Fiston Mwanza Mujila believes poetry should be read out loud – ideally by shouting or singing at the top of your voice. It’s appropriate then that the Congolese-born dramatist and poet is reciting his latest anthology in front of an audience tonight (04.11.2021) at the Deutsches Theater, where he has been writing in residence for the past month. His book “Kontinentaldrift. Das Schwarze Europa” (“Continental Drift: Black Europe”) collects poetry from 33 writers who have African roots but were born or who live in Europe. A pioneering project in the German-speaking world, the collection presents a group of younger Black European poets whose work transcends national and continental borders and challenges the idea of national literature. For its launch, you can join Mwanza Mujila in conversation with writer and DJ Kalaf Epalanga and African scholar Venice Trommer in the theater’s bar. Entry for the event, which is part of the Autor:innenatelier residency series, is free of charge. Mujila’s voice will also be heard in Der Garten der Lüste (“The Garden Of Earthly Delights”), his latest play which will premiere this Friday 05.11 at the Deutsches Theater. A story of a garden paradise which promises savior from our troubled world, tickets for the piece are selling out fast, so be sure to snap yours up online.
Text: Benji Haughton / Photos: Deutsches Theater, Julian Marbach, & Arno Declair
Deutsches Theater, Schumannstr.13A, 10117 Berlin–Mitte; map
Premiere of “Kontinentaldrift. Das Schwarze Europa” with Fiston Mwanza Mujila, 04.11, 20h. Free entry.
Der Garten der Lüste runs initially until 02.01.2022. Tickets can be purchased online.
@deutschestheaterberlin
