On Desiring to be Desired by Josephine Papke – Talk and Reading
“For a long time I thought it hurt me that I didn’t fit into the ideals. Then I understood: the norms of this violent society are not made for me. They are the ones that hurt me. But how much of the normative violence have I already internalized? And how much work do I have to do to resist them?” Josephine Papke
Maya struggles with the duality of her desires: she wants to be respected, appreciated and loved. But sometimes also coveted. For the person she is. But it feels impossible. Because in this racist society, the Black female body becomes a projection screen for hypersexualized patriarchal fantasies. What is to be done when she does not want to bow to it and yet is so affected by it? Does it only resist when it embodies the opposite of all the ideals? And when is so-called self-empowerment just a pretext to win the competitive race for attention and recognition after all?
Josephine Papke studied theater and film studies and works as a writer, cultural journalist, editor, poet, dramaturg and performer. Her art often negotiates the intersections of queerness, BIPoC identities, and pop culture.
Vom Begehren zu begehrt zu werden is a commissioned piece by africologneFESTIVAL to Josephine Papke on the theme of violence and resistance .SUPPORTED BY the German Translator Fund within the framework of the Neustart Kultur program of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the Kunststiftung NRW.
WITH Josephine Papke | TALK MODERATION Sarah Youssef | READING N.N.
Info and tickets also at: https: //www.africologne-festival.de/