In the organizer's words:

festival

Fri 23.1. 6 pm: Discussions, spoken word program EN / DE

At the end of the exhibition of the same name, the festival is dedicated to the political, artistic and intellectual legacy of Eslanda and Paul Robeson, the two exceptional personalities of the 20th century. Their commitment to anti-colonial movements, equality for black people and internationalism still resonates today.

In the face of growing social inequality, strengthening nationalist tendencies and cultural-political narrowing, the program examines how artistic practice can open up spaces of criticism, imagination and solidarity. International artists, spoken word artists, academics and musicians combine historical perspectives with contemporary issues: from the political voice of Paul Robeson and the archives of resistance to Black feminist internationalism and the resonances of these socialist and post-colonial struggles in contemporary forms of art and activism. The festival examines the role of art as a force for social action.

Exhibition: 14.11.2025 - 25.1.2026

"Every Artist Must Take Sides - Resonances of Eslanda and Paul Robeson" is a project of the Akademie der Künste in cooperation with the Centre for Humanities Research at the University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, and the Haus für Poesie, Berlin.