Don’t look away: With the International Weeks against Racism, taking place from 17 to 30 March, Munich is once again putting its weight behind countering exclusion and discrimination. The focus of this year’s events: refuge and migration. The public library in HP8 also takes a stand for a diverse urban society with its contribution. As we experience a political shift to the right and a marked rise in anti-Semitic attacks, Pia Ihedioha’s Magazin of Color project is very much relevant. With their print magazine and online platform, Ihedioha and her team aim to provide a safe space for people affected by racism as well as an opportunity for those not affected to share and learn.
“For me, community means lightness. The feeling of not being alone helps me do my job. Seeing that we are empowering people with our work confirms to me that we are on the right track.”
Pia Ihedioha, who comes from Dingolfing and now lives in Munich, founded the Magazin of Color together with friends and colleagues. The by now 14-strong team of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) and their allies wants to expose racist structures and promote the representation of people of all colours, ethnicities and origins in the cultural and creative sectors. “We see racism as a problem from which one part of society benefits, while the other suffers. It is clear to us that we need to join forces to tackle this problem. At the same time, we want to make those affected more visible towards the outside and ensure that they are involved in the decision-making process regarding content,” says Ihedioha.
As a public place for encounters between people from all walks of life, a space that is free from the pressure to consume, the public library is a low-key, accessible platform for open dialogue. As such, it is the perfect place for the special event taking place there on 23 March, at which art meets table talk at a bring-your-own brunch. Artists around the Magazin of Color will provide insights and impulses, including on the latest issue’s featured topics of refuge and migration in the context of generations past and present. The cultural mediator of the public library at HP8, Raphaela van Bommel, regards the collaboration as a stroke of luck:
“Pia and her team have a fantastic community and fanbase whose topics are a perfect match with the focus of the library’s work. Our cooperation came about as if by itself, and we would very much like to get more projects off the ground together.”
Preferring to invest her time and energy into her platform’s educational work, Pia Ihedioha has put her career as a primary school teacher on hold. The community is very important to her, not least as all contributions to the annual magazine are created through an open call. That’s also how the “Generations – Visual Art Collection” in the magazine’s fourth issue and featuring illustrations by 15 artists came about.
The featured illustrations will be on display at the Gasteig HP8’s Generator until the end of March and will provide material for relaxed conversations over brunch. Ihedioha believes that “art is often very elitist. We want to make it accessible and understandable and create visibility for BIPOC artists. And enable a dialogue beyond language.”
Text: Anna Steinbauer
