‘DIGNITY OR DEATH’

By publishing his essay Dignity or Death. Ethics and politics of race (Éditions de la Découverte, Paris, 2019), French decolonial philosopher Norman Ajari proposes to revive the unknown history of radical thinking in Black worlds: slave revolts, Négritude, Christianity’s revolutionary practices in North America and South Africa... There is a Black historical consciousness, he points out, from Du Bois to Mandela, Fanon, Malcom X and many others.

“Current Black thought, therefore, has inherited their consciousness and reflections…” Today, as in previous times, argues Ajari, the fight against oppression and dehumanisation, and for dignity, remains essential for Afro-descendants. How does this historical awareness inspire and guide new Afro-decolonial movements in Belgium and France? What links and movements are there between the academic, activist and artistic decolonial circles in these two countries? Are yesterday’s obstacles the same as today’s? These are just a few of the questions that will be addressed.

Participants: Norman Ajari (philosopher), Pascale Obolo (filmmaker, curator, editor-in-chief of the art magazine Afrikadaa) and Mireille-Tsheusi Robert (trainer, author, and founder of the Belgian decolonial collective Bamko). The debate will be moderated by Joachim Ben Yakoub.
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After the debate, the guest speakers will sign their published works.