The Head of the Octopus

Like most other major western cities, Copenhagen has increasingly become a more difficult place to find affordable housing. When I first arrived 17 years ago, the neighborhood I moved into was in the process of an aggressive form of gentrification. Vesterbro, a traditionally working class neighborhood in Copenhagen, has now been dubbed "the hipster capital" of Denmark - and rent there, if you can find a rental, is comparable to all the other major cities around the world. Where do all the lower-income residents go? How is the present political landscape contributing to this change? What are the solutions for low-income housing? Are there any? 

I know many people, including myself, who are having a challenging time finding a place to live. As luxury buildings are being erected throughout the city it is not difficult to imagine what Copenhagen will look like in a few years' time.  With the so-called financial and refugee crisis, the patterns that are seen in other cities can be seen here as well. As Jose from Freedom of Movements so accurately pointed out, the ancestors of those enslaved by Colonial Denmark are now roving the streets, collecting bottles, in a desperate attempt at survival. 

Luckily there are many here in Denmark who are taking up the difficult discussions. One such Dane is Jeannette Ehlers, a Trinidadian Danish artist whom I had the pleasure of meeting a few years ago in connection with Spiritual Revolutions and "the Scramble for Africa"BE.BOP 2014: Black Body Politics. (A project of Art Labour Archives + Kultursprünge im Ballhaus Naunynstraße gemeinnützige GmbH). This important conference in which I was invited to participate continues to focus on Decoloniality through the efforts of Alanna Lockward and her Art Labor Archives and continuous collaboration with decolonial artists and academics such as Walter Mignolo, Robbie Shilliam, Patricia Kaersenhout, Simmi Dullay, Michelle Eistrup, Teresa Maria Diaz Nerio and many, many more. 

A short anecdote here. When I was in college I had seen the film Mississippi Masala and became smitten with Uganda. I convinced myself that there was where I would go upon graduation. I even visited the embassy in New York and met with the Ambassador then, and it was lovely, although I think he was a bit amused by my fascination. At the time I was taking a course about Black Power, because at Eugene Lang College, you could. My professor, a former S.N.C.C. member asked me about my plans after college. "I'm going to Africa, to Uganda," I told him. We were sitting in a diner on the corner of West 11th and Avenue 6. It was an old-school diner, with high, red leather seats and back in a time when I had a little coffee with my sugar. "Why are you going there?" He asked, curious. "Because I want to contribute." All I know was that I wanted to be in a Black space and use my resources there. Anything after that wasn't too clear. "You know what?" He asked me. "We need you in the head of the octopus. We need the brains to stay and fight the battles here."  I'll never forget that conversation especially because it has helped me so much in understanding that out of all places in the world, I'd end up in Europe and Denmark no less. And this is what these artists, activists and academics are all doing. Fervently. And creating a space in which to do it. And there are many who are assisting in this. 

edited picture of panel discussion to include jeannette ehlers' still from "Whip It Good".
from left: Anna Neye, Simmi Dullay, Lesley-Ann Brown and Jennette Ehlers

Last Thursday March 10, 3 days after my 44th birthday Jeannette Ehlers arranged, along with Niels Offenberg from Copenhagen's Main Library, a conversation between four women of African descent and I was invited to participate. "What we lost in Empire: On Colonialism, Colonial Amnesia, Blackness and Identity" was met with an impressive turnout that demonstrated that there is a desire among the populace to listen, to be heard and to understand.  Sitting by my side was the amazing Simmi Dullay - a South African artist and academic whose East Indian ancestry and familial commitment to the Black Liberation Movement informs much, if not all, that she does. I had the distinct pleasure of meeting her family - a family that was forced into exile from South Africa to Denmark for 16 years due to their commitment to the ANC.  Stories like theirs must be shared, celebrated for too often the narrative of Liberation is presented as fractured and so rarely do we hear the affirming and healing stories of when we struggle together. 

Anna Neye is a Danish-Nigerian actress who grew up in Denmark. Much of Neye's work is steeped in humor yet sharpened by her keen sense of perspective and wit. Neye has recently completed a documentary about an examination of her ancestry which I am confident will fortify many. Story can be healing and it is important that our children are exposed to the rich dynamic nature of our very human stories. 

full house at the Main Library.

Jeannette Ehlers' work including "Whip It Good" which she has toured around the world with is an intense investigation through movement of power, struggle and might.  Ehlers' movement of whipping a white canvas with a charcoal-smeared whip has elicited a variation of responses, from anger to deep sorrow.  Her "Black Magic in the White House" reclaims a space that our ghosts, whether we acknowledge it or not, inhabit. 

The event was an uplifting, inspiring and informative event. The response continues to be overwhelming and I am particularly thankful that this space has been created for the youth coming up today. We have to create what we didn't have when we were growing up.  You can listen to the podcast here https://bibliotek.kk.dk/nyheder/mp3-podcast/what-we-lost-empire - although the introduction is in Danish, the discussion is in English. 

a full house listening to poet and writer Saynab Fahar Dahir at Stengade 30

In this light the Say It Loud poetry collective organized its first ever Say It Loud: the Most Radical thing I Can do Is Love Myself poetry series this past Wednesday. The Say It Loud poetry collective is  made up of Black women poets here in Copenhagen and include Helen Whitley Werle, Zanubia A. Omar, Saredo Qassim Mohamed, Saynab Fahar Dahir and myself.  Aisha Fukushima also added to the voices that evening and it was off the hook! Zanubia A. Omar, a Danish -Somali poet, excelled in her debut that expressed a young woman searching for meaning through her mother. Helen Whitley Werle spoke about loss, the politics of disease and death and on Queerness from a Black and biracial woman's perspective.  Saredo Qassim Mohamed is a Canadian-Somali poet who writes about the strength inherent in our color, loss through migration and the magic of womanhood. Saynab Fahir Dahir started her session with a poem about childhood dreams laughed at only to be brought to fruition through her hard work and dedication among other themes. The turnout was amazing and I'd like to thank all of you who came out and supported us and the work of Freedom of Movements, to which all profit from the evening was donated. A special shout out to Violeta Ligrayen Yanez Hidalgo  and Tia Turntables who both donated her time and presence to ensure the great success the the evening turned out to be. Also to Lyra Cherry who provided a space for us to hold this wonderful event.  Violetta Ligrayen Yanez Hidalgo, whom I first met through the African Empowerment Center's first Women of Color Panel recently wrote an incredible article (in Danish) about what it really means to be an anti-racist that's entitled, "You, white antiracist activists, if you want to fight racism, so start with empowering us." 

Yesterday I stopped by The Bridge Radio for their second broadcast. 

The Bridge radio is an independent radio project created by people with and without citizenship, who produce radio about migration, asylum and people’s movements. We strive to support self- organization among people who live without citizenship and to create a wide group of reporters.

There were stories about borders and I was invited to talk about the role of colonialism, empire in today's geographic tapestry and movements. It was an overwhelmingly positive experience to see this group of dedicated activists who are committed to giving voice to stories too often deemed unworthy by major media establishments.  You can listen to the broadcast here http://www.thebridgeradio.dk/contact-1-1/http://www.thebridgeradio.dk/contact-1-1/

Throughout all of this I was blessed to have my mom here in Denmark visiting from Brooklyn. She was able to attend some of these events and meet many of the folks written about here in this post. It's always great to have mom around!  

farvel, 

the lab