As part of the implementation of the Brussels government's action plan "Towards the decolonisation of public space in the Brussels-Capital Region", Urban commissioned Traumnovelle to design an installation in front of the Monument to the Belgian pioneers in Congo in Cinquantenaire Park. Curator Laurent Mbaah has been commissioned to activate the installation. They invite you to a discussion on coloniality in public space.
- Round Table
- From 2 pm to 4 pm
- Cinquantenaire Park, in front of the installation The Grand Opening
The concept of coloniality was coined by Peruvian sociologist Aníbal Quijano and has been forged at the heart of the group Colonialidad/Mondernidad, which has brought together Latin American intellectuals since the 1990s. The concept refers to a set of unequal power relations (political, economic and cultural) imposed by the colonial rule of the various European empires since the late 15th century. These unequal power relations continue to be exercised - violently - in various spheres of contemporary society in the 21st century.
Public space, as a place of passage for all, as a place for the expression of citizenship or as domain of the State, is one of the spheres in which this coloniality is revealed and weighs heavily. Certain statues, monuments and street names reflect the colonial power relations that still exist in our societies.
Johnny Leya (Traumnovelle) will be talking to Ayoko Mensah (House of European History) and Mohamed Ali Nizar Saleh (Collectif Faire-part). Together, they will set out the framework and terms of the (de-)colonial question in Brussels and Belgium, explain how coloniality manifests itself in their field and what decolonial strategies they are developing to thwart it.
Speakers
Ayoko Mensah is a journalist, cultural expert and arts programmer. In recent years, she has been involved in programming the Afropolitan Festival (Bozar). She is currently developing an exhibition on Europe's colonial past at the House of European History.
Mohamed Ali Nizar Saleh is a photographer, video artist and music producer who lives between Kinshasa and Brussels. He is a member of the Collectif Faire-Part, which brings together Belgian and Congolese filmmakers. His fictional and documentary work focuses on the relationship between human beings and their environment. He is deeply influenced by the colonial and post-colonial histories of Belgium and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Johnny Leya is an architect. He co-founded Traumnovelle, an agency that uses architecture and fiction as analytical, critical and subversive tools to dissect major contemporary issues.
