Transformation Workshop
Conference for decolonial, anti-racist solutions to ecological crises.

What are we going to do?

As part of this year’s Düsseldorf One World Days, we are planning a two-day event for 27 & 28 September 2024 in Düsseldorf. The title of this event is: ‘Africa Roots & Repair – Paths to just, sustainable and healing transformation’.

Building bridges between Africa and Europe is a huge challenge! In concrete terms, this means rapprochement despite differences, but also encounters and listening, joint political struggles and shaping the future at eye level, among other things. However, in view of the current drastic global power shifts towards a fragmented multipolar world order and other existential global crises, insecurities and uncertainties, such as the climate catastrophe, the question arises: Can a truly sustainable, transformative bridge be built between the two neighbouring continents of Africa and Europe without recognising and coming to terms with colonial history, without taking responsibility and without deconstructing neo-colonial and imperial structures and constructs and exploitation and ecocide?

In order to find common answers and practical solutions to these questions, experts, activists and artists from both the Afro-diasporic communities based here and directly from Africa will present their perspectives and solutions for a just transformation towards self-determined sustainable development. In line with the anti-colonial and anti-racist motto ‘Everything about us and without us is against us’, they will enter into dialogue with European and other actors worldwide. They are networking and forging new forms of equal partnerships and cooperation. In this regard, all the speakers involved are people of African origin. We document the jointly developed practical solutions and recommendations for action and publicise them. In addition, we accompany and support the implementation of the findings, cooperations, partnerships and projects developed through this event on a permanent basis, both on political, scientific, activist and movement levels – help for self-help!

Lectures – Group work – Healing – Open Space – Entertainment – Food – Network

What do we want to achieve?

Our goals are:

• to create awareness, sensitivity and understanding of the consequences of the climate catastrophe, environmental racism and neo-colonial exploitation in Africa as a foundation for all our work
• the joint development of practical solutions and recommendations for action for sustainable transformation
• strengthening equal participation by establishing alternative forms of partnerships on an equal footing between Africa and Europe as a basis for community building
• networking interested stakeholders for the purpose of new alliances, collaborations and projects
• supporting and empowering marginalised people and groups
• the promotion of political education, open, peaceful and critical-constructive dialogue and exchange, international understanding and peaceful coexistence

Who can take part?

The event is free of charge and open to all people aged 15 and over with an interest in and, ideally, prior knowledge of the topics of Africa, climate and environmental justice, colonialism, racism and the South-North divide. Our event is particularly aimed at people who are already active or organised in these areas. People from the African diaspora in Germany and from the Global South in general are expressly and cordially invited to participate. However, the number of participants will be limited to a maximum of 100. To finance this costly event and its follow-up measures, participants and all other interested people can of course donate via the GoFundMe platform. You can find more information here.

How can I take part?

Participation in the event requires binding pre-registration. You can fill in the registration form online on our website. Registration is only binding after confirmation from the organising team.

Registration ends on 15.09.2024.

Host

The host of the event is the Nigerian-born environmental activist and journalist Peter Emorinken-Donatus, who is an important voice from the Global South for environmental and climate justice in this country.

Partners