The idea behind the Deconfining project is rooted in the need to build sustainable relationships between cultural creators across the geographical spaces of Africa and Europe. At Art Transparent, we set out to explore the rich connections between Central Europe and East Africa.

Two events as part of the Social Stage of the 21st SURVIVAL Art Review

Deconfining: Intercontinental Partnerships. Contexts, Processes, Networks

• 24.06.2023
• presentations in English

This event marked the inauguration of the Polish chapter of the international cooperation project “Deconfining”. During the meeting, an open call was announced for art residencies in Tanzania for artists from Central Europe and Africa.
Presentation of activities: Nafasi Art Center from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and the Women’s History Museum from Lusaka, Zambia.

Moderated by: Dr. Małgorzata Miśniakiewicz

Participants: Tanzania: Lilian Hipolyte, Firdaus Mbogho
Zambia: Samba Yonga, Natasha Omokhodion-Kalulu Banda

Deconfining: Challenges, Problems, and Joys of Building New Intercontinental Relationships

• 24.06.2023
• discussion in English

Moderated by: Dr. Karolina Bieniek
Participants:
Tanzania: Lilian Hipolyte (Nafasi Art Center)
Zambia: Samba Yonga (Women’s History Museum)
Poland: Iwona Frydryszak (Lelenfant), Anna Kudarewska (Krzyżowa Foundation)

AfryKamera – premiere event dedicated to the publication “Narratives of Closeness and Distance from Central-Eastern Europe and South-Eastern Africa – a Multicontextual Patchwork”

As part of the AfryKamera festival, the premiere event of the publication “Narratives of Closeness and Distance from Central-Eastern Europe and South-Eastern Africa – a Multicontextual Patchwork” took place.
The event featured editors and authors of texts included in the e-publication.

The meeting was preceded by a conversation with curator Małgorzata Miśniakiewicz, who spoke about the experiences of participants in the artistic residency in Tanzania, which concluded in February this year.

The discussion was led by: Dr. Karolina Bieniek, Dr. Urszula Markowska-Manista

Discussion around the anthology

• Online event on 14.10.2024, 3:00 PM
• Language: English

Participants: Dr. Urszula Markowska-Manista and Shilika Chisoko Moderator: Ruth Atim
Ruth Atim is an independent journalist, former news editor in broadcast and digital media, cybersecurity trainer, and gender equality advocate in the tech sector. She is the founder of Gender Tech Initiative Uganda, which supports female journalists facing online harassment and promotes gender equality in technology. With her strong media background, Ruth leverages her expertise to empower women and girls in the digital space. Beyond cybersecurity training, she passionately inspires rural schoolgirls to pursue STEM subjects and careers by providing mentorship and support. Ruth is a member of the Bosch Alumni Network.

Urszula Markowska-Manista, PhD is a researcher in education and childhood studies in culturally diverse environments, conducting interdisciplinary fieldwork in various contexts (the Horn of Africa, Central Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, and the South Caucasus). Her work is based on inclusive and participatory approaches, decolonial methodologies, interclusion, “difficult knowledge,” and sensitive topics. For two decades, she has been active in social sciences, running international projects and holding academic positions at universities in Poland and Germany. From 2016–2021, she served as Director (FU Berlin 2016) and Co-Director (2017–2021, FH Potsdam) of the international MA program Childhood Studies and Children’s Rights (MACR). From 2017–2018, she led the UNESCO Janusz Korczak Chair at the Maria Grzegorzewska University. She is currently a researcher and assistant professor at the University of Warsaw (Faculty of Education). Her publications include:
“Konkultura: Dimensions of Participation in the Culture of Young Immigrants from Ukraine in Poland” (co-author, 2020) and “Non-inclusive education in Central and Eastern Europe: Comparative studies of teaching ethnicity, religion, and gender” (co-editor, 2022), along with book chapters and articles published by Sage, Routledge, Springer. She is the regional editor for Bloomsbury in the area of childhood and youth studies. In 2015, she received the “Polityka” magazine award for academic excellence.

Shilika Chisoko is a writer currently pursuing her MA in English at Stellenbosch University. Her research focuses on contemporary Zambian women’s short stories and online subcultures. She is particularly interested in how individuals present themselves online and challenge dominant narratives. She authored the text “Untangling the Knots of Place and Space: Exploring Possibilities Through Depictions of Violence in Contemporary Zambian Short Stories”, published in the volume “Narratives of Closeness and Distance from Central-Eastern Europe and South-Eastern Africa: a Multicontextual Patchwork.”

Topic: Partnership in International Cultural Cooperation

• Online meeting on 28.10.2024, 3:00 PM
• Language: English

Participants: Lilian Hipolyte (Tanzania), Samba Yonga (Zambia), Panka Paskuj (Hungary), Małgorzata Miśniakiewicz (Poland) Moderator: Harun Mwadena Muyesi
Harun Mwadena Muyesi has over nine years of experience in youth development at the local level, promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), social responsibility, climate justice, and policy analysis for marginalized communities in Kenya’s Kilifi, Mombasa, and Kwale counties. With expertise in project management, proposal development, stakeholder engagement, and network building, Harun works to connect changemakers and foster collaboration. Since 2020, he has brought together organizations, networks, and young leaders to co-create solutions, share resources, and promote local SDG action. He excels in designing both virtual and in-person learning sessions focused on experience-sharing, knowledge exchange, and effective collaboration, strengthening networks and enabling joint action in East Africa and beyond. Harun is a member of the Bosch Alumni Network.

Samba Yonga is an award-winning journalist, communications expert, and cultural curator based in Lusaka, Zambia. She is the co-founder of the Women’s History Museum of Zambia, established in 2017, which aims to research and revive Indigenous African narratives, knowledge systems, and “living histories” focused on women. She is also the founder and managing partner of Ku-Atenga Media, a communications design firm addressing African realities, which now works across the continent and globally. Samba has been recognized as one of Quartz’s 100 Most Influential Africans, one of the Top 40 Most Influential African Women, a Google Podcast Creator, a TEDx Lusaka speaker, and a Museum Lab 2022 fellow. She curates exhibitions, designs digital content, and writes about Indigenous African knowledge systems and narratives across Zambia and the continent. The museum has collaborated with institutions including the National Museums of World Culture in Sweden, Umea Women’s Museum, Yale University, Windybrow Arts Centre in South Africa, Europeana in the Netherlands, Shanghai University, and ICOM, among others. It works with local communities to build digital platforms and tools that make this heritage accessible to African and global audiences. Her work addresses knowledge asymmetries born of colonialism, challenges erasure, and seeks transformational methods to shape future knowledge production in museums, creative sectors, and academia. Her role in Ku-Atenga Media and the Women’s History Museum has established her as a prominent figure in Africa and internationally. She studied journalism at Evelyn Hone College and holds a Master’s in Transnational Communications and Global Media from Goldsmiths, University of London.

Małgorzata Miśniakiewicz – PhD. A curator and art historian, her research explores the socio-political contexts of contemporary and post-war avant-garde art in Central and Eastern Europe, with a focus on inter-local perspectives. She studied art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London (MA in Global Conceptualism under Prof. Sarah Wilson and Prof. Boris Groys, 2011; PhD under Dr. Klara Kemp-Welch, 2018). Her doctoral work investigated 1970s networked art—particularly Polish mail art—in relation to democratic opposition, social, and geopolitical transformations. As a curator, she works primarily with contemporary and neo-avant-garde art, especially video and photography. She was Curator of the Collection at the Wrocław Contemporary Museum (2017–2019) and continues to carry out curatorial and research projects with Polish and international institutions. She is a writer, editor, and conference organizer, and twice a recipient of the Arts and Humanities Research Council scholarship. She also completed postgraduate studies in cultural management at the Warsaw School of Economics (2014).

Lilian Hipolyte is an experienced Creative Director and Brand Strategist with over fourteen years in the creative industry. She is the Director of Nafasi Art Space.

Panka Paskuj is a playwright working in both theater and film, dedicated to promoting human rights and equality through her creative work. A passionate advocate of art activism, she uses art to support social change and empower marginalized communities. In addition to her cultural management and activist activities, Panka works as a collaborative producer in a film production company, bringing powerful stories to the screen. Through her work, she aims to inspire action and help build a fairer, more equal world.