The title of Davide-Christelle's performance, which was created during her residency at the Kaserne Basel, is borrowed from the traditional children's game «Wer hat Angst vorm Schwarzem Mann» (Who's afraid of the bogeyman). When Davide-Christelle came to Switzerland from Togo in 1999 as a child, she played this very «Black Man» in her first gymnastics lesson. In Who's Afraid, she takes a critical look at similar role attributions and racism that she has experienced in Switzerland since then.

In 2017, Davide-Christelle then watched an SRF documentary in her architecture class at the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam, which showed James Baldwin arriving in Leukerbad. The short film was a revelation for Davide-Christelle. She found a kindred spirit in James Baldwin. In 2024, she went to Leukerbad together with Steven Schoch - the result was an observation machine as scenography for the stage: a lamppost, equipped with cameras, from which nothing escapes - especially not a black person. For Davide-Christelle Sanvee, being seen as a Black person means being constantly visible: «And at the same time, being invisible in society is a contradiction. You are a stain on the country and feel lost.» The result is a bitingly brilliant drama in the footsteps of Angela Davis, Toni Morrison, James Baldwin and Frantz Fanon.

Book recommendation:

Léonora Miano «L'Opposé de la blancheur» (Seuil)
Frantz Fanon «Black Skin, White Masks»
James Baldwin, Teju Cole «Stranger in the Village / Black Body» (Kampa)
Vincent Q. Carter «My white city and I - the Bern book»

Duration: Ca. 60 Min.

Aftertalk Friday, 6.12. with the artist