The Song of the Germans

The Song of the Germans is a sound installation produced by the Berlin-based Nigerian artist Emeka Ogboh. First premiered at the 2015 Venice Biennale, it features a recording of ten African immigrants singing the German national anthem in their native languages (Bamum, Duala, Ewondo, Igbo, Kongo, Lingala, Moore, Sango, Twi, and Yoruba). The sound composition is played continuously, with a new organization each time: one singer starts the piece, then others join at different moments in the song, building up to a full chorus.

With this and other audio installations, Ogboh explores how sound affects our emotional experiences and frames and reframes our understanding of the world, including national imaginaries. In the case ofSong of the Germans—which was created when immigration to Germany had reached a peak in 2015—issues such as the meaning of national identity, multiculturalism, and (post)colonialism are brought forward for reconsideration.

The Kemper Art Museum installation of The Song of the Germans is featured in conjunction with the symposium Archiving the Sounds of German Culture: A Century of Collection, Curation, and Creative Practice, organized by Associate Professor Caroline Kita and Assistant Professor Sarah Koellner in the Department of Comparative Literature and Thought in Arts & Sciences. A special presentation by Ogboh will take place on March 26, 2026, in the Museum Lobby.

About the Artist

Emeka Ogboh (Nigerian, b. 1977) engages with place through a multisensory practice that extends across hearing, sight, taste, smell, and touch. His art installations and culinary creations incorporate various affective sensory elements to explore how private, public, and collective memories and histories are translated, transformed, and encoded into different perceptual experiences. Ogboh’s works delve into how sensory perceptions capture our connections to the world, shape our comprehension of reality, and offer a backdrop for examining critical issues such as migration, globalization, and postcolonialism.
Ogboh’s work has been presented at major international institutions and exhibitions, including the São Paulo Biennial (2025), Documenta 14 in Athens and Kassel (2017), Skulptur Projekte Münster (2017), the 56th Venice Biennale (2015), and the Dakar Biennale (2014).