Although the Deconfining. Arts, Culture and Policies in Europe and Africa project is gradually coming to an end, collaboration among its partners continues to generate new meetings, presentations, and opportunities for exchange.

In the second half of June, two important events organized by project partners will take place almost simultaneously: the 24th SURVIVAL Art Review in Wrocław and the Theater der Welt Festival in Chemnitz.

Thanks to the collaboration between the Art Transparent Foundation and ITI Germany, this year’s SURVIVAL festival will host the Shaping Crossroads programme as well as participants connected to the African strand of the Deconfining project. We are especially looking forward to welcoming our long-standing partners – Lilian Hypolite from Tanzania and Samba Yonga from Zambia – who will soon be visiting Wrocław.

Events at SURVIVAL Art Review

An important part of the programme will be the open workshop “Shaping Crossroads – Creating Spaces for Reflection. A Workshop on African-European Cultural Cooperation”, which will take place on 29 June at 12:00 as part of the 24th SURVIVAL Art Review. Developed by participants of the Deconfining project, the workshop will focus on experiences of mobility, transcontinental collaboration, and building more equitable partnerships between Europe and Africa. The session will be led by Beatrice Wambui Waruinge (Kenya), Wabwire Joseph Ian (Uganda), Joshua Ademola Alabi (Nigeria), Lilian Hypolite (Tanzania), and Felix Sodemann (ITI Germany). Participation is free of charge; advance registration via the Evenea platform is required.

The workshop will also serve as an introduction to two afternoon discussions dedicated to cooperation between Europe and Africa. At 15:30, the panel discussion “Beyond the Crossroads – Building Appreciative and Sustainable Cultural Networks in Africa and Beyond” will feature Beatrice Wambui Waruinge, Wabwire Joseph Ian, Joshua Ademola Alabi, and Ukhona Ntsali Mlandu, and will be moderated by Małgorzata Miśniakiewicz. Then, at 17:30, we invite audiences to join the conversation “After DECONFINING. Narratives of Proximity and Distance”, featuring Lilian Hypolite, Urszula Markowska-Manista, and Karolina Bieniek, moderated by Patrycja Rozwora.

Events in Chemnitz

At the same time, during the conference “Bridging the Gaps. Connecting the Dots”, organised by ITI Germany as part of the Theater der Welt Festival, artistic works created within the Deconfining project and produced by the Art Transparent Foundation will be presented. These include Moses “Teflon” Kizza’s Amazina Mbuyaga, Josephine Kiaga’s Crimson Code, Lindi Dedek’s Not Like Other Trees, and Michalina Musielak’s With Socialist Greetings.

The conference will provide an opportunity to reflect on four years of collaboration between project partners from Europe and Africa, while also opening a discussion on the future of international cultural cooperation after Deconfining.

For us, this is a particularly significant moment. After four years of working together, we can see how the projects, relationships, and experiences developed through Deconfining continue to live on – emerging in new contexts, reaching new audiences, and becoming the starting point for future initiatives.

We would like to thank the ITI Germany team for their trust, partnership, and all the initiatives we have accomplished together. We look forward to seeing you at SURVIVAL in Wrocław and at the conference in Chemnitz!