Audre Lorde, Katharina Oguntoye, May Ayim

Still from Audre Lorde - the Berlin Years 1984 to 1992

Audre Lorde - the Berlin Years 1984 to 1992 documents Audre Lorde’s influence on the German political and cultural scene during a decade of profound social change, a decade that brought about the fall of the Berlin Wall and the re-unification of East and West Germany. This chronicles an untold chapter of Lorde’s life: her empowerment of Afro-German women, as she challenged white women to acknowledge the significance of their white privilege and to deal with difference in constructive ways.

The film explores the importance of Lorde’s legacy as she encouraged Afro-Germans—who at that time had no name for themselves—to make themselves visible within a culture that until then had kept them isolated and silent. Supported by Lorde’s example and instruction Afro-German women began to write their history and their stories and to form political networks on behalf of Black people in Germany. As a result authors such as May Ayim, Katharina Oguntoye and Ika Hügel-Marshall published their works. Audre Lorde - The Berlin Years 1984 to 1992 outlines Lorde’s contributions to the German discourse on racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, classism, and homophobia within the Black movement and the Black and white women’s movement, a discourse alive and growing today. Present-day interviews explore the lasting influence of Lorde’s ideas and the impact of her work and personality.