Ladies of the Throne
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| 8 EUR / reduced 4 EUR |
| French and English with dubbed translation into German |
| Duration: 90 min |
| 16 years and older |
| English, French |
| Mechanical Arena in the Foyer |
| Part of: Objects talk back |
“Most of the time, it is the power of men that we remember.” With these words, which open Léonora Miano’s text for Objects Talk Back, an astonishing new narrative unfurls around Mandu Yenu, a throne from the ancient Kingdom of Bamum (present day Cameroon).
The Germans long claimed the object was a ‘gift’ from King Njoya to Kaiser Wilhelm II. Miano reads “between the lines of beads and cowrie shells” to show the complex intricacies of colonial and gender relations. Dismissing all pretense of egalitarianism between colonizer and colonized, she hones in on the very nature of power – how and by whom it is defined-wielded-subverted. King
Njoya said he “felt like a woman in his relationship with the Germans”. Miano takes this as a prompt to examine contrasting cultural notions of femininity, and thus reveals how central women are to the story of the throne: the very name of the object suggests – it is the power of women we should remember.
Mandu Yenu can be visited in the room “Colonial Cameroon” (216) on the 2nd floor until 18:30. Admission is free.
Born in Cameroon, the author lives and writes between continents: in her country of origin, France, and in Togo. Her novels, plays and essays have won numerous awards. Most recently, her celebrated work “Sisterhood” was published in German by Aufbau Verlag – a passionate plea for a new global solidarity among women and a fascinating journey to the origins of a different feminism.
Priya Basil is an author and activist. In her book Gastfreundschaft she combines stories about her family’s Indian and Kenyan traditions, her British heritage, and life in Germany into a passionate plea for hospitality in Europe. She is co-founder of the Organisation Authors for Peace, a member of the advisory council at the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights and initiator of the campaign for an official continent-wide Europe-day holiday. Her new book, Im Wir und Jetzt. Feministin werden, was published in German in spring 2021.