Samba Yonga: Deconfining. Arts, Culture and Politics in Europe and Africa скачать в хорошем качестве

Samba Yonga: Deconfining. Arts, Culture and Politics in Europe and Africa

In this interview, Samba Yonga, co-founder of the Women’s History Museum, reflects on decolonial knowledge production, digital archiving, and the politics of international cultural exchange within the Deconfining project. The conversation explores: the founding of the Women’s History Museum as a fully digital institution dedicated to restoring and centering indigenous knowledge systems created by women, how colonialism erased women’s histories and delegitimized oral traditions, storytelling, and artistic practices as valid forms of knowledge, the role of digital technologies in democratizing, archiving, and legitimizing non-Western knowledge systems, a critical challenge to Eurocentric ideas of museums, institutions, and “four-wall” knowledge production, parallels between the museum’s mission and Deconfining’s interrogation of collaboration, power, and cultural structures, systemic inequalities in global mobility, particularly visa regimes that position artists and cultural workers from the Global South as “lesser partners,” the emotional, financial, and logistical toll of visa processes and border bureaucracy, reflections on equality, trust, and reciprocity as essential foundations for genuine cultural exchange, cautious optimism about international collaborations as spaces of necessary tension, debate, and transformation. This interview offers a sharp and thoughtful critique of global knowledge hierarchies while advocating for courageous, equitable, and sometimes uncomfortable conversations as a vital part of meaningful collaboration. // Deconfining. Arts, Culture and Politics in Europe and Africa is an international initiative that brings together artists, institutions, and researchers from the European Union and African countries. Its aim is to open spaces for dialogue—both symbolically and practically—where history and contemporary realities have long built walls. The Art Transparent Foundation from Wrocław co-creates Deconfining, fostering artistic, educational, and curatorial exchange, as well as building lasting relationships between the regions. The project’s partner in Tanzania is Nafasi Art Space – one of the most important centres of contemporary art in East Africa. It is in Dar es Salaam on 5 February 2026, that a unique exhibition will open, presenting the results of the Deconfining artistic residencies. Audiences in Tanzania will see works by five artists that premiered earlier this year during the 23rd SURVIVAL Art Review in Wrocław – one of the largest and most recognized festivals of contemporary art in public space in Poland. The exhibition will also feature a new installation by Kenyan artist Naitiemu Nyanjom, created especially for the presentation in Dar es Salaam. This encounter of cultures and perspectives shows that art can serve as a tool for decolonizing the imagination, opening new narratives, and enabling collective action across divisions. Deconfining in Dar es Salaam is not only a presentation of artworks, but also an invitation to a conversation about the future we can create together—despite contemporary challenges and complexities.