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What does this have to do with Switzerland?
Interviews
Reto Aschwanden in conversation with Hans Fässler («Reise in schwarz-weiss: Schweizer Ortstermine in Sachen Sklaverei», Zurich: Rotpunktverlag, 2005)
Hans Fässler is a teacher in a cantonal school in Trogen, Switzerland, and a cabaret artist. In 2003 he wrote the play «Louverture stirbt 1803» (Louverture dies 1803), which combined the death of the leader of an uprising of slaves in Haiti with the founding of the canton of St. Gallen. Since then he has dedicated himself to Swiss participation in slavery in various forms. He wrote the book «Reise in Schwarz-Weiss» (Journey into black-and-white) in which he visited about twenty Swiss sites with connections to slavery. He also coordinated the efforts in the Swiss National Council and various cantonal parliaments to call for a review of Switzerland’s involvements in slavery.
Reto Aschwanden in conversation with Pia Hollenstein (member of the Swiss National Council / Greens, St. Gallen)
Slavery is a crime against humanity. As historical research has shown, Swiss citizens participated in the slavery business in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, especially in the transatlantic slave trade. In an interpellation in the National Council on March 5, 2003, Pia Hollenstein raised the question of Swiss responsibility. How do the political authorities think the issue should be addressed and amends made?
Jochen Becker in conversation with Guy Thomas (archivist of the archive of historical photographs of the Basler Mission / mission 21) and Beat von Wartburg (director of the Christoph Merian Verlag and the Christoph Merian
Stiftung)
The focus of the conversation will be on the genesis of the Basler Mission and the Merian publishing house and foundation, which reflect critically on their own history of colonialism, slavery, and Christianization, not only in a scholarly and internal way but also seeking an audience via the publishing house and the Internet.
What role did the middle class (traders) of Basel play? What distinguished the Basler Mission from other missions? What role did the Swiss “colonialism without colonies” play within the European framework? When and from who did the initiative come to reflect self-critically on the history of the institution and the company? What conclusions and consequences have been drawn in relation to the post/colonial conditions in Switzerland?
Ina Boesch in conversation with Gesine Krüger (Historian / University Zurich): «Schwarze Geschäfte und die Schweiz», DRS 2, broadcast «Reflexe»
Gesine Krüger and Ina Boesch discuss the involvements of Swiss citizens in the transatlantic triangle trade. They refer to the recent publications «Reise in Schwarz-Weiss» by Hans Fässler, «Schwarze Geschäfte» by Thomas David, Bouda Etemad, and Janick Marina Schaufelbuehl, and «Baumwolle, Sklaven und Kredite» by Niklaus Stettler, Peter Haenger, and Robert Labhardt, as well as a number of discursive approaches. They raise the question of possibilities for political action and of locating this Swiss discussion in a European political framework.
Bianca Miglioretto in conversation with Noel Alemania (vice president of Filipro Employees UFE-KMU, the union representing striking Nestlé workers in the Philippines).
Noel Alemania, vice president of the Nestlé union Filipro Employees explains why the employees of the Nestlé factory in Cabuyao, south of Manila, went on strike three years ago and how Nestlé ignores the rights of the workers. What are the chances for the workers after a four-year strike? What are the striking workers demanding from Nestlé management in Switzerland and how can people in Switzerland support their struggle for just working conditions?
Bianca Miglioretto in conversation with Cariña Castillo (National Coalition for the Protection of Workers Rights, Southern Tagalog, Philippines)
Cariña Castillo of the National Coalition for the Protection of Workers Rights describes the situation for women working for multinational corporations in the industrial zone south of Manila in the Philippines. What developments has the globalized economy brought with it? How do the women defend themselves against the associated risks to their jobs? |
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