9 Afrogreeks discuss: What does “I can’t breathe” mean in Greece?

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, "Black Lives Matter" has become the largest movement in American history, smashing through US borders and spreading furiously round the world to demand – yet again – the glaringly obvious: that is, the inalienable respect each person is due, no matter the color of their skin; the right to be treated equally; and for public institutions to make concerted efforts towards a truly democratic society free from violence and racism. Racist and prejudiced views of Black people dating from the times of colonialism and American slavery in the 17th century right down until today are not just limited to the US – on the contrary, they have spread to shape perceptions across the globe, even in Greece.

Onassis Stegi invited two Afrogreeks – Jackie Abhulimen and Eirini Niamouaia, Ontoul, both of whom have a background in legal representation and activism – to curate and chair a discussion of their own, with the participation of a group of young people living in Athens, about what “anti-Blackness” means in Greece. About how racism has touched their lives. The daily experiences of people of African descent around the world – the “Black Experience” – brim with projections and social stereotypes that often mean their voices cannot truly be heard. This manifests, in the main, as a kind of insurmountable “wall” that rises over and again before them, constantly blocking their path forward: yet another dimension of “I Can’t Breathe”.

“There are times when I say: I’m tired, I can’t go on,” is heard at some point during the discussion, but “at least here we’re still alive, they don’t kill us.” This is what the curators themselves had to say: “As members of the African diaspora in a different part of the world, in the Mediterranean, we would like to enrich existing interactions with Greek society, with us as the narrators, focusing on imperceptible aspects drawn from the daily lives of the Afrogreeks.”

Curated and chaired by:
Jackie Abhulimen, Political Scientist
Eirini Niamouaia Ontoul, Economist

Participants:
Kassim Ligopora, Private sector employee – Football player
Solace Godwin, Doctor
Ilias Kiama Tzogonas, iconographer, philologist
Jerome Hierassimos Ngoie Kaluta, Singer, actor, artworker
Emmanuel Olayinka Afolayan, Musician – Anasa Cultural Center
Jessica Onyinyechi Anosike, Student – AFROfitness instructor
Helene Habia Nzanga, Actress

An Onassis Stegi “Talks & Thoughts” production