AFRIKANISCHES

VIERTEL PHOTOGRAPHS BASTIAN THIERY WORDS KATRICE DUSTIN

330 GARÇON 331 Riding the U6 U-Bahn line from Leopoldplatz to U Kurt-Schumacher-Platz, the chaotic hum of an underground city reverberates. Just above, nestled next to , lies ’s Afrikanische Viertel or African Quarter in the city’s north-west borough of . Exit station. U-Bahnhof Afrikanische Straße. Footprints punctuated by the passing of painted exotic animals — is there a zoo nearby?

Actually, if the 19th century animal trader Carl Hagenback had his way, there would have been a zoo built here — housing both humans and animals. Völkerschau. The zoo was to be built in celebration of ’s efforts to colonize Africa, dating back to 1881 during the Conquest of Africa, which lasted until 1914. Rwan- da, Burundi, , Namibia, and Tanzania; as well as parts of Chad, Gabon, , Kenya, Mozambique, , Central African Republic and the Demo- cratic Republic of Congo, were all seized by German powers during this New , amidst countless bloody battles, wherein boastful nationalistic esteem and resources of monetary value were favoured above human lives.

332 GARÇON 333 Hagenback died before pursuing his dream of Völkerschau, and the First claiming an erasure of Germany’s history. In 2018, the topic was presented World War put a halt to any further developments of menagerie here, but the to Berlin’s city council and decisions are in the making. beginnings of his aspirations are still reflected in the district’s namesake, while street signs still bear names of former violent colonialists, and the lands they So — what’s in a name? These days, the Berlin borough of Wedding is home overtook. Kamerunerstraße (Cameroon Street). Togostraße ( Street). to one of the German capital’s largest and most diverse migrant populations, Kongostraße (Congo Street). Lüderitzstraße. Nachtigalplatz. 30% being of foreign origin. But only a tiny percentage of African people make up the African Quarter, which begs the question of the current day Awareness around the area is changing, albeit slowly and amidst heightening necessity of its name, if there ever was one. And even if the makeup of its contention. Many activists and activist groups, including the non-profit or- population were different — would we still feel the need to label it thus? ganization ISD (Initiative Schwarze Menschen in Deutschland Bund/Initiative Why are certain types of history ignored and others highlighted? Especially for Black People in Germany), have been widely outspoken when it comes those that recall history’s shameful horrors and the pursuit of a homogenized, to petitioning for the renaming of streets, while continuously met with oppos- Europeanized world. Whose version of history are we commemorating? Who ing views. Many residents of Afrikanische Viertel are against the renaming, and what are we honoring and most importantly — why?

334 GARÇON 335