Rafiki - Loslassen bedeutet frei zu sein

Hjördis traveled alone, hitchhiking through ten African countries. She tells us what she experienced.

"An incredibly gripping and individual travelogue by a courageous woman! Filled with exciting experiences and encounters. I particularly liked how reflectively the author thinks about poverty, inequality and racism and how she meets people." - Sarah Tischer - (participant in a reading)

"After years of lying in her drawer, Hjördis published her first book at the age of 38. It's about Africa, the people who live there and Hjördis herself. But "Africa doesn't sell", at least that was the feedback from the publishers. As a result, the book disappeared unpublished into a drawer. But Hjördis wanted to hold on to her dream and make the most of life. So she self-published her book. In this episode, she talks about her thoughts, fears and motivations. She reflects on inequality and racism and how she meets people." (From the announcement of the podcast "Girls who read")

Now Hjördis comes to us and has the following plan:
"I take the audience on a journey through the ten countries I have visited (South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia).

This is achieved through various elements:

Each country is introduced with a quiz question - so the audience immediately becomes actively involved with the countries. This is followed by some information about the respective country before a passage of text is read. A special highlight: the audience can decide four times which text excerpt is read. In other words, they get to decide what the topic will be that we will discuss together. Finally, I end each country presented with a one to three-minute film consisting of my own video recordings and music from the respective country.

The reading will also be accompanied by an exhibition. There, visitors can look at photos, touch exhibits and learn more about the countries - for example: Why are drums so important in Rwanda? What do people typically eat in Ethiopia? How did hyperinflation come about in Zimbabwe?"

We are very much looking forward to an exciting trip!