Results of the call for projects against anti-black racism: the City supports seven projects

For a number of years, the City of Geneva has been committed to combating and breaking down the stereotypes and prejudices underpinning racism through its municipal policy promoting diversity. In August, it wanted to strengthen its commitment with regard to combating anti-black racism by issuing a call for projects primarily intended for the relevant associations specialising in this field. Today, the City of Geneva is revealing the names of the seven winners, whose projects will benefit from funding totalling CHF 49,594. As emphasised by Alfonso Gomez, the Administrative Councillor responsible for matters of equality and diversity, “As with LGBT or gender-equality issues, it is essential that the City work with associations active in combating anti-black racism and with personalities of African descent to meet the needs identified by those concerned as closely as possible.” Furthermore, the City wishes to perpetuate this collaboration, in particular by means of a dedicated budget line initiated by the Municipal Council in 2019, if this is renewed when the City’s budget for 2021 is ratified.

Fighting stereotypes and offering new models

Among the seven projects adopted, the majority aim to promote the pathways and successes of people of African descent in Switzerland while also demonstrating the obstacles they have had to face. That will make it possible to offer a different representation of black people in the public sphere without stereotypes and prejudices, make the contributions of people of African descent in Switzerland more visible and both inspire and offer models among the young people concerned. A portrait book, exhibition, short film, podcasts..., the projects take a range of forms with a view to reaching as broad an audience as possible.

Dialogue and meetings at the heart of several projects

Other projects propose the creation of parent-child workshops or workshops addressing teenagers, and primarily those concerned, designed to identify and understand the mechanisms underlying anti-black racism and thus combat it more effectively. The City also supports a training and awareness project intended for stakeholders in the cultural and artistic sector, urban dance teachers and anyone interested in the hip-hop culture as well as a platform for associations fighting anti-black racism, in particular with a view to conducting research on the types of discrimination experienced by black people and on the actions implemented to combat them.

Discrimination all too common

Discrimination faced by black people is one of the most common forms of racial discrimination worldwide, as was highlighted in dramatic fashion on 25 May 2020 with the death of an Afro-American man, George Floyd, who was asphyxiated by a white policeman kneeling on his throat. Switzerland and Geneva are not spared by this phenomenon, as shown by numerous national and cantonal reports on the matter. In 2019 in Geneva, anti-black racism was the most common basis for discrimination reported to the counselling centre for the victims of racism. It was also the second most common basis for discrimination at national level behind xenophobia.

List of projects supported

• “Constellations Afropéennes: portraits of 30 Swiss personalities of African descent”, by a group women of African descent who are artists and experts in communication, human resources and survey methodologies.
• Parent-child workshops and workshops for teenagers focusing on anti-black racism organised by the association of inter-cultural mediators (AMIC).
• “La mécanique raciste: GE - la déconstruis”, by the Afro-Swiss Collective (CAS).
• “Passion Fruit Seeds: Hip-hop culture, roots and uprooting”, by the Faites des Vagues Collective.
• “Dans le Coeur d'un-e Noir-e”, by a personality of African descent following a journalism and audio-visual direction course.
• Creation of a platform of associations with a view to conducting research on the prevention of anti-black racism in Geneva by the legal and administrative advisory service for people of African ancestry (PJA).
• “Afro Stories (Podcast) - Trajectories of women and men of African descent”, by the association The Spot.