Having recently accepted German citizenship, writer and activist Priya Basil explores the Humboldt Forum from a deeply personal perspective. She delves into the question of what such a building, such a project, means for an understanding of the past and for belonging in the present. This much disputed, contested, celebrated monument now exists--but what exactly does it monumentalize? Basil writes, "In German, the word Schloss means a palace, and also a lock. The central question: Can a lock also be a key?"