Nanjala Nybola: “Development itself needs to be decolonised.”
GP Podcast about perspectives on (post-)colonialism
The Kenyan author and journalist Nanjala Nyabola studied Political Science, African Studies and Migration in Birmingham and Oxford and publishes on literature, society, international law, feminism, media and digitalisation in Africa.
Prof. Carola Lentz has been the President of the Goethe-Institut since 2020. Previously, she was Chair of the German Society for Social and Cultural Anthropology and Vice President of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences.
Recording of the podcast
In the interview with GPI, Nanjala Nyabola talked about forms of Neo-Colonialism: Too often, relations between African countries and Europe remain characterized by exploitation of natural resources. Similarly, land ownership still reflects colonial patterns, especially in former settler colonies.
Nyabola calls for the concept and practice of development to be decolonised. Development does not need to be modelled after the blueprint of Europe. Professionals in international cooperation should continuously examine institutions and processes for power imbalances.
President of the Goethe Institute and Professor of Cultural Anthropology Carola Lentz also welcomes the change in research, politics and public discourse and Germany’s willingness to engage more with its colonial history. In the context of cultural cooperation, this can mean – next to restitution – creating digital inventories of looted art, traveling exhibitions, and support for museums in African countries.
Contact Person:
Judith Ramadan, Project Management
j.ramadan@globalperspectives.org