From 1 to 4 September, the literary studies conference “Disséquer & guérir. Violences dans les littératures congolaises – Dissecting and Healing. Violence in Congolese Literatures” will take place as part of a joint DFG project between the Departments of Romance Studies and African Studies at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU). The history of what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has long been marked by extreme forms of violence – from the slave trade through colonialism and post-colonial dictatorship to the so-called ‘Congo Wars’. The conference explores the role of literature in analysing violence and in identifying possible approaches to resilience, reparation and healing. It will be accompanied by several public readings. A total of six authors from the DRC and its diaspora will be taking part.
Public reading in the Senatssaal on 2 September
On 2 September, from 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm, a public reading with simultaneous interpretation into German and French will take place, featuring the renowned Congolese-Austrian author Fiston Mwanza Mujila and the young emerging author Nadège Kusanika from the Congolese diaspora in Germany, in the Senatssaal at the HU, Unter den Linden 6, Berlin-Mitte. As well as reading poems and extracts from novels, they will discuss the portrayal of violence in literature and writing within and across different languages and cultures.
Admission to the reading is free and no booking is required.