Decolonise Festivals
Description
The Conference was part of the Performance Festival Culturescapes: https://culturescapes.ch/en/theme/sahara-ii/decolonize-festivals
Abstract
In 2025, Culturescapes, together with several partner festivals in Africa and Europe, created a discussion space to rethink and reimagine power, representation, and collaboration within and between festivals on the two continents. The Decolonise Festivals conference is a result of a joint mapping of entrenched colonial power dynamics in the art festival ecosystem and an attempt to envision spaces for fair and just representation, genuine collaboration, and inclusion. It follows the key questions:
How do we address the harmful impact of global power imbalances on the festival ecosystems?
How are the politics behind festival programming in various countries being formed and implemented? How do we hear a broader range of voices, experiences, and practices without marginalizing and/or exoticizing them? Is it possible and needed to envisage more equal and inclusive relationships with various local audiences? What is the role of art festivals in these highly turbulent times?
Curated by Kateryna Botanova
How do we address the harmful impact of global power imbalances on the festival ecosystems?
How are the politics behind festival programming in various countries being formed and implemented? How do we hear a broader range of voices, experiences, and practices without marginalizing and/or exoticizing them? Is it possible and needed to envisage more equal and inclusive relationships with various local audiences? What is the role of art festivals in these highly turbulent times?
Curated by Kateryna Botanova
Date Issued
2025-10-10
Publication Type
Conference Item
Subjects
Decolonisation
•
Festival
•
Co-Production
•
Localisation
•
Theatere- and Performancestudies
Language(s)
en
Access(Rights)
metadata.only