Fellows

Serendipitous history - the Vertragsarbeiter - Luamba Muinga

(c) Luamba Muinga, 2022

Luamba Muinga ( Angola )

During this residency, Luamba Muinga worked on the project Serendipitous History, a multi-part project that explores contemporary political history in Angola in perspective.

The research was based on the "Vertragsarbeiter", which traces the lives of thousands of Angolans in a program for contract workers established between the GDR and socialist countries. From the mid 1980's Angola sent to the former GDR between 1600 - 6000 Angolans who worked hard as part of a nation building project. These workers left the country with the promise of having earned a scholarship. However, during their stay they were distributed in factories, stores and industries, facing social and labor restrictions and situations of racism, which worsened after the unification of Germany.

The project establishes the intersection of family stories and integrating official narratives, through an exploration of archives and construction of perspectives by establishing relations between personal idealism (the dream of gaining an education away from the country experiencing a civil war) and political realism (an unequal national project).

The mentor of this residency is Clementine Butler-Gallie.

(c) Luamba Muinga, 2022
(c) Luamba Muinga, 2022
(c) Luamba Muinga, 2022
(c) Luamba Muinga, 2022

Munjunga

Luamba is a participant of the TURN2 Residencies’ programme. Funded by the TURN2 programme of the Kulturstiftung des Bundes (German Federal Cultural Foundation). Funded by the Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien (Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media).