ARA at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna

Afro Rainbow Austria – its works, struggles and vision!

Thursday 30.11.2017 at 6:30 P.M.
Venue: Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Atelierhause/Semperdepot,

Presentation and talk with Henrie Dennis and Jeff Kasozi (ARA) at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.

In order to create awareness, trigger discussions and fight homophobia, racism and exclusion of African LGBTQI+ in Austria, as well as in the migrant communities, Afro Rainbow Austria was conceived in September 2016 and born a year later.

LGBTQI+ Africans face discrimination, violence, persecution, stigma and exclusion on a daily basis from their families, places of worship and the society at large. This is the result of the fact that most contemporary African societies are refusing to recognize homophobia as a colonial legacy, bearing in mind that before colonialism, many traditional cultures in Africa were tolerant of different sexualities and gender relations.

As migrants in Europe, our lives are under permanent threat by the restrictive border regime, daily racism, refusal of the right to asylum by breeding on the fantasy that homosexuality is „unAfrican“, resulting in our existence being threatened by deportation.

Henrie Dennis and Jeff Kasozi from AfroRainbowAustria talked about their work, struggles and visions. The event was hosted by Petja Dimitrova.

* As part of lectures by the Working Committee on Equal Treatment, Akademie geht an die Schule, the Institute of Art Theory and Cultural Studies and Institute of Fine Arts. The following group of people were responsible for the first two events: Anna Janowiak, Simone Bader, Petja Dimitrova, Moira Hille, Günay Özayli, Abiona Esther Ojo, Ruth Sonderegger.