Diaspora Disorientate

Leftists and anti-colonial activists in the West, specifically in Austria and Germany, are facing an unprecedented time of uncertainty and infiltration from inside the “Left” by different counter-revolutionary waves, among them colonial apologists, liberals with a red aesthetic and reactionaries abusing identity politics.

Is it time to reclaim anti-racist movements and who are we reclaiming them from? In this conversation with the Vienna-based activist Berfîn (@berfin.marx) we analyse the insensitive behaviour of non-marginalised allies from liberal, male leftist and antideutsch circles – from content creators' and big corporations' deceptive anti-racist façade, to the fetishisation of Kurdish female fighters and liberal zionists overshadowing Palestinians in the anti-annexation discourse.

In this conversation with the podcast’s co-organiser Salma, we explore the subject of orientalism and some of its manifold aspects. How can a 1866 French painting fuel right-wing extremism in Germany, and where do feminism and gender come in? How are ‘oriental’ buildings in the West an expression of imperialism and are they to be compared to orientalist paintings?

Welcome to the first episode of Diaspora Disorientate, a podcast hosted by Iman Elghonemi, in which we tackle relevant issues concerning the BIPoC and Muslim communities in the West from a decolonial lens.

In this conversation with the writer and photographer Zirrar, we address organising in the diaspora. Are allies in the struggle against various systems of oppression from outside affected communities a blessing? What is white saviourism and how threatening is it really?