‘Polyglot’ Web Series Shows Diversity of Young Creatives of Color in Berlin
Polyglot is a newly released scripted web series which focuses on the diverse scene of multi-ethnic, multi-identified creatives of color in Berlin.
Created by filmmaker Amelia Umuhire, the show gives an in-depth look at young people of color navigating emerging spaces in Germany. The first episode introduces viewers to Babiche Papaya, a rapper and poet played by Umuhire’s sister, Amanda Mukasonga. The sisters speak four languages – German, English, French and Kinyarwanda – and were born in Rwanda. They are quintessential polyglots.
Umuhire told NRP Berlin that, “Every language has its own sphere. Those worlds, they just add up to each other, they don’t take away the spaces.” She also explained that “”There is this one image of Germany, like you have white people speaking German, if you look at the TV landscape for example. Black people only appear as nurses, or cooks. You don’t get to know people, this big part of Germany and Berlin, because they are kind of marginalized in media.” These are the images Umuhire seeks to challenge in this “true to life” web series. While the show focuses on creative life, it also investigates how the intersections of race, gender, and place of origin color daily life in Berlin.
Follow Polyglot on Facebook and Instagram and watch the first two episodes below.
Photo Credit: YouTube
Jenn M. Jackson is the Editorial Assistant for The Black Youth Project. She is also the Editor-in-Chief and co-founder of Water Cooler Convos, a politics, news, and culture webmag for bourgie Black nerds. For more about her, tweet her at @JennMJack or visit her website at jennmjackson.com.
