Two artists return Goethe award over German ‘complicity’ in Gaza war
An Egyptian visual artist Mohamad Alba returned the German Goethe award he received in 2022, citing Berlin’s “complicity” in the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza and hoping his move would “awaken” people’s conscience.
“It doesn’t make sense that the German government speaks about equality and justice and at the same time ignores the plight and rights of Palestinians and helps arm Israel,” he told Middle East Eye.
He hoped that by returning the medal “everyone’s conscience is awakened.”
Alba has called on other artists to take action through various means against the “apparent injustice” in the Gaza Strip, where more than 30,800 people, mostly women and children, have been killed by Israeli strikes since October, Press TV wrote.
In a separate act of protest, South African author Zukiswa Wanner, the first woman to receive the Goethe medal, rejected the award earlier in the week.
She highlighted Germany’s role as one of the largest arms exporters to Israel and criticized the government for not condemning genocide, stating, “I thus find myself unable to stay silent or keep an official decoration from a government that is this callous to human suffering.”
Wanner shared her experiences in the occupied Palestinian territories, emphasizing that one did not need to be from a country with a history of apartheid to witness the daily injustices faced by Palestinians.
She explained that her decision was influenced by her visit to different cities, including Al-Quds, and resulted in writing an essay, “Vignettes of a People in an Apartheid State.”
The news also reported Germany’s consideration of delivering tank ammunition to Israel in January amid the genocidal war against Gaza. The Israeli request for around 10,000 rounds of 120-millimeter precision ammunition was made in November, with the Israeli ambassador to Germany expressing gratitude for the unrelenting support shown by the German government.