DECOLONIAL ECOLOGY

Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne
26th of november 2024 / 18:30 - 22:00

In January 2020, Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate was cut out of a press photo with Greta Thunberg and three other climate activists at the WEF in Davos. She commented on social media: "For the first time in my life, I understood what racism means".

For a long time, the ecological and the decolonial / anti-racist movements ran in parallel. It even seemed that their political demands were contradictory. In recent years, however, many European climate activists have demonstrated solidarity with those from the global South, and climate justice became a relevant issue. Activists and researchers dismantle the feel-good environmentalism of the West, comforted by organic labels, climate neutral technologies and the reassuring promise of recycling. They revisit the colonial history of biodiversity studies and nature conservation that is closely interwoven with the plantations, monocultures and extractivism.

With "The Time For Denial Is Over – Decolonial Ecology", GROUP50:50 is inviting artists, activists and researchers who are working towards a decolonial ecology to exchange around their practices. How can we deal with disappointment and uncertainty when apparent solutions to ecological issues continue to reproduce the same inequalities? How can we support the people most exposed to the impacts of climate change and ecological disaster without ending up in neo-colonial paternalistic approaches?

Admission to the event is free of charge but registration is recommended.

Programme curated by GROUP50:50 and organized in collaboration with Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne.
With the support of Migros pour cent culturel and HEKS / EPER.  

18:30 - 20:00 – People without land?

In French

Autochthonous epistemologies have been silenced and discriminated since colonial times. In times of ecological disaster, their ideas about biodiversity, about the gathering of plants, berries and seeds, caring for and protecting nature, are re-evaluated. The role of autochthonous peoples and their traditions become crucial to counter neo-colonial practices of international experts and NGOs in protected areas. They reclaim the rights for the forests and land that they have been cultivating and protecting for centuries.

GROUP50:50 –
Lesson#1 Claim the the rights!

Screening, 10 min.

In 2024, GROUP50:50, together with local and international activists and the Mbuti community, held a workshop in Wamba to develop strategies for the community to claim their rights to the forest.

JOSEPH KASAU –
Lesson#2 Guardians of the forest

Talk, 15 min.

Joseph Kasau Wa Mambwe (Lubumbashi), GROUP50:50 member and artist, talks with Jean-Baptiste Ekaka (Wamba), teacher and performer of ‘Ecosystem’, about the expertise of the Mbuti people in protecting the forest.

FIORE LONGO –
Lesson#3 Experts in conservation

Talk, 15 min.

an activist and researcher (Paris), talks about the colonial history of nature conservation in the Global South and the conflicts between international and local experts.

Followed by a discussion with the public.

20:30 to 22:00 – Clear the rubbish dump of colonial history!

In English

The biggest price of the climate change caused by industrialised countries is carried by the world's most vulnerable populations – small farmers, indigenous peoples, women, fishermen, inhabitants of coastal areas and overpopulated cities. And yet the negative consequences of overconsumption in Europe are outsourced to the Global South. Many measures to combat climate change and biodiversity loss and the socalled green economies reproduce inequalities. How can people in Europe take responsibility for the consequences of their consumption, for (neo-)colonial exploitation, ecological disasters, and climate change? How can people in the global south reclaim their rights and receive compensation for their involuntary sacrifices?

DEBJANI BHATTACHARYYA–
Lesson#4 Colonial history and climate change

Talk, 15 min.

Debjani Bhattacharyya (Zurich), Professor of the History of Antropocene, talks about the (neo-)colonial system that created and perpetuates climate change.

AIDAH NAKKU & JOSHUA OMONUK –
Lesson#5 Who pays the price?

Video Talk, 15 min.

Aidah Nakku and Joshua Omonuk (Kigali), two climate justice activists from the Rise Up Movement, talk about the empowerment of women and rural communities claiming their rights.

NTANDO CELE –
Lesson#6 Better feel bad than feel good?

Talk, 15 min.

Ntando Cele (Bern), director and performer of ‘Wasted Land’, shares some thoughts on how to deal with feelings of guilt when faced with ecological disasters. 

SAMY MANGA –
Lesson#7 Cacaomania

Poetic Lecture, 15 min.

Samy Manga (Lausanne), a militant eco-poet born in the equatorial forest of Cameroon, reads a poetic text based on his book Chocolaté – Le goût amer de la culture du cacao. He follows the colonial ramifications of the Swiss chocolate industry, talking about the consequences of cocoa farming in his country and the traditions and spirituality with which the forest dwellers confront them.

Followed by a discussion with the public.

with

Eva-Maria Bertschy
Curator, artist, GROUP50:50, Palermo

Joseph Kasau
Videoartist, GROUP50:50, Lubumbashi

Jean Babtiste Ekaka
Artist, GROUP50:50, Wamba

Fiore Longo
Activiste, researcher, Paris

Debjani Bhattacharyya
Researcher, professor, Zurich

Aidah Nakku and Joshua Omonuk
Climate activists, Kampala

Ntando Cele
Director, Bern

Isaac Yenga
Production, Kisangani