How to mirror the diversity seen on stage within the organizing and supporting teams?
Africologne is the only theatre festival in Germany with a total focus on African productions. Nevertheless, the AFC core team and members of the Afrotopia association consist mainly of white Germans, even if the extended team during the festival period does include PoCs.
The GPF group with therefore reflect on how to align the composition of the organizing and supporting teams with the diversity seen on stage.
The second goal of the GPF group is to implement cooperation and collaborations with existing groups and organizations representing and run by black and POC communities at regional and national levels.
The first step was to take stock of the festival, both on and around the stage. The journalist Marie Yan was invited to critically report on the Africologne Festival. Published on the festival website, Yan’s report concluded that if the Africologne team had good intentions, the festival was still locked in old structures. The report is a starting point for AFC to reflect on the next edition in 2025.
In 2024, AFC is planning to do a series of round tables and workshops, in dialogue with people in charge at the City of Cologne's Office for Diversity, as well as festival organizers, cultural workers, and artists at a regional level. Will be discussed how local strategies could be implemented for existing structures, programmes, and audiences in Cologne to better represent today’s city's cultural diversity.
