the village; a grief ritual.

a monthly grief-tending ritual in berlin, inspired by practices of the dagara people as brought to the west by sobonfu somé and malidoma patrice somé. led by rotating facilitators, so that everyone can grieve.

each session includes: an opening circle, embodiment practices, a break, snacks, a grief ritual, a somatic practice for integration and a closing circle. everyone is invited to stay afterward the ritual for a shared meal.

dates & registration

🍁 for the upcoming ritual on Wednesday, October 16th, register here

🍁 future dates (subject to change): 8 November, 6 December

🍁 you're also welcome to join our Telegram group to receive updates & invitations to our future rituals.

please note:
- registrations are capped. those who register after places have filled will be invited to come another time.
- priority will be given to folks who identify as BIPoC and/or as having an experience of grief which is disenfranchised due to colonialism and imperialism.

more about grief & this ritual

we, the facilitators, attended as participants when this ritual was offered in 2023, by hugo/huga x tibiriçá. we experienced the power of this practice and wish to keep offering it to our community & kin. our intention is to run these rituals monthly in berlin as a peer-practice, with a rotating collective of facilitators taking turns in holding the space, like a murmuration of starlings.

we have been taught that grief is something to get away from, to get rid of. we've been taught that if we grieve, we must do so privately; so often, when we weep, we weep alone. but grief is among the most universally shared human experiences. we believe that unmetabolized grief can bring about violence; that feeling our grief allows us to access love, praise & aliveness.

in this ritual, each of our personal griefs may be witnessed and held by the collective. any grief is welcome: for loved ones lost to you, your family, or community, for the atrocious violence of genocide & racial domination, for displacement, separation, occupation, ecocide, or the many human ways of living & loving that have been lost to us through the processes of colonisation and industrial modernity.

this grief belongs to all of us: you do not have to grieve alone.

practical information

🍁 location: Social Pleasure Center @ Fortuna Wetten, Karl-Marx Straße 127, 12043 Berlin
🍁 time: soft arrival starts at 18h. at 18:30, we'll close the doors so we can start & end on time. please make sure to arrive before if you want to join the ritual!
🍁 contribution: free, donations welcome

accessibility

fortuna is located on the ground floor, but there is sadly no wheelchair accessible toilet (there are several steps on the way to it.) we'd like to help you with accessibility as much as we can—please let us know your access needs as you register.

covid-19

there is currently an increase in numbers of a new variant of COVID-19. to protect facilitators & participants who are immunocompromised, disabled or chronically ill, we ask that you take a rapid test on the day of the ritual and stay home if you are experiencing viral symptoms.

NB: there is some evidence that rapid tests may be more accurate if you swab your throat before swabbing your nose. please also wait half an hour after eating or drinking. thank you for taking care!

disclaimer

one of the principles of this ritual space is that grief takes many forms and that all of these forms are welcomed. it's always possible that another participant may express their grief in a way that is challenging, or activating, for you. we will do our best as a group to resource and support one another in such situations. there will also be a quiet space where you can go if you need a break, and you can ask a member of the facilitation/care team to come with you if you need.

please bring

other grief spaces / co-conspirators / inspirers