Berlin's HKW in Storm Over Rapper's Cancellation
Berlin's House of World Cultures (HKW) has been in the spotlight recently due to a series of controversial events. The institution, led by Cameroonian biologist Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung since 2023, has faced criticism and boycotts from local artists and politicians.
The latest controversy surrounds the cancellation of Swabian rapper Chefket's performance. Appointed 'rap ambassador' by the Goethe Institute, Chefket was scheduled to perform at HKW on October 7. However, his performance was cancelled after Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer pressured the institution. The reason? Chefket wore a 'Palestine' T-shirt with Arabic calligraphy emblems of Israel's outline during a previous performance.
In response to the cancellation, all other German artists have refused to perform at HKW in solidarity with Chefket. This boycott comes amidst broader criticism of Ndikung's 'postcolonial' programming. Some argue that mediocre German rappers cannot solve the Middle East conflict, as one critic put it.
HKW, despite its location near the Chancellor's Office, has been largely ignored by federal politics. Now, with Ndikung as the first German cultural institution leader of color, and recent controversies, the institution is under scrutiny. Its future programming and the response from the local arts scene remain to be seen.
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