Johny Pitts

‘The B-Side’; Bootlegs and the Subaltern

British essayist and photographer Johny Pitts will take over the Friedrich Dürrenmatt Visiting Professorship for World Literature in the spring semester of 2024. His weekly seminar at the University of Bern will focus on the cultural "B-side". The focus will be on art and artists from the social periphery - from the "underground".

Johny Pitts is an essayist and photographer, he works as a curator, journalist and radio presenter. The son of a black musician and a white steelworker, he grew up in Sheffield in the north of England in the 1980s. His highly acclaimed book Afropean (2019) was published in German under the title Afropäisch: eine Reise durch das schwarze Europa (2020) by Suhrkamp Verlag. On his journey to the black com- munities, Pitts observes the "Afropean" life experience in various countries. In a combination of reportage and cultural-critical essay, he explores "black Europe". Pitts has received several awards for his communication of Afropean experiences, including the Leipzig Book Prize for European Understanding and the European Network against Racism.

Other upcoming events:

• May 29, 2024, 7:00 pm “The B-Side: From the Underground to the Mainstream” Johny Pitts in conversation with sociologist Anja Glover

• June 07-09, 2024: Johny Pitts at the “Black Writers Festival” in Hamburg

• June 20-23, 2024: Johny Pitts at the literature festival in Leukerbad