Human Rights Program, Hannah Arendt Center, German Studies Program, Center for Civic Engagement, Bard Theater and Performance Program, and Anthropology Program Present

The NSU Monologues

Between 2000 and 2007, a far-right terrorist group known as the National Socialist Underground (NSU) murdered 10 people in Germany, nine of them of immigrant backgrounds. The group’s racist and neofascist ideology echoed the belief systems of other right-wing organizations, including the white supremacist Blood and Honour. In 2011, after a failed bank robbery, two members of the NSU committed suicide while the third member, Beate Zschäpe, turned herself in. In the ensuing trial, which ended in July, it became clear that German intelligence agencies had known of and even colluded with the NSU. The failures of the security authorities to stop the group’s crimes highlights the persistence of structural racism in Germany.
 
Written and performed as documentary theater, The NSU Monologues features the words of three relatives of the NSU’s victims: Elif Kubaşık, Adile Şimşek, and İsmail Yozgat. The stories of Elif, Adile, and İsmail testify to the survivors’ courage and determination. Whether they marched at the head of a funeral procession, organized demonstrations, or demanded that a street be renamed in the victims’ memory, their small acts defied the narrow “official” accounts of German authorities. With their testimonies, they reclaim a space for a historically accountable and antiracist mode of remembrance.
 
This performance will feature the work of Bard German Studies students, who have translated the original German-language script into English.

For more on AHRG, go to youtube.com/watch?v=Avkn8XGcIw0&t=55s. A trailer of the play (with English subtitles) is available at youtube.com/watch?v=5wANSSDgAJs.

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For more information, call 518-947-0301, or e-mail [email protected].

Time: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT/GMT-4

Location: Bertelsmann Campus Center, Weis Cinema

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