Oyonïk: A Call Across Memories

Cúmez is from Chixot (Comalapa), one of the many places affected by Guatemala’s civil war. The war left thousands dead, displaced, or missing, and it entrenched a culture of silence among the population. In his poetry collection, Oyonïk, Cúmez explores, among other themes, a ceremonial and symbolic "call" to people beyond their territory. This includes his own migration to the city and connects Guatemala's practices of memory and struggle with the naming and transformation of violence through language.

The evening will begin with a conversation with the author about Oyonïk. In the second part, we will move together to the cemetery garden, where more poems will be read. Several invited participants will also have the opportunity to share their own texts, creating a collective space for reading and exchange.

The event provides an opportunity to reflect on these histories and the power of poetry in the struggle against silence. It also allows us to explore the shared stories that connect experiences of displacement to a place like Berlin. Through conversation and collective reading, we will explore how poetry can carry histories, memories, and voices across territories and bring them into dialogue.

All audiences are welcome, particularly those with migrant or displacement histories, as well as anyone interested in poetry, memory, and how stories are carried across territories.

The event will be held in Spanish with English translation.