After the Carnations – Cycles of Decolonisation and Democratic Futures
24 & 25 April 2026 | Biblioteca de Alcântara – José Dias Coelho, Lisbon
Performances | Panel discussion | Opening
After the Carnations – Cycles of Decolonisation and Democratic Futures
24 April 2026 | 5 pm
With Eva Cruzeiro, Dr Ibou Diop & Cátia Severino
For a long time, visibility in memory cultures and politics was understood as something institutionally managed through museums, curricula, and official commemorations. This model is increasingly being challenged. Today, remembrance unfolds in decentralised and collaborative ways, shaped by communities and shared practices. While this shift enables new voices and new forms of visibility, it also raises important questions of legitimacy, responsibility, and solidarity: Whose memories are foregrounded? Which remain unheard? And how can collective remembrance be sustained beyond institutional control?
Within this context, addressing the legacy of European colonialism is crucial. Long-term and socially effective strategies of decolonisation are needed, and artistic as well as participatory approaches can play a key role in shaping these processes and fostering a resilient culture of remembrance. Taking place on 24 April, on the eve of the anniversary of the Carnation Revolution, the panel reflects on the role of remembrance culture in Europe today. It brings together members of the European CPPD network and Portuguese experts. Dr Ibou Diop will present Kolonialismus erinnern (Remembering Colonialism), a city-wide remembrance concept for the state of Berlin, which advocates for the critical integration of colonial history into educational and civic practice. The discussion will be moderated by Cátia Severino.
OPENING
Dynamic Memory Lab »Cycles of Decolonisation«
24 April 2026 | 7 pm
The Dynamic Memory Lab »Cycles of Decolonisation« invites its visitors to engage with a central topic of our remembrance culture: European colonial history and decolonisation. In an immersive as well as interactive exhibition, visitors will be confronted with the legacy of European colonialism and its contemporary manifestations. The exhibition places a special focus on the structures of dehumanisation that remain effective in the present. It seeks to dismantle the invisibility associated with dehumanisation and places the human aspect at the centre of our attention.
»Cycles of Decolonisation« was developed under the curation of Cátia Severino and André Soares, with contributions by European artists, activists and academics of the CPPD. The curators direct our gaze to the continuities of European colonialism. Using the example of Food Delivery Riders, they show us the contemporary manifestations in which the legacy of European colonialism persists in the present. »Cycles of Decolonisation« illustrates how contemporary economic systems can repeat colonial dynamics, even without the direct violence and territorial occupation associated with historical colonisation.
After stations in Berlin and Madrid, the DML “Cycles of Decolonisation” will be opened at the Biblioteca de Alcântara – José Dias Coelho in Lisbon.
GUIDED TOUR & WORKSHOP
Carnations and Amnesia: Colonial Legacies in Contemporary Portuguese Society
25 April 2026 | 2 pm
