Press invitation for Sunday, August 23, 2015 at 4 pm

Renaming of the “Mohrenstraße” in Berlin Mitte

Against the background of the current discussions in Berlin’s Mitte district about the decolonization of public space demanded by African, Black and solidarity organizations, the NGO alliance “Decolonize Mitte” invites for the 23.8. at 4 pm for the (symbolic) renaming of M Street with its discriminatory foreign designation for Black people.

The press action will take place as part of the “renaming festival” for the street, which will be held on 23.8.2015 from 14-20 clock at the Berlin subway station of the same name.

The event with numerous speeches (among others from the Central Council of the African Community, the Africa Council Berlin-Brandenburg and the Initiative Black People in Germany), spoken word art (Stefanie-Lahya Aukongo) and music (Carmel Zoum, DJ Zhao, YANSN and many more), will take place on the occasion of the International Day for the Commemoration of the Slave Trade and its Abolition held.

With the event, the alliance commemorates Berlin’s direct involvement in the transatlantic enslavement trade in the late 17th century, to which the racist street name also goes back.

The United Nations, which recently proclaimed the Decade of People of African Descent, chose the commemoration day in honor of the revolutionary liberation struggle of the enslaved Black population of Santo Domingo, which began on August 23, 1791.

In the spirit of these UN activities, the alliance “Decolonize Mitte” urges the borough to finally remove the offending street name from the cityscape, to critically address the colonial historical context on site, and to honor a personality of African origin in Berlin’s Mitte.

As a new name giver, the alliance proposes Nelson Mandela or Anton Wilhelm Amo (1703-ca. 1753) – the first academic of African origin in Prussia, enslaved as a child, and a fighter for the rights of black people in Europe.

For the upcoming process of renaming and education of the Berlin population, the alliance offers its support.

Contact: Tahir Della, 0152 5421 7327, tahirdella(at)isdonline.co.uk &

Christian Kopp, 0179 9100 976, buero(at)berlin-postkolonial.de