Memory Biwa with Lusine Khurshudyan

Prossession Peda’Gogo reflects on historical presences and enduring spatial injustices related to Namibia and Armenia in public spaces in Berlin. At Tempelhofer Feld, two commemorative plaques obliquely reflect the genocides of Namibia and Armenia. The plaques on the Feld reference the adjacent cemeteries, where a contested monument that glorifies genocide, and a Namibia-shaped plaque inscribe a double reading of disavowel on the ground. In the shadow of the Sehitlik Mosque, the Turkish cemetery, often celebrated as a gesture of cultural integration and mutual respect, for many, also evokes painful associations—with genocide and its denial, with the ethnic cleansing in Artsakh, and the strong political alliances that enable such injustices to persist. Drawing on personal and multigenerational narratives as descendants of genocide survivors, Memory Biwa and Lusine Khurshudyan conjure a reversal—a walking backwards—in the places that they were least expected to dwell in, offering a counter-memory of the living.

Lusine Khurshudyan, *1994 in Yerevan, Armenia, Places of belonging: Yerevan, Berlin, Muş (Մուշ). Affinity: Café Arakil.

Memory Biwa, *1979 in Windhoek, Namibia. Places of belonging: Northern and Western Cape, Tanzania. Affinity: Pungwe Listening.

Please bring a pen and a notebook to the event. In case of strong sunshine please bring a hat, enough drinking water and an umbrella in case it rains. At the end of the event, we will gather on the grass. You are welcome to bring a blanket.

Information on accessibility can be found below.