The anthology Nicht die Ersten (Not the First) serves as the point of departure for a conversation and reading format taking place as part of Spätschicht x İÇ İÇE Festival, centered on queer migrant histories and contemporary realities, memory and cultural spaces.

Spätschicht – Live Programme at Gropius Bau is a monthly series of free events with an interdisciplinary programme ranging from talks, book discussions and film screenings to concerts and DJ sets. In addition to the talk, you can experience two performances by Mila Panić and Saeed Asadsangabi, two concerts by Intibint and BRKN and two DJ sets by Katscha and DJ Ipek.

Nicht die Ersten brings together perspectives of queer Black people and People of Colour in Germany since the 1980s. The participants of the talk share an understanding of being part of a history that did not begin with them. Melissa Kolukısagil, artistic director of İÇ İÇE, Tarek Shukrallah, İpek İpekçioğlu and Thao Ho reflect on forms of remembrance, networks and cultural practices, as well as on the question of how queer migrant histories are carried forward – even when they remain fragmented. Through conversation, reading and personal reflection, the evening unfolds around visibility, memory and the assertion of queer migrant spaces.