Urban Foraging as Radical Practice: Foraging on the 80th Tag der Befreiung

Join me on May 8th in Tiergarten for a foraging tour exploring how we can use wild edible plants as radical tools for resistance through deeply challenging times. 

This is a holiday in Berlin this year, marking 80 years to the day since the end of World War II, and with it, the liberation of Germany from the Nazis. But what does it mean to celebrate this day in a new age of book burnings and genocide, amid an enormous global swing  to the right? How do we acknowledge the stories that have come before and also stay present with what is happening right now? How do we take care of one another in radical ways through deeply unsettled and disturbing times?  

Foraging offers many tools to help us with the complexity of these questions: from delicious free nourishment and potent medicine, to a grounding practice rooted in centuries of tradition, to  perspectives on diversity, to a lens for the landscape and its history, to a vector for community and togetherness – it's radical, transformative stuff.

On this tour through Tiergarten, we'll learn the basics of how to find, identify, harvest, and prepare a selection of common, easy-to-identify edible and medicinal plants specifically selected for the day.We'll also  contemplate how a foraging practice might help us through the complexity of this time, talk about the history of this place, how that history has impacted the landscape, and how creating radical relationships with plants and other non-human beings here might help us write new stories in this land.

With a big focus on keeping yourself – and the land and its other inhabitants  – safe while foraging, you'll discover how to get confident enough to bring your own harvest home, and come away with loads of ideas for how to prepare your finds as well as a deeper relationship with the city's landscape & history.

Tiergarten's history & the Institute for Sexual Science

Tiergarten holds special significance in this context: it was the site of the Institute for Sexual Science, a haven for queer and trans people in the interwar period which pioneered research and treatment around topics of gender and sexuality. The Institute was led by Magnus Hirschfeld, a queer Jew, and was the first target of the infamous Nazi book burning campaign  May 1933, where it was looted and the archives burned in the street.

Now, more than 90 years later, as research into gender is once again undermined and the existence of trans people erased, and as the German government supports a different genocide, simply celebrating the end of National Socialism is just not enough. 

As well as acknowledging the pain of the past & present, we'll also make space for joy, curiosity, celebration and togetherness. After all, that's what radical relationality with these plants and other beings unlocks in us, and that's precisely the tool which will see us through this time!

The details

When: Thursday May 8th, 13.30 - 16:30
Where: Tiergarten (~ 2km walking in total)
Suggested donation: 15-30€. Please contribute whatever you can!

I set a minimum of 5€ donation to increase the accountability to show up on the day, and not cancel last-minute. Please also help keep this accessibility by notifying me 24 hours or more before the start of the workshop if you do not intend to come (refunds are possible for tickets cancelled 48 hours or more in advance).

Once you are registered, you will receive an email with all details on what to bring and the exact meeting location.

The meeting and ending point for the tour are accessible with public transportation. The exact meeting point, along with what to bring, will be sent via email after registration. Don't forget to read your confirmation email carefully!

My positionality

Please note: I'm a queer, trans, Jewish forager. I'm not a historian. My aim with this tour is to educate about plants and make space for meaningful, productive discussion founded in compassion about topics that affect all of us.

Though this is not the core topic this tour revolves around, it's still relevant to know:  I support Palestine and Palestinians. I support Jews and Israelis. I am not a Zionist and will not make space for Zionism. I absolutely and profoundly condemn violence of all kinds. I prioritise people and their stories, not governments or ideologies. I find it deeply important to hold space for complexity. I can't guarantee you will agree with everything I say, but I'm always open to hear if you don't. 

Registration and cancellation:

Once you register for the workshop, you'll receive an email with all details on the exact meeting location as well as what to bring.

The event will go ahead regardless of the weather. The plants don't mind if it's wet! Please make sure to wear the clothing you need to keep you warm, dry & comfortable.

If you can't make the event, you may cancel by email up to 48 hours in advance. This ensures another participant can take your place. Refunds for cancellations within 48 hours of the event are not possible. Within 48 hours, you may transfer your ticket to someone else, but please make sure to let me know by email.