Friedrich-Ebert-Str. 75
Th-Sa 15:00-20:00
Su 11:00-15:00
Come with us to Hamburg!
On Saturday, June 22nd, Abya Yala Anticolonial Hamburg is organizing a demonstration and collective kitchen on the occasion of Javier Milei’s visit to Hamburg. The event is the highlight of the Anti-Milei Month, of which we as Sacrifice Zone are a part. We will not leave the visit and the honoring of Milei’s „anarcho-libertarian“ dismantling of the welfare state; the sell-out of Argentina without comment. We will not leave the people who took the streets in Buenos Aires in their thousands in the last few days and faced brutal police violence alone! Come with us to Hamburg!
Registration for the joint journey here!
Exhibition – Wintershall’s tracks in Vaca Muerta, Argentina
Wintershall Dea is still one of the largest oil and gas companies in Germany and a major employer in the city of Kassel. This year everything is changing, the company has been sold and the employees were informed of their redundancy shortly before Christmas. What remains of the producer’s work in Kassel and elsewhere? The exhibition follows Wintershall’s supply chain to Argentina, to the region known as “Vaca Muerta” (“Dead Cow”). This is where Wintershall carries out fracking – the method used to blast natural gas out of the ground, which is banned in Europe. People in Vaca Muerta talk about the destructive impact that fracking is having on their lives and how it is changing them. The audience learns about the contamination of water and air and the triggering of earthquakes. They learn what it means when a region is declared a “sacrifice zone”. And it hears about organized resistance against the exploitation of land and life. Against the exploitation of which most visitors themselves are a part, which is the basis of life in Europe and which seems inseparable from what is called “progress”. Who is holding Wintershall to account and what does the resistance here look like?
Events
Opening event
June 1st 19:00
The exhibition will open its doors at 19:00 with a small champagne reception. After some words of a welcome by the renowned Argentinian sociologist Maristella Svampa, we will give the stage to the artists and activists from Argentina, who will be connected to us online: Carolina Blumenkranc, Fernanda Herrera and Juan Carlos Ponze will give us deeper insights into their work and experiences on the ground. Afterwards, we, the Orgacrew, will briefly introduce ourselves and then invite you to join us for the first tour of the exhibition. Empanadas and open chats in a relaxed atmosphere will be the grand finale. We look forward to seeing you there!
What does Vaca Muerta have to do with me? – movement workshop that makes connection physically perceptible. // Movement workshop
June 2nd 14:00-16:00 (DE & EN)
In the movement workshop, we will experience the exhibition using methods from bodywork and dance pedagogy. We will move together, lead and follow each other through the exhibition space. No previous dance experience or physical prerequisites are necessary. Everyone who would like to experience the exhibition with their own creativity is cordially invited. Some of the questions we experience and explore physically are: What is my role in the global issue of fracking and energy extraction? What connects me with activists and those affected in Argentina? What options for action are there for me and others? We adapt our exercises to the needs of the group and aim to create a space in which everyone feels comfortable.
Paths of Power: Colonial Relations in Coal Mining and Energy Transition Projects in Colombia – La Guajira // Presentation
June 5th 18:00 (EN + DE&ES translation)
The high German energy demand has devastating consequences not only in Vaca Muerta. In the face of the energy crisis, the German government decided to increase the use of hard coal from Colombia. The Cerrejón coal mine in the north-east of Colombia is the largest coal mine in Colombia and Latin America. Both Vaca Muerta and Cerrejón show the socio-ecological conflicts that the extractivist – i.e. based on mining and resource extraction – economic model is causing. Even measures of the energy transition, such as the creation of 57 new wind farms, do not result in a change in the current economic model and only reinforce existing dynamics. Laura Chaparro of the group Aktion Guajira was recently on-site and reports from conversations with local stakeholders about the negative effects on the local population and the environment. The presentation shows how social and ecological justice in Germany and Colombia are connected and how this links to neocolonial relations in coal mining.
Fracking Gas: Do we actually need it? Opportunities, risks and it’s role in German energy transmission // Presentation
June 7th 19:00-21:00 (DE + EN&ES translation)
Since the start of the Russian war on the Ukraine, there has been an increased focus on gas in Germany. LNG terminals have been built and new cooperation agreements concluded. More fracking gas in liquid form is set to reach Germany, particularly from the USA. But what is this technology all about? What risks does it entail? And is fracked gas even necessary for the energy transition? These questions will be explored in depth in a mix of presentations and interactive discussions with the audience. The speakers will be Andy Gheorghiu, campaigner & consultant for climate/environmental protection and energy policy and a representative of the Deutsche Umwelthilfe. Immerse yourself in the world of fracking and join us in questioning the effects and opportunities of this energy source for Germany. Together we will look for answers to responsibly shape the future of energy supply. Be part of it!
Did you always want to… decide about the future of natural gas in Germany? // Interactive workshop for people between 16 and 18
June 12th 17:00-19:00 (DE)
At the current exhibition, you can learn more about the effects of gas extraction by the German company Wintershall in the extraction region “Vaca Muerta”. In this workshop, we bring the topic back into the German context. We look at the debate taking place here which revolves around supply security, the interests of German industry and climate justice. As participants, you will take on various roles within a fictitious gas commission that decides what role gas should play in Germany’s energy supply in the future. Your roles can be, for example, stakeholders from Wintershall, the government, civil society or environmental activists. You engage with the arguments of your role and try to assert your interests as best you can during the negotiations. In the group you will discuss the role that gas plays in the climate crisis, the impact that German gas consumption has on the regions where the gas is extracted and how the energy supply in Germany can be secured. How can a fair energy supply look like? – It’s on you!
Who is Wintershall Dea? // Presentation
June 14th 18:30 (DE + EN translation)
Wintershal Dea in Kassel is Germany’s largest oil and gas producer and, with annual emissions of around 80 million tons of CO2, one of the most climate-damaging companies in Europe.
But what does that mean in concrete terms, how is the company structured, where does the gas and oil come from and what can we do about it?
Argentina is not for sale // Discussion
June 18th 18:00-20:00 (DE & ES + EN translation)
Two outstanding guests will be joining us: Fernanda Herrera, activist and social worker from Mendoza. She has been working tirelessly for years in the areas affected by fracking and is well connected both locally and globally. Maristella Svampa, renowned sociologist and author, researcher for CONICET and currently a visiting professor in Kassel. Argentina experienced a decade of left-wing governments after the financial crisis of 2001. As early as 2015, Macri ushered in a neoliberal turn – state-owned companies were sold off and social policy was cut back. Javier Milei took this trend one step further at the end of last year. He bypassed parliament in an attempt to abolish hundreds of laws to protect workers and the environment. But what is the current situation in Argentina – and especially in Vaca Muerta and the areas affected by fracking? This and more will be discussed by our very special guests.
Milei comes to Hamburg? Us too! // Demonstration
June 22nd all day (translation as needed)
The Hayek Foundation is known for its distorted attitude towards democracy. Any interference by the state is seen as a violation of freedom and market liberalism; ecological or social measures are regularly defamed as socialism. It is macabre that it now wants to award a medal to Javier Milei after he has plunged millions of people into poverty in months. It is unacceptable that a foundation in which important right-wing extremist politicians such as Beatrix von Storch are members is being courted by Olaf Scholz. The right-wing and radical-liberal experiments happening on the fringes of the global economy today could flourish in the Global North tomorrow. We are therefore taking to the streets in Hamburg together with to make our discontent be heard. Ecological measures and social security systems are not negotiable!
Closing event & soli-party
June 28th from 15:00
Festive closing of the exhibition. We want to come together again in the exhibition with good food and drinks. Afterwards there will be a solo party for activists from Argentina at Aka (Werner-Hilpert-Str. 22).