Racism Kills! Bilingual Reading and Discussion with Çetin Gültekin and Mutlu Koçak

Thu 14 November 2024 - Fri 15 November 2024

Lecture Block, Sidgwick Site

On 19 February 2020, one of the most devastating right-wing terror attacks in German postwar history took place in the Hessian city of Hanau. A racist shooter killed nine people, whose names are: Gökhan Gültekin, Sedat Gürbüz, Said Nesar Hashemi, Mercedes Kierpacz, Hamza Kurtovi?, Vili Viorel P?un, Fatih Saraço?lu, Ferhat Unvar and Kaloyan Velkov. Çetin Gültekin, the brother of Gökhan Gültekin, has since written a book about Gökhan’s life as well as his own experience of surviving in the aftermath of the attack. On 14-15 November, Çetin Gültekin and his collaborator Mutlu Koçak will visit England for the first time to do a series of live readings from their bestselling book Geboren, aufgewachsen und ermordet in Deutschland.
The book engages with the Hanau shootings and their aftermath from the perspective of the victims rather than the perpetrators. It stands out for giving voice to individuals and communities who still are invisible in much of Germany’s public discourse, namely Turkish/Kurdish labour migrants and their descendants, as well as other migrant(ised) groups. Çetin Gültekin’s memoir honours the memory of Gökhan and other victims of racist violence and challenges racism and discrimination in German society and beyond. The book has been tremendously successful in Germany, making it onto the SPIEGEL Bestsellerliste, and both writers have been touring the country to discuss historical and contemporary racism, fight for justice, and work toward a more inclusive society and future.
The reading will be held in German and English and followed by a Q&A. All are welcome, but basic knowledge of German will be advantageous.

Content note: The reading materials will include descriptions of violent events that some people may find upsetting.

Cost: Free