Please note: the maximum amount of attendents of this event has been reached and it is no longer possible to register your attendance on site. However, you are welcome to tune into event through the online livestream.

Taking inspiration from traditional African forms of engagement like palace gatherings and village assemblies, this symposium explores contemporary global issues relevant to Africa and the African diaspora. It brings together African and European perspectives to discuss the impact of Dutch slavery on African communities and seek proactive solutions. The aim is to raise awareness about black history and heritage, both in Africa and the global diaspora, and address enduring colonial influences in various institutions. Within the context of Afrofuturism, the symposium also focuses on the socio-economic and geopolitical relations of the Netherlands, with a view to strengthening ties between Africa and Europe. It will explore themes such as arts and culture, oral history, decolonization, political economy, diplomacy, and international relations, with the participation of experts, diplomats, musicians and dancers from Africa, the Afro-diaspora and Europe.

Please note: during this event, photos and videos will be taken which will be used for documentation and publication purposes. If you have any objections to this, please notify the photographer.

In addition to attending the event in person, you also have the option to join the event online:

The dialogue host/convener is Olupemi Oludare, assistant professor in Black History at the University of Amsterdam. The project was funded by the Cultuurparticipatie Fonds and supported by Decolonial Dialogues@Humanities and Isokan Concepts.

Programme

Panel 1

Thematic discussions on arts and cultural [memory, belonging, identity, tourism] heritage, Black/African diaspora and decoloniality.

Dialogue question 1
How does cultural heritage serve as primary sources of African history: how does it encapsulate the “tradition, resistance, and empowerment” contexts?

With panel discussants:
Bright Richards (Panel chair) – African/Intercultural connections, New Dutch Connections, Utrecht
Emmanuel Adu-Ampong – Cultural Geography, Wageningen University
Edward Oludare – Education/Cultural practictioner, Dowen College, Nigeria

Dialogue question 2
What does decoloniality, transnationalism, and Afrofuturism mean for the Black (African/Afro-diasporic) communities in the Netherlands and globally: what is the way forward in harmonizing all existing perspectives?

With panel discussants:
Jimoh Ganiyu – Art History, University of Virginia
Leroy Lucas – Curacao native/Afro-diasporic heritage, Keti Koti Utrecht
Kamai Freire – Candomblé Religion/Transcultural heritage, HFM Weimar University, Germany

Contributions from the audience
African music performance
Break (with video streaming of the traditional Surinamese Saamaka maroon religious dance and music rituals)
African and Suriname Dance and Percussion Performance

Panel 2

Thematic discussions on people, im/emigration, economics, governance, diplomacy and international relations.

Dialogue question 1
How have the legacies of Dutch slavery impacted African communities in the Netherlands: in what ways have (West) African diplomatic missions been involved in these discussions and resolutions in the Netherlands?

With panel discussants:
Femi Eromosele (Panel chair) – Comparative Literature, Utrecht University
Francis Kotia - Ghanaian Ambassador to the Netherlands
Felix Ameka – Centre for Linguistics, Leiden University

Dialogue question 2
What are the African and European perspectives on decoloniality, transnationalism, and Afrofuturism: how do (West) African diplomatic missions in the Netherlands perceive and approach these thematic perspectives?

With panel discussants:
Eniola Ajayi - Nigerian Ambassador to the Netherlands
Rachel Gillett – Cultural History, Utrecht University
Oladele Ayorinde – Anthropology/Ethnomusicology, Indiana University

Contributions from the audience
Reflections and closing remarks
Vote of thanks