Beschrijving
In this lecture, Professor Azoulay addresses the impossibility of decolonising colonial museums, such as the Belgian Royal Museum for Central Africa, without decolonising the world. Addressing how stolen art, regime of documents and contemporary refugeeism are historically connected, she provides a transnational perspective on decolonisation.
Following the lecture, there's a panel discussion with Ariella Aïsha Azoulay and Katarzyna Ruchel-Stockmans (VUB), moderated by Patricia da Costa (WeDecolonizeVUB) and a Q&A with the audience.
Program
19:00-20:00 - Lecture by Ariella Aïsha Azoulay: Museums in Europe are not European - Unlearning Together at Their Thresholds
20:00-21:00 - Panel discussion and Q&A
Ariella Aïsha Azoulay is an author, curator of anti-colonial archives, film essayist, and theorist of empires and its various technologies (from partition to photography). She is Professor of Modern Culture and Media at the Department of Comparative Literature at Brown University. Her work focuses on unlearning imperial histories, engaging with archives to generate anti-colonial knowledge and generate potential histories.
Katarzyna Ruchel-Stockmans is lecturer in photography and contemporary art at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. She has published on theory and history of art and photography, especially on grass-roots imaging of dissent as well as on representations of history in recent art. Her current work centers on community-based archiving practices and participatory art.
WeDecolonizevub consists of a library space on campus, a social media platform and a series of events that are all carried by a diverse group of racialized students, they are the beating heart of the project. We aim to give the students of the VUB the opportunity to learn more about (de)colonization and anti-racism by creating a safe space that will tackle these sensitive topics and make room for students to meet, interact and exchange their thoughts and opinions.
Patricia da Costa is a writer of Angolan roots. Although she has been writing fiction for several years, she has given non-fiction a chance to discuss social issues and taboos by writing down her personal experiences. She is also an active board member within WedecolonizeVUB, podcast host and literature enthusiast.
Organisation
This event is curated by Hari Prasad Sacré, Arshia Ali Azmat & Hoda Siahtiri in collaboration with Kaaitheater, VUB Crosstalks, WeDecolonizeVUB, Brussels Research Centre on Innovation in Learning & Diversity and Cinema Palace, with the support of Sint-Lucas Antwerp, Constant vzw and VUB - Global Minds program.
More info on the VUB website
