The City of Geneva is committed to combating racism in public areas

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Symbols matter. This year, the visual of Anti-racism Week in the City of Geneva pays homage to Bayard typography. Designed by the graphic designer, Tré Seals, it draws inspiration from the placards seen during the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom – a political demonstration in favour of civil rights and protesting against racial discrimination, culminating in the famous “I have a dream” speech made by Martin Luther King.

A rich and varied programme on site 

With the improving health situation, the events of Anti-racism Week will take place on site. The highlights include the “Public memories and monuments: what avenues to combat the issues of racism?” round table, organised on 23 March by the Agenda 21 – Sustainable City service (A21) in partnership with the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH) and the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID), which will explore the study commissioned by the City from professors Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou and Davide Rodogno of the IHEID, concerning the tributes paid in public spaces to personalities who encouraged racism and colonialism. Following on from an initial round table held on 7 March as part of the FIFDH presenting the current situation in Geneva, it will more particularly explore the tangible avenues identified by this study.

The issue of public space will form one of the common themes of this edition, along with a guided circuit in the footsteps of local elites and scholars who contributed to spreading racist ideologies, organised by the association Iras Cotis with the support of the A21 service. The “Invisibles / Survisibles” photo exhibition, organised by the Institute of Gender Studies at the University of Geneva and supported as part of the “Zero sexism in my city” campaign, will shed light on the experiences of Muslim women in public areas.

There will also be fun events which nevertheless encourage people to think, in particular with a fanzine factory for people to share the story of their migration, organised by the municipal libraries, and the numerous gatherings such as the inter-cultural buffet, musical performances, the “outside the boxes” games workshop designed to deconstruct everyday situations of racism and the activities for children organised by “Servette contre le racisme”, a broad coalition of associative and institutional actors.

For more information: www.non-au-racisme-geneve.ch and the Facebook page.