Ein ganz normaler Tag mit Josephine Apraku, Eric Otieno Sumba, Sharonda Quainoo und Nadine Nzambisa Ngolo

In the organizer's words:

To mark the occasion of the recently published children's book Ein ganz normaleer Tag, editor Josephine Apraku and author Eric Otieno Sumba will read two stories they wrote from the book and, together with illustrator Sharonda Quainoo, talk about how the book came about. The discussion will be moderated by Nadine Nzambisa Ngolo, Coordinator for Live Program and Outreach at the Gropius Bau.

As part of the public program for the exhibition THE HAPPINESS IS NOT ALWAYS FUNNY by Rirkrit Tiravanija, the Gropius Bau invites you to a monthly series of long evenings. In addition to the book presentation, the same evening will feature a cooking show with Luiza Prado De O. Martins, a film screening by Rirkrit Tiravanija, a DJ set by Ayzon and a performance by Petra Hermanova.

An ordinary day combines the mundane and the wonderful: eleven stories for children aged five and up tell funny, thought-provoking, heroic, mysterious, amazing and encouraging moments. Each story invites you to immerse yourself in the lives of the protagonists and see the world from a different perspective. Eleven authors with different realities of life have written stories for this book that they would have liked to hear as a child, that they have experienced themselves and that they think we should hear.

Josephine Apraku is an African studies scholar, author, lecturer and trainer for intersectional racism-critical educational work. Apraku's texts have been published by EDITION F, Missy Magazine and Tagesspiegel, among others. Kluft und Liebe (Eden Books, 2022) examines oppression in romantic relationships; Mein Workbook zu Rassismus and the interactive card set Lasst uns über Rassismus reden! (Familiar Faces, 2023) invite people to engage in self-reflection critical of racism. Most recently, Apraku's children's books Tschüss Uroma (bli bla blub, 2023) and Ein ganz normaler Tag (Carlsen, 2024) were published. In 2024, Mein Workbook zu Rassismus was named one of the most beautiful German books by Stiftung Buchkunst.

Eric Otieno Sumba is a sociologist, political scientist and freelance author. He works on the intersections of social justice, postcolonial politics, the global "order" and contemporary art and culture. Otieno Sumba writes on these and related topics for newspapers, magazines and online publications.

Sharonda Quainoo was born in Berlin and has Ghanaian roots. In her artistic work, she deals with the representation and identity of black people, West African mysticism, sensuality and ornamentation. In her exploration of her own self, she embarks on a search for clues and formulates filigree collages, expressive drawings and often metaphorical paintings in her technically diverse visual language.

During the event, photographs and video recordings may be made in which you could be recognized. With your visit, you consent to these recordings being used to communicate the event or exhibition.