Deberlinization Festschrift

The deberlinization Festschrift, curated by Ibou Coulibaly Diop, Franck Hermann Ekra and Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, deals with the urgency and possibilities of deberlinization: a concept developed by visual artist Mansour Ciss Kanakassy to question the aftermath of the Berlin Congo Conference (1884/85), at which the industrial and military powers who discussed the division of the African continent. The publication documents contributions to a three-day HKW program in April 2025 and presents the scientific findings, essays, polemics and literary approaches that have emerged from this.

Through a transformative poetics between creative action and forms of criticism and resistance, the deberlinization Festschrift critically deals with continuing colonial knowledge and power structures and presents alternatives to the prevailing world order. Authors of the book discuss the potential of deberlinization with other guests in order to design possible future scenarios. Accompanied by musical and literary contributions, they explore the strategies and language needed to retell the world.