Bwa Kayiman: Crossing the Mangrove. On Forests as Sites of Eco-Political Knowledge, 1 & 2 August 2026
Press release, 13.7.2026
Bwa Kayiman: Crossing the Mangrove
On Forests as Sites of Eco-Political Knowledge
Performances, Dance, Rituals, Lectures, Conversations, Poetry, Music, Food, Films, Installations
1 & 2 August 2026
Bwa Kayiman is the yearly performative arts festival at Haus der Kulturen der Welt reflecting on the unfinished work and legacy of the Haitian Revolution. The two-day programme features performances, dance, films, and rituals, as well as discussions and gatherings centered around music, food, and participatory formats. Titled Crossing the Mangrove, the 2026 edition considers forests as sites of eco-political struggle, with a particular focus on the mangrove as a space of relation and knowledge.
The festival takes as its departure point the forest gathering of Bwa Kayiman, which took place on 14 August 1791 and initiated the revolution that would establish the first Black republic. Today, mangroves are among the most endangered ecosystems on Earth. Extraction for the purpose of farming and urban expansion, as well as global warming and rising seas, threaten their existence. The same forces that once built the plantation system now erode coastal and island life, continuing a logic of colonial violence that perpetuates the ecological crisis at hand. Bwa Kayiman: Crossing the Mangrove responds to this tragic continuity. Through artistic interventions and collective presence, the programme is an opportunity to practise other ways of sensing, remembering, and acting.
This edition of the festival borrows its title from writer Maryse Condé’s seminal novel Traversée de la mangrove (Crossing the Mangrove, 1989), which takes this rhizomatic ecosystem as a central metaphor to reflect on community formation beyond shared commonalties. Condé uses the deep, entangled roots of the mangrove to allude to the challenges faced and strategies developed by contemporary Caribbean societies and individuals in affirming their plural identity while maintaining cohesion and a sense of home. Echoing Condé’s contemplations, the festival poses a number of questions: How to maintain the spaces, political and cultural practices in which plurality is constantly cultivated? How to foster reciprocal relations with the land? And how to honour the ecosystems that have played such a significant role in countering colonial violence?
In dialogue with thinkers and practitioners from the Caribbean, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe, the festival addresses the ecological implications of colonialism, pressing environmental challenges, and potential forms of ecological stewardship. As in previous iterations, Bwa Kayiman: Crossing the Mangrove aims to strengthen the voices of communities still seeking emancipation. The 2026 edition welcomes a dedicated programme section co-curated by members of the Okinawan diaspora in Berlin.
With:
Dudley Alexis, Jason Allen-Paisant, Rodney Barreto, Boukman Eksperyans, Jean-Ulrick Désert, Marvin Diz, Malcom Ferdinand, Garifuna Collective, Yuliesky González Guerra, Yoko Gross, Ayrson Heráclito, Toyomitsu Higa, Takumi Hosokawa, Kolektif Choublak (Aïda Roumer, Carl-Henry Cadet, Trovania Delille, Yann-Olivier Kersaint), Las Nietas de Nonó, David Leon, Hiroya Maeda, Stéphane Martelly, Camilo Mejía Cortés, Regis Molina, Ayaka Nakazato, Sésé Niyabja, James Noël, Thaís Omine, Dany Arce Paneque, Chef Joceval Santos, John Shades, Neneh Sowe, Riko Sugama, Nanyō Unten, Lia Estelle Widmaier, Akihito Yagi, Zayou, David Zink Yi, and others
For interview requests and accreditations, please contact presse@hkw.de.
Press photos: hkw.de/pressphotos
More information: hkw.de/en/BwaKayiman
Programme
Free entry, unless otherwise indicated.
Bwa Kayiman: Crossing the Mangrove
On Forests as Sites of Eco-Political Knowledge
Performances, Dance, Rituals, Lectures, Conversations, Poetry, Music, Food, Films, Installations
1 & 2 August 2026
Sat., 1.8.
12:00
Chef Joceval Santos, Ayrson Heráclito, moderated by Aline Baiana
Curated Lunch and Conversation
€20
In Portuguese with consecutive English translation
12:00–23:00
Las Nietas de Nonó
Film Installation
In Spanish, with English subtitles
12:00–23:00
Visions d’un jardin tropical: A Multisensorial Dreamscape of Haitian Diasporic Experiences
Kolektif Choublak (Aïda Roumer, Carl-Henry Cadet, Trovania Delille, Yann-Olivier Kersaint) with Jean-Ulrick Désert, Lia Estelle Widmaier, John Shades
Installation
In English, French, German, and Haitian Creole
12:00–23:00
NUCHI-GAFŪ du SHIDI-GAFŪ: The Wisdom of Okinawa and The Art of Non-Violence
Riko Sugama, Toyomitsu Higa, Victor Kinjo, Thaís Omine, Hiroya Maeda, Nanyō Unten, Akihito Yagi, Ayaka Nakazato, Takumi Hosokawa, Rita Sugama, Aki Maeda
Installation
In English, Okinawan, and Japanese with consecutive translation in English
14:30
Boukman Eksperyans
Opening Blessing
In Haitian Creole and French
15:30
Crossing the Mangrove: On Forests as Sites of Eco-political Knowledge
Stéphane Martelly, Malcom Ferdinand, Jason Allen-Paisant
Keynotes followed by a conversation
In French with simultaneous German and English translation
17:30
Camilo Mejía Cortés
Performance
In English and Spanish
19:30–21:00
Concert
€24 / reduced €20
21:30
Visions d’un jardin tropical: A Multisensorial Dreamscape of Haitian Diasporic Experiences
Kolektif Choublak (Aïda Roumer, Carl-Henry Cadet, Trovania Delille, Yann-Olivier Kersaint) with Jean-Ulrick Désert, Lia Estelle Widmaier, John Shades
Performative Interventions
In English, French, German, and Haitian Creole
Sun., 2.8.
11:00–23:00
Las Nietas de Nonó
Film Installation
In Spanish, with English subtitles
11:00–23:00
Visions d’un jardin tropical: A Multisensorial Dreamscape of Haitian Diasporic Experiences
Kolektif Choublak (Aïda Roumer, Carl-Henry Cadet, Trovania Delille, Yann-Olivier Kersaint) with Jean-Ulrick Désert, Lia Estelle Widmaier, John Shades
Installation
In English, French, German, and Haitian Creole
11:00
Sésé Niyabja with Zayou
Movement Lecture and Performance
In French and Martinican Creole, with consecutive English translation
12:00–23:00
NUCHI-GAFŪ du SHIDI-GAFŪ: The Wisdom of Okinawa and The Art of Non-Violence
Riko Sugama, Toyomitsu Higa, Victor Kinjo, Thaís Omine, Hiroya Maeda, Nanyō Unten, Akihito Yagi, Ayaka Nakazato, Takumi Hosokawa, Rita Sugama, Aki Maeda
Installation
In English, Okinawan, and Japanese with consecutive translation in English
14:00
Dudley Alexis, James Noël, Aïda Roumer
Film Screening, followed by Conversation
Conversation in French with simultaneous translation in German and English
16:30
NUCHI-GAFŪ du SHIDI-GAFŪ: The Wisdom of Okinawa and The Art of Non-Violence
Riko Sugama, Toyomitsu Higa, Victor Kinjo, Thaís Omine, Hiroya Maeda, Nanyō Unten, Akihito Yagi, Ayaka Nakazato, Takumi Hosokawa, Rita Sugama, Aki Maeda
Performative Intervention
In English, Okinawan, and Japanese with consecutive translation in English
19:30
Three Thousand Songs Records (David Zink Yi, Dany Arce Paneque, Rodney Barreto, Marvin Diz, Yuliesky González Guerra, Regis Molina, David Leon)
Performance
20:30
Jason Allen-Paisant, James Noël, Neneh Sowe
Poetry Reading
In English and French
Partner
With the support of Institut français.
Visiting Information
Opening Times
Mi.–Mo. 12:00–19:00
Extended opening hours during evening programmes.
Current information about visiting and accessibility.
Childcare
HKW offers free childcare for many of its programmes. For further information visit hkw.de.
Webshop
HKW's webshop offers tickets, gift vouchers, publications, merchandise, and other products.
Restaurant
Weltwirtschaft restaurant is open daily from 12:00.
Contact
Maxie Fischer
Head of Press and Communications
Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW)
John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10
10557 Berlin
T: + 49 (0) 30 397 87 413
presse@hkw.de