Koloniale Grüsse aus Samoa
What would it mean to declare colonial heritage like a tax?
This question took shape as a lecture performance at Theatre Neumarkt in Zurich, emerging from a research project that traces the legacy of German colonialism in Samoa and its connections to contemporary issues of climate change and neocolonisation.
Integrating multiple temporalities and perspectives, the work invites audiences to critically engage with these narratives, prompting reflection on the intersections of colonial legacies and climate justice.
A century after Wilhelm Solf’s governance of the Samoan islands, in collaboration with Nele Solf, we retraced the colonial history of Samoa.
Our research in 2019 involved engaging with historians, scientists, and local communities both in Samoa and within the Samoan diaspora in Auckland, New Zealand.
“anyone who has not lived for years among the natives, whose heart does not beat for them, and who does not feel a sense of charity for people who think and feel differently, will never understand the joy with which a called coloniser sets to work. ”
The project is anchored in the colonial history of Samoa, where German rule from 1900 to 1914 profoundly shaped the island’s political, social, and ecological landscapes.
During our three week field work in Samoa, we recognised the need to present our findings within a trial-like setting, documenting people's testimonies as evidence to frame their voices as compelling arguments emerging directly from the community.
Moments from rehearsal at Theatre Neumarkt, Zurich.
Blending archival fragments from the early 1900s with photography, video, and sound from our fieldwork, we created a layered narrative of testimonies and traces of environmental and socio-political change, interwoven with Nele’s lecture performance.
“the global north conquered and plundered during its colonial heyday, and still holds those countries hostage for debt, but it is also now depriving people of life’s necessities through its own addiction to high-carbon luxury. ”
Team
Research and development in Samoa and Zürich: Nele Solf and Madhumita Nandi
Video and Sound in Samoa: Madhumita Nandi
Inastallation team in Zürich: Nele Solf, Friederike Helmes, Dorothea Mildenberger, Madhumita Nandi, Aline Stäheli, Sabrina Tannen
in collaboration with zürcher hochschule der künste
sponsors: school of commons, stiftung anne-marie schindler