Online - May 9, 2023
Decolonial Europe Day
The Decolonial Europe Day is a new initiative that uses the occasion of Europe Day (9 May every year) to bring together existing decolonising initiatives, civil society organisations and other actors around the common project of decolonising Europe, understood as an ongoing process. Our intention is to create a space for exchange on how to decolonise Europe, to amplify decolonial voices in and on Europe, to support the creation of synergies and to make this type of conversation more mainstream in Europe, with the ultimate purpose of dismantling and replacing colonial power structures. The first edition of the Decolonial Europe Day will take place in online format on 9 May 2023 (9:30-18:00 South/Central African & Central European Summer Time).
The project is initiated by a small group of people in collaboration with several civil society organisations and pre-existing decolonising initiatives (see ‘about us’ section). The initiative aims to contribute to a shift in the dominant narrative on Europe in Europe, knowing that a shift of the narrative is a precondition for dismantling colonial power structures. While Europe Day typically mobilises those celebrating Europe, our approach is different. As stated by Gurminder Bhambra, “Europe’s past is an imperial and colonial past”, to which we add: Europe’s present and future will continue to be a colonial present and future unless Europe makes decolonisation its core concern.