In THE POWER OF THE KOLA – Negotiating the Living, Astrid S. Klein, in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Albert Gouaffo (University of Dschang, Cameroon), developed a translocal project between Stuttgart and Dschang. It is rooted in Klein’s polyphonic research since 2011 into extractivism, plantation economies, and the displacement of tropical plants in colonial contexts. Her longstanding collaboration with a diasporic tropical kola plant in a botanical collection in Germany forms the foundation of the project.

In 2024, cuttings from this plant will follow an invitation to Cameroon to reconnect with their endemic zone of origin. This journey of the diasporic kola plants from the tropical greenhouse of the University of Hohenheim to Dschang raises questions about restitution and the activation of knowledge, the equal value of different knowledge systems, the negotiation of respectful and symmetrical relationships between humans and all forms of existence, as well as ecological justice.

The accompanying audio piece To the Red Soil weaves together the voices of those involved in the long-term research, music, and storytelling in a composition that places the colonial, inherited, and contemporary significance of the kola and its journey within a resonant field of memory, resistance, and visions for the future.

Further links
https://www.ifa.de/blog/beitrag/the-power-of-the-kola-interview-astrid-klein-albert-gouaffo/
https://cashmereradio.com/episode/cashmere-specials-to-the-red-soil-an-audio-piece-by-astrid-s-klein/