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The jazz world usually prides itself on its perceived openness and diversity. However, starting with the global extension of the Black Lives Matter network in summer of 2020, which was spawned by the murder of George Floyd, this self-congratulatory image came under close scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic. Accordingly, in Germany for the first time issues such as the jazz world’s systemic exclusions, hierarchies, power relations, underrepresentation of BIPOC, and general disregard for diversity have been addressed. This was combined with the demand for real and comprehensive change. At the same time, whiteness-based narratives of jazz in Europe with its attendant erasures of contributions by Afrodiasporic musicians were fundamentally challenged. Deploying a historical perspective and accounting for the larger societal context, this keynote illuminates these current developments.

Speaker Dr. Harald Kisiedu