Editorial / Linda Klösel /  Version 6

In her speech The Danger of a Single Story, Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie describes the impact of stereotypical narratives on how we think about ourselves and others. When the same story is repeatedly told about a person, a country, or a continent—while thousands of other stories remain untold—it creates false realities and deeply ingrained beliefs that are difficult to remove from our minds. These stories take on an air of finality, even when they contain elements of truth: „If I had not grown up in Nigeria and all I knew about Africa came from popular images, I too would think that Africa is a place of beautiful landscapes, beautiful animals, and incomprehensible people who fight senseless wars, die of poverty and AIDS, are incapable of speaking for themselves, and are waiting to be saved by a kind, white foreigner.“

As human beings, we organize the world and everything we perceive through stories. Narratives have the power to shape our societies, to influence our perspectives and points of view. ldviews. Neoliberal narratives of self-actualization, war propaganda demonizing the enemy, politically motivated manipulative rhetoric, exclusionary and racist ideologies—those who hold the privilege of mass-producing and disseminating these dominant narratives determine which power structures prevail. The challenge is to open space for counter-perspectives, to broaden viewpoints, and to complement seemingly fixed narratives with additional stories in order to develop a more nuanced and balanced understanding of the world. 

During our journey to Dakar and in many conversations with artists and cultural practitioners there, we repeatedly heard a call to action: To Listen! The same appeal was made by ruangrupa, the curatorial team of documenta 15. For us, this means creating space for stories that have not yet been heard enough and fostering an environment where we can soften our own, sometimes judgmental, convictions. 

For the first time, VERSION06 has a geographic focus, showcasing a segment of Dakar’s art scene. Yasmine Eid-Sabbagh shares her experience as an artist at documenta 15 and her practice of integrating art into daily life in Dakar. Alibeta Sarr and Ibaaku introduce KENU, their collectively organized art space. We spoke with Alesandra Seutin about École des Sables, a center for traditional and contemporary African dance. Raw Material Company, one of the most significant contemporary cultural institutions in Dakar, is presented by Fatima Bintou Rassoul Sy, Delphine Buysse, and Ibrahima Thiam.  Thanks to AcTVism Munich, we were able to publish an interview by Zain Raza with Noam Chomsky on the war in Ukraine. The group Kriegsbilder reports on the particular characteristics and current state of the Ukrainian film industry. Hans Schabus and Isa Rosenberger discuss their artistic practices with us. This issue’s inserts come from Ukrainian artist Mark Chehodaiev, Chilean artist Patrizia Domínguez, and the class for Site-Specific Art at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna.