On the 18th anniversary of Laye Alama Condé’s death, more than 200 people gathered for a memorial rally at Goetheplatz on January 7. In a greeting, Bangaly Condé, a brother of Laye Alama, spoke of the family’s continued grief over the loss and brutal death of Laye Condé and expressed his hope that other family members will be granted residency rights in Germany:
Greeting words by Bangaly Condé (spoken in French)
Greeting words by Bangaly Condé (translated into German)
A spokesperson for the initiative emphasized that the initiative will now increasingly turn its attention to the issue of compensation and will contact several survivors of emetic torture in the near future to this end.
The initiative gave a brief overview of the current artistic tender for the memorial to be realized by the end of 2023 on the square near the Gerhard-Marcks-Haus (next to the Kunsthalle Bremen). The concrete artistic implementation will be decided by a selection committee, in which mainly people affected by racism and other forms of discrimination are represented.
Speech by the representative of the selection committee (in German, English, French)
In a minute of remembrance, as every year, Laye Alma Condé and Oury Jalloh, who was murdered in a Dessau police station on the same day, were commemorated, as well as the many other people who have been killed by police violence, by institutional racism and by the consequences of a brutal migration policy.
To a funeral song by the Malian singer Oumou Sangaré, which had been chosen by Bangaly Condé for the memorial rally, those present laid roses at the Mobile Memorial in memory of Laye Alama Condé and lit candles.
Coverage of COMMEMORATION DAY (taz, Jan. 6, 2023):
Remembering Bremer victims of forced administration of emetics
SLOW GRINDING MILLS OF REMEMBRANCE.
A memorial is to be erected in Bremen to commemorate the emetic death victim Laye Alama Condé. Artists can now express their interest.
COMMEMORATION DAY JANUARY 7, 2022
Memorial rally on the 17th anniversary of Laye Condé’s death in Neustadtspark.
On Jan. 7, 2022, over 250 people gathered in Neustadtspark to remember those affected by Emetic Torture in Bremen and to commemorate Laye Condé. Speakers of the Initiative in Memory of Laye Alama Condé and the Initiative in Memory of Achidi John from Hamburg made clear in their speeches that state policy has always had a racist slant and called for no let-up in the fight against racism. Thus, the speech of the Initiative in Memory of Laye Alama Condé states:
“The emetic torture is history. But the racism in authorities, in police and politics, the racism on the streets, the racism in the minds, is brutal present – and it is life-threatening.”
Reference was also made at the meeting to the place of remembrance for Laye Condé and 13 years of forced administration of emetics, which the state of Bremen plans to realize in the next few years.
The Mobile Place of Remembrance can be visited at the Goetheplatz till the End of 2023.
An overview of past commemoration days can be found under COMMEMORATION DAYS January 7.
