Autor: Caroline

In Bremen, many people were active in the anti-apartheid movement. The “South Africa – Women” group of the „Evangelische Frauenhilfe“ (Protestant Women’s Aid) in Bremen attracted public attention. Heinz Gustafsson dedicated his book Bremens Anteil an Südafrikas Geschichte (Bremen’s Role in South Africa’s History), published in Oldenburg in 2018, to these women. He describes their actions and presents many images. For this work, he also collaborated with former activists.

Furthermore, extensive materials are accessible in Bremen: at the Bremen State Archives and the Bremen Regional Church Archives. The Archive Information System for Lower Saxony and Bremen provides options for searching these materials.

Additionally, material is also held in the Archive of the German Women’s Movement in Kassel. The women who were active at the time deposited copies of their collections there. This means the women themselves took steps to ensure their engagement would not be forgotten. At the same time, they also followed the practice of archives in selecting what to preserve.

The Bremen anti-apartheid movement included many other actors, associations, and initiatives. These include the Anti-Apartheid Movement Bremen and, later, the second Anti-Apartheid Movement Bremen Umland. Other groups involved were the Bremen Information Center for Human Rights and Development, the Third World House, the association “Solidarity from People to People,” the IGM Youth, the choir “Zeitgenossen,” members of political parties, and the Bremen Africa Archive. Many actions were carried out jointly. Apartheid was also discussed in the Bremen Senate, and Bremen was declared an anti-apartheid city.

Materials on these activities can also be found in the Bremen State Archives and in the Archive for Alternative Literature in Duisburg. In Duisburg, the holdings of the Anti-Apartheid Movement, preserved by the federal office in Bonn, can already be viewed online. Additionally, the archives of Bremen newspapers, the TAZ Bremen edition, and Radio Bremen often allow for online research.

The Archive of Social Movements in Bremen contains documents from social movements and struggles of the last 30 years. These include magazines, books, brochures, posters, and memorabilia. According to its own statements, the archive aims to provide current initiatives with connections to past experiences, thereby enabling theoretical and practical continuity in political action.

In the archive of belladonna—Culture, Education, and Economy for Women e.V.—initiatives and activities of women and FLINTA* are documented. It sees itself as a living memory of Bremen’s women’s history and movement.

„What I read is that there were even names, 1,500 names, commemorating the people that died in the world wars. For you to say I’m taking exactly the same monument and repurpose or redefine its meaning by adding four or five sentences, is that enough? And those are the questions that are asked, and there are questions that should still be asked so that they can be engaged with. […] How do you take something that is so colonial and you are going to decolonize it? How do you do that? How do you decolonize something that is intertwined with colonialism? It’s a very huge task. So, for me, those are very serious gaps.“

– Martha Akawa, Historian

The Elephant was built in 1932 as a colonial memorial. In 1990, it was re-designated as an anti-colonial monument with a few sentences, additioning a memorial plaque. In 2009, on the initiative of the BAA e.V. and designed by Thomas Gatter, longtime chairman of the association, a memorial for the genocide of the Ovaherero and Nama was erected. The elephant, in its monumentality and size, symbolically represents the presence and dominance of colonial thought. From its elevated position on a pedestal, it overlooks the memorial. Yet, next to the elephant, the memorial—a stone circle on the ground nearby—appears almost unnoticed and neglected.

The exhibition poster was part of the exhibition „Solidarity in (Post-)Colonial Spaces?“, which was on display from July 5 to 25, 2025, at the State and University Library Bremen. Visitors were encouraged to interact with the poster and the questions it raises by attaching their own questions, ideas, comments, or critiques in the form of Post-Its. In the aftermath of the exhibition, the notes were documented on this blog.

We warmly invite you to the opening of the poster exhibition
“Solidarity in (Post-)Colonial Spaces?”
on July 9, 2025 at 5:00 PM
in the entrance area of the Bremen State and University Library (SuUB).

The exhibition was curated by students of Cultural Studies (BA) and Public History (MA). On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Bremen Africa Archive Association (Bremer Afrika Archiv e.V.), it explores solidarity in (post-)colonial contexts — particularly focusing on the Namibia Project and its collaboration with the Namibian liberation movement SWAPO.

Taking this initiative as its starting point, the exhibition explores how solidarity-based alliances were formed in Bremen, the challenges they faced, and their contributions to critically engaging with Germany’s colonial past. What did practical solidarity look like? What blind spots or pitfalls are visible from today’s perspective?

We look forward to your visit, stimulating conversations, and a shared reflection on postcolonial possibilities of remembrance.

Following a few opening remarks, the exhibition team will be available to answer questions and share insights regarding the content and creation process of the poster exhibition.
You are warmly invited to share your own stories of solidarity.

With kind regards,
The Exhibition Team

Program

5:00 PM – Reception
5:15 PM – Official Opening
5:30 PM – Exhibition Talks

Photocredits: (cc) Hannes Grobe, 2022