Event Review: Attending the Festival of Decolonial Learning, The University of Westminster, London, 14-16 June 2023
Dr Yarong Xie (Research Fellow (University of Edinburgh’s Historical Links to African Enslavement and Colonialism), 2022-2024) reports on her visit to the Festival of Decolonial Learning in London. Her full report can be read here as a PDF.
"It was beyond my expectation. And that's an understatement." This is what I have been telling people when I am asked about attending the Festival of Decolonial Learning.
The Festival of Decolonial Learning took place at the University of Westminster, London, between 14-16 June 2023. Students, researchers across disciplines and at various stages of their career, community members, and staff members working for higher education institutions travelled across the country, and continents, to attend this important and timely Festival. Parallel seminars, workshops, and presentations were run throughout all three afternoons and evenings. Sadly I could only be in one place at a time.
I found out about the Festival through an early-career-researcher’s mail list that I subscribe to, CoDE Early Career Network. I only arrived at the London Gatwick Airport in the noon on the 14th, and rushed to the venue as soon as I landed. When I entered the Marylebone Hall, I was warmly welcomed by volunteers from the Festival (including Dr Jennifer Fraser, who organised the Festival). Every day we were offered beautifully designed and bind brochures, labels to write our names, gender pronoun stickers, and stickers with the Festival’s logos. The brochure detailed the programmes for the Festival, listed all contributors and associated organisations, and even included a couple of note-taking pages! It normally takes a lot to impress me!
What impressed me even more was how inclusive and diverse the Festival was. It was a true Festival, in the sense that not only eminent scholars were invited to run workshops and give talks, but members of the community (such as the Grenfell Memorial Quilt – launched in memory of the lost lives at Grenfell Tower fire in 2017), alumnae/i of the University of Westminster, and students were also given opportunities to share their thoughts and have their voices heard. The activities ranged from (based on the workshops I attended) seminar discussions and talks, to handicrafts. Just like its name, the Festival itself was an occasion where learning was decolonised and reformed on the spot, and off the textbook pages.
I remember the temperatures were approaching 30 degrees Celsius in London those three days. Staff members at the Festival worked their best to get us into rooms where the air was cooler. Bottled water was served in all sessions. Having had conversations with delegates from other institutions, who had often travelled from other continents, I know I am not alone in buzzing about this Festival for days, and singing praises for all the people that brought this Festival to life.
After returning to Edinburgh, I spent a week reflecting upon my experiences and eventually put my thoughts in a diary. This diary unexpectedly went over thirty pages and eight-thousand words. If you would like to know a bit more about some of the events at the Festival, I warmly welcome you to share my joy and experiences here.
A decolonisation conference Reimagining Higher Education: Journeys of Decolonising is taking place on Wednesday 8 November, at De Montford University. For those who are keen to learn more, or meet leading scholars in the field, this is an event not to be missed! https://www.dmu.ac.uk/about-dmu/events/events-calendar/2023/november/reimagining-higher-education.aspx
Image by Raquel Durán, https://raquelcronopia.wordpress.com/. Image originally posted at https://blog.westminster.ac.uk/psj/festival-of-decolonial-learning/.