15.05.2012 | 7 pm | KW Institute for Contemporary Art

KEY OF RETURN

NAKBA – THE PALESTINIAN NARRATIVE IN POLITICAL DEBATES IN GERMANY

With Christian Sterzing (Moderation), Tsafrir Cohen, Andrea Nüsse, Nadija Samour

The travel of the Key of Return from the Aida Refugee Camp (Bethlehem) to the 7th Berlin Biennale raises questions about the underrepresentation of the Palestinian narrative in the public debates in Germany. Starting from the meaning of May 15 – for one the National Foundation Day and for the other the day of flight and expulsion – the talk seeks to discuss the mediation of the Israeli and Palestinian narrative in the public debate in Germany.

The responsibility of the Germans for the Holocaust has contributed to the fact that the Palestinian narrative is not part of the public consciousness. These two different narratives, however, are an integral part of the political identity of both societies and at the same time a legitimacy of a continuation of each victim role. Neither a comparison of the trauma nor an exclusivity of each trauma should be emphasized, but instead the event will follow continuative questions and contribute to knowledge transfer and a better understanding of the conflict.