Edutainment Attack!

The eighth event of Black History Month in Berlin began with a greeting from ICD Director Mark Donfried and Lothar Kopp from the German Federal Agency for Civic Education. They then welcomed to the stage Edutainment Attack, a pair of young talents whose performance deals with the issue of racism and racist thinking in modern-day Germany. Writers Noah Sow and Mutlu Ergün have collaborated to bring together a performance tackling the reality of experiencing racism and ignorance through ways accessible and amusing to the general public. Noah Sow is also a musician, producer and CEO of the black media watch group 'der braune mob'. Mutlu Ergün is an essayist and philosopher, active in Phoenix e.V., a group dedicated to furthering a culture of understanding.

The show began with an interactive quiz which consisted of a number of questions for the audience, some funny, some serious, all informative. The quiz was followed by a selection of sketches and readings, which addressed topics including “what do black people think when you ask them the question “where do you come from?””. The way that the pair addressed what is traditionally seen as a sensitive topic was refreshing and drew a positive reaction from the audience. They considered the origins of racism, the many different forms it can take, and how it can sometimes be hidden. Miss Sow ended the evening by reading from her book “Deutschland Szhwarz Weiss”, and highlighted some of the most annoying prejudices that people have towards the African Diaspora. The show proved to be an informative, entertaining, eye opening-experience that certainly lived up to expectations.

A musical performance by Enimatic and Friends was the closing half of the evening's program. Maverick musician, poet, artist and all-round performer Emmanuel Eni led the ensemble of Enimatic, a locally-based Afro-funk band with a truly cosmopolitan flavour. The band consisted of two guitarists, two drummers (both Western and African drums), and a back-up vocalist, with Mr Eni providing the main vocals, the spontaneity on stage, and an eye-catching outfit which made a striking match with the red and yellow spotlights above. The band gave a rendition of some of the main tracks on their CD Enimatic Enimal, including 'Enimal', 'I'm bad', and 'Ask me what', which got a great response, especially from the student audience.