Join humanitarian professional, researcher and activist Carla Vitantonio on a journey exploring how coloniality is being challenged throughout the aid and development sector.
Season 1 of Living Decoloniality: Practical experiences of decoloniality throughout the aid sector explored how individuals and groups from around the world are tackling the harmful colonial legacy of the aid and humanitarian sectors.
In Season 2, Carla explored the notion of decoloniality through three different lenses: knowledge and extractivism, nature, and gender.
In the latest season, Carla offers even more conversations with practitioners, activists and consultants who share their stories about efforts to decolonialise the aid and development sector.
CHL is proud to support Living Decoloniality.
S3 E1: Welcome Back
In this opening episode of Season 3, we’re reconnecting with the essence of Living Decoloniality and diving into reflections from our journey so far. Join Carla as she unpacks key lessons from the first two seasons, revisits the fundamentals of coloniality, and sets the stage for the conversations to come. Whether you’re a long-time listener or tuning in for the first time, this episode is your gateway to understanding the ongoing impacts of coloniality and our paths toward decolonial futures.
Sources:
- Frantz Fanon’s Enduring Legacy By Pankaj Mishra
- Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon
- Positionality Statements as a Function of Coloniality: Interrogating Reflexive Methodologies by Jasmine K Gani, Rabea M Khan
Episode 2: Dawit
In this episode of Living Decoloniality, Carla interviews Dawit Taddele Dessie, a changemaker with over 15 years of experience driving transformative impact across diverse sectors. Dawit shares insights on how he is engaging in reshaping philanthropy in East Africa. The episode takes a deep dive into Dawit’s work at Project Tech for Development, the role of tech-enabled solutions in nonprofit work, and his vision for decolonising philanthropy through long-term sustainability, data-driven insights, and strategic partnerships . He emphasises that true decolonisation must begin with a shift in mindset, transforming the way we think before we can reshape systems and institutions.
Sources:
● 3 ways to decolonize philanthropy right now, Geoffrey Thige, Jailan Adly
Episode 3 | Safieh
In this insightful episode, Carla is joined by Safieh, a trailblazer in decolonising global health. With over 15 years of experience in the humanitarian sector, Safieh shares practical tools to dismantle the coloniality of knowledge and being within international public health projects. From her work as a medical doctor to establishing the first open-access, multi-country Ebola data repository, Safieh’s journey is a testament to the power of intersectional feminism, open science, and decolonial approaches.
Sources
- Transforming global health: decoloniality and the human condition, Raphael Lencucha
- Towards a bidirectional decoloniality in academic global health: insights from settler colonialism and racial capitalism, Bram Wispelwey, Chidinma Osuagwu, David Mills, Tinashe Goronga, Michelle Morse
- Shifting Power in Global Health: Creating partnerships to put decoloniality into practice, United Nations Univeristy
- Why and for whom are we decolonising global health?, Ong’era F Mogakaa, Jenell Stewart, Elizabeth Bukusi
Episode 4 | Michelle
In this episode Carla welcomes Michelle Lokot, an esteemed researcher and practitioner, to explore the coloniality of gender and how it intersects with monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in humanitarian contexts. Michelle shares practical tools for fostering decolonial approaches to M&E, drawing on her extensive experience in feminist research, GBV, and qualitative methods. As Co-Director of the Health in Humanitarian Crises Centre at LSHTM, Michelle brings unique insights into the power hierarchies shaping gender, forced migration, and humanitarian aid. With years of frontline experience in Jordan, Nigeria, and Burundi, and collaborations with agencies like UNICEF and IRC, Michelle’s expertise will challenge and inspire your perspective on humanitarian work.
Sources
- Gani, J.K & Khan, R.M, Positionality Statements as a Function of Coloniality: Interrogating Reflexive Methodologies
- Lokot, M., Pichon, M., Kalichman, B., Nardella, S., Falconer, J., Kyegombe, N., & Buller, A. M., Decolonising the field of violence against women and girls: A scoping review and recommendations for research and programming.
- Lokot, M., Reflecting on Race, Gender and Age in Humanitarian-Led Research: Going Beyond Institutional to Individual Positionality.
- Lokot, M., Whose Voices? Whose Knowledge? A Feminist Analysis of the Value of Key Informant Interviews.
- Meger, S, The Fetishization of Sexual Violence in International Security.
- Zreik, T., El Masri, R., Chaar, S., Ali, R., Meksassi, B., Elias, J., & Lokot, M., Collaborative Coding in Multi-National Teams: Benefits, Challenges and Experiences Promoting Equitable Research.
