, 914 (Gefyra stop)
the AfroGreeks (participates in this exhibition in 3 rooms)
A collective community project about the African Diaspora, the AfroGreeks, was initiated in Greece in 2015 by Døcumatism. It consists of video installations, inter- views, social interactions, research, public actions, and an archive – laboratory. The term Afro-Greek is a self-proclamation that the protagonists of the work use in a critical way. It was first used publicly in 2019 as the title of a video installation by Døcumatism, during a public dialogue at the Kypseli Agora. It launched the artistic movement documented here, doing much to stimulate a public discussion about the African diasporic communities in Athens and beyond. Initial events took place in the neighborhood of Kypseli, one of Athens’ most culturally diverse areas but one that had been marginalized for a long time. Over the years, Døcumatism has created a network of collaborators within a community whose protagonists are mostly the members of the African Diaspora in Greece. Collected by Døcumatism, their stories highlight the problems of integration linked mainly to marginalised trajectories. The resulting archive that has been created represents the first attempt to document the history of African communities in Greece. It contains audiovisual research material spanning four centuries, portraying the history of the African Diaspora in the Mediterranean through artistic processes, as part of the national narrative and Greek history. the AfroGreeks project is a dynamic platform of expression for the participants, as artists and as active citizens in the effort to combat all forms of racism.
The project has been presented internationally at universities, conferences, the Center of Contemporary Art in Geneva, Serpentine Cinema, the Afroeuropeans Conference, ICA Sofia etc. The presentation of the AfroGreeks at the Drama School of Athens will be accompanied by live events: concerts, workshops, open discussions, and guided tours.
Room 1 (Space 15)
the AfroGreeks – Jessica, 2019-2020
Digital video, 3 channels, colour, stereo sound Duration 07:28
Jessica recounts her experience of Afro-Greeks not being accepted on grounds of colour, the racism they face when looking for a job, the deadlock that leads her to a new migration, and the difficulties her parents face.
Jessica was born in Nigeria; she grew up and lives in Athens.
the AfroGreeks – Aggelos, 2020-2022
Digital video, 3 channels, colour, stereo sound Duration 10:27
Aggelos grew up in a close-knit provincial community. He has been exposed to both domestic violence and domestic racial discrimination and describes the abuse he has suffered due to his skin colour and sexual orientation. Through artistic processes, he claims his identity by performing Greek traditional music in unanticipated places.
Aggelos has a mixed ethnic background. His parents come from the Caribbean and Greece. He was born and raised in Atalanti and lives in Athens.
the AfroGreeks – Sofia, 2020-2023
Digital video, 3 channels, colour, stereo sound Duration 05:00
Sofia dynamically claims her identity and the right to be a self-made entrepreneur, expresses her doubts with regards to the term ‘Afro-Greek,’ and feels that she lives in a country that does not accept blackness and whose laws constantly impose barriers that impede the smooth integration and equal treatment of people of colour.
Sofia was born and raised in Athens and her family comes from Nigeria.
the AfroGreeks – Samuel, 2019-2024
Digital video, 3 channels, colour, stereo sound Duration 06:00
Although Samuel is a third-generation immigrant living in Greece, he still doesn’t have Greek citizenship. He was racially attacked for the first time when he was 14 years old – in 2004 – when he went out to celebrate Greece winning the UEFA European Championship in Omonoia square carrying the Greek flag. He grew up in a neighbor- hood where people know what immigration means and asserts that, as a Greek actor, he claims to play every role he dreams of, regardless of his skin colour.
Samuel was born and raised in Athens and his family comes from Nigeria and Kenya.
the AfroGreeks – Grace, 2019-2024
Digital video, 3 channels, colour, stereo sound Duration 05:00
Grace contests the use of the term ‘black’ as a social construct of prejudice and the discrimination based on colour and gender. She criticises stereotypes and systemic racism and believes that to claim one’s identity in a white society one must first accept their characteristics so that the Afro-Greeks can create their own narrative, as an integral part of Greek history.
Grace was born and raised in Athens and her family comes from Nigeria.
the AfroGreeks – Mikel, 2019-2023
Digital video, 3 channels, colour, stereo sound Duration 07:00
Mikel dynamically asserts his identity as an artist, vividly expressing the difficulties he faces because of skin colour. He refers to the financial struggles that compel artists to choose other jobs in order to make ends meet and how street art supports artists claim their freedom and identity fighting against everyday racism.
Mikel was born in Athens and his family comes from Ghana.
the AfroGreeks – Idra, 2024
Digital video, 3 channels, colour, stereo sound Duration 08:00
Idra’s parents have different skin colours. She has grown up in a diverse environment and she has been feeling different since she was a child. She talks about the diffi- culties of black people living in a white society and a woman aspiring to become a singer in Greece. She describes how she revolted against stereotypes imposed on her and suggests new broader self-determinations for herself and for those who feel uncomfortable because of their colour, offering a groundbreaking critique of adher- ence to religion.
Indra has a mixed ethnic background. Her parents come from Uganda and Greece. She was born and raised in Athens.
the AfroGreeks – Solace, 2024
Digital video, 3 channels, colour, stereo sound Duration 07:00
Solace misses Nigeria as she has never been back since she left the country as a young child. She still remembers how traumatised she felt in Athens when she real- ised her colour could become an obstacle. She vividly describes racism in Greece in recent decades. As a black woman and a doctor, she was forced to do numerous jobs, while she could not complete her medical specialty because she did not have a Greek citizenship – even though she was entitled to it. As a Greek doctor now, she is confronted with the prejudices of patients regarding her colour and gender.
Solace was born in Nigeria and raised in Athens.
the AfroGreeks – Alimamy, 2019-2023
Digital video, 3 channels, colour, stereo sound Duration 07:33
Alimamy cannot train with men’s football teams as he still doesn’t have Greek citizenship, even though he is entitled to it according to the law. He is about to leave Greece to fulfill his dream of being a footballer. Together with his friends, he has set up a football team named ‘Dreamteam.’ They train in informal football fields in search of alternative ways to deal with discrimination, claiming freedom and equal treatment in their everyday lives.
Alimamy was born in Sierra Leone. He grew up and lives in Athens.
Room 2 (Space 12A)
Singing in Athens,
2011-2023 Digital video,
2 channels, colour, stereo sound
Duration 20:24
Negros Tou Moria, MC Yinka, Demelza, Moose, Tosin, The Royal Accord Singers, Grace Nwoke, Mikel Ergar, Kofi Yiadom, B-Boy hustler, Menelaos Karamaghiolis, Stavros Triantos, Magnus Briem, Stelios Bouziotis, Renia Papathanasiou, Panos Markou, Melissanthi Giannousi.
The Afro-Greek artists record their songs in a city entangled in perpetual turmoil. They affirm their faith dynamically and organise free dance activities in public spaces, claiming visibility. While the city has been protesting in front of the Hellenic Parliament for the last 12 years, a contrapuntal dialogue projected on two screens takes place: Afro-Greeks participate in the demonstrations of an ongoing crisis through impulsive artistic interventions and offer alternative ways of expression and protest against violence, fear, and all kinds of prejudice and racism. Their public actions create an improvised and free ‘parliament’ shaped through street art and different manifestations of faith in public space. The city of Athens protests, prays, remembers, falls in love, dances, claims, and becomes – at least briefly – a radical model of equal coexistence without prejudice.
Room 3 (Space 17)
the AfroGreeks ARCHIVE
the AfroGreeks is a collective community ongoing project whose practise evolves around moving image as the starting and ending point of public actions that are filmed. Screenings will be accompanied by an archive workshop presented at the Library of the Drama School of the National Theatre of Greece; its content focusses on a four-century audiovisual research material, that captures – through an artistic process- the history of African Diaspora in the Mediterranean as part of the national narrative. Visitors become witnesses and are invited to study the open access archive material of the work through a participatory process shaped by the protagonist and co-creators who will be present in the exhibition space. Viewers are further invited to investigate the archive and participate creatively in its evolutionary path. The archive provides access to research material from the African-origin populations in Crete and Thrace from the 16th century until today. Viewers will explore international literature of African origin authors, 60 (to date) filmed public actions and project videos, primary material of the 200 (to date) unedited interviews of the protagonists, and photos selected and submitted by Afro-Greeks themselves. Moreover, viewers will be invited to provide their own testimony to the project.
Grace Chimela Eze Nwoke, Greek anthropologist and performer of Nigerian descent, is an active member of the Døcumatism group and is in charge of curating the archive and coordinating the AfroGreeks project’s live actions.
Copyright of photographies by DØCUMATISM & Natalia Tsoukala, Courtesy NEON
