The City of Geneva fights everyday racism

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The 2023 edition will focus on “everyday racism”. A series of events will help understand how racism spreads, becoming a chronic phenomenon at all levels of the victims’ social life. Be it in public areas, the media, the workplace or with regard to people’s bodies, racism is present in all spheres of society.

“Between conspiracy theories and a resurgence of xenophobic remarks targeting different groups of the population, the current period should encourage us to multiply our efforts in order to deconstruct the stereotypes linked to ‘Others’ and combat hatred,” explains Alfonso Gomez, Executive Councillor responsible for sustainable development.

A necessary event

Among the flagship events of this edition, the round table entitled “Racial discrimination in the workplace – Let’s talk about it!”, organised on 24 March by the Agenda 21 – Sustainable City Service (A21) in partnership with the municipal libraries of the City of Geneva, will highlight the psycho-social risks to which minorities are exposed in the professional sphere.

This round table will be coupled with a coaching workshop, organised by Marie Dasylva, aimed at empowering victims of discrimination in the workplace. A literary exchange with Kiyémis, the author of “Je suis votre pire cauchemar” (I am your worst nightmare), organised in collaboration with the Book Fair, will address the impact of colonial heritage on the body, the influence of racism on beauty standards in the West and the resulting mechanisms of oppression.

Activities for children

Entertaining events that nevertheless encourage reflection are also on the programme, in particular including gatherings organised by the Collectif Associatif Servette contre le racisme and focussing on the issue of food, such as an inter-cultural buffet, a music performance, round tables and activities for children. Children are also welcome to attend a children’s literature and games workshop, intended for children aged 4 to 8 and run by Beth Story, a publishing house committed to inclusive children’s literature, as part of the Salon des Disperséesx: Éditions d’art et de pensée critique, organised by la Librairie Dispersion.

Public areas and the associated issues

The City of Geneva has, for several years, organised actions relating to the issue of inclusive public areas. Against this backdrop, a guided circuit following in the footsteps of local elites and scholars who contributed to spreading racist ideologies will be organised by the association Iras Cotis with the support of the A21 Service. A photo exhibition entitled “New Swiss Views”, followed by a round table, will address the debates on Islam in Switzerland and the presence of mosques in public areas.

In the cultural sphere, the Geneva Museum of Ethnography (MEG) will organise a discussion circuit exploring the museum’s permanent exhibition through the issues of power, colonialism, memory and violence. 

All the events organised during this edition are in line with the long-term projects implemented by the City of Geneva to combat racism, for example the “Monuments and racist heritage in public areas” project, which examines the public tributes paid to famous figures who encouraged racism and colonialism, and the latest call for applications to combat racism against black people, launched in February with the aim of providing support, over a three-year period, for the activities of associations working in this domain. The deadline for submitting applications is 30 April 2023.

For more information

• Full programme of the Anti-racism Week in the City of Geneva
• “Egalité et diversité dans la Ville” Facebook page
• “Monuments and racist heritage in public areas” project
• Call for applications to combat racism against black people