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How do Black and African histories become visible in a specific place? And how can research turn into exhibition practice? “Where we are, where we were, and where we will be” explores these questions through student-led research and curatorial work at the Iwalewahaus.

The exhibition emerged from two interconnected courses taught by Professor Dr. Natasha Kelly, Professor of Global African Arts and Academic Director of the Iwalewahaus, during the winter semester 2025/26. In the first seminar, students researched Black and African histories in Bayreuth and presented their findings as audiovisual essays, focusing on memory politics, local–global connections, and the visibility of the African diaspora. A second seminar transformed this research into the present exhibition through an in-depth curatorial process.

The project is framed by the 100th anniversary of Black History Month, a central format of Black memory culture in the African diaspora. For the first time in this form, Black History Month is being systematically integrated into teaching and research at the University of Bayreuth and opened up for academic and public exchange.

Conceived and realized independently by the students, the exhibition exemplifies research-based teaching that brings together theory, methodology, and social context while exploring new forms of knowledge transfer.

The opening evening features short speeches, a musical program, and a panel discussion from 7:00 p.m. with guests from the university and African communities in Bayreuth. School tours during the exhibition week, organized in cooperation with the Center for Global Learning, further extend the project’s educational reach.