Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung appointed Director of Haus der Kulturen der Welt
The founder and artistic director of SAVVY Contemporary, Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, is going to be the new director of Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin as of January 2023.
These are wonderful news for all the wanderers and wonderers in the cultural landscapes that are archipelagic. We are elated, deeply moved and reflective. Bonaventure, we salute and thank you for all that you do, that you make, that you are. We give thanks for the many forces and hearts that brought us here – us who share a vision of a society that is open to all the world’s presents and futures.
Yes, this will mean a new chapter for SAVVY, which is not written yet. We will take time to write it together. We might not know its shape yet but: We know where we're going, cause we know where we're from.
Carry on with the SAVVY spirit.
From the official announcement:
The supervisory board of the Kulturveranstaltungen des Bundes in Berlin GmbH (KBB) appointed Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung as the new director at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW). He will take over from Bernd M. Scherer on 1 January 2023.
The chairwoman of the supervisory board of the KBB, Minister of State for Culture and the Media Monika Grütters: "As an internationally sought-after renowned curator and cultural manager, Bonaventure Ndikung is a perfect fit for the Haus der Kulturen der Welt. With his excellent network, his scientific education and his passion for art, he is virtually predestined to further develop this institution, which is unique in Europe. In doing so, he can build on the strong foundation that Bernd Scherer and his team have established."
Prof. Dr. Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung: "Berlin is home to citizens from 190 nations, and these people must be fundamental in the future structuring of a House of World Cultures, as fellow travellers and co-creators of a house of complexity, of analysis of the diverse asymmetries of the world and ultimately of reconciliation of cultures. I am honoured that I have been given the responsibility to open the way for such a future. I thank the supervisory board of the KBB and Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media Monika Grütters for their trust and I am very much looking forward to working with the team at the HKW, my colleagues at the KBB and, of course, the artists, cultural workers and scholars from all over the world."
Prof. Dr. Bernd Scherer: “Together with my team, I warmly welcome Bonaventure to HKW. After many collaborations with SAVVY Contemporary, I can say with certainty that this selection is absolutely convincing, both in terms of content and personally. I look forward to seeing how Bonaventure will further develop HKW with its employees, discourses and programs. His courage to experiment and the joy in researching will surely bring new impulses to Berlin and national culture."
Portrait Silke Briel