Join humanitarian professional, researcher and activist Carla Vitantonio on a journey exploring how coloniality is being challenged throughout the aid and humanitarian sector.
Living Decoloniality: Practical experiences of decoloniality throughout the aid sector is a new short podcast series exploring how individuals and groups from around the world are tackling the harmful colonial legacy of the aid and humanitarian sectors.
In Episode 1, Carla explores post-colonial theory, and provides a helpful framework to be used while listening to the series.
Episodes 2-6 feature inspirational interviews with aid and humanitarian professionals on their own journeys to decolonise their practice and that of their organisations, and the wider sector.
The series launched on July 6, with a new episode to premiere each week on Spotify and all other major podcast channels.
Episode 1
In the first episode of Living Decoloniality, Carla Vitantonio shares the motivation behind the podcast, introduces her research questions and shares a reference framework used through the series. Carla briefly introduces the concept of coloniality and suggests how listeners can use the podcast.
Listen to “Living decoloniality 01” on Spreaker.
Episode 2
In the second episode of Living Decoloniality, Carla interviews Karishma Shafi (she/her), a program manager at One future collective, a feminist social purpose organisation with a vision of a world built on social justice, led by communities of care. Karishma discusses her lived experience as a woman growing up in India, and reflects on coloniality in several realms, including coloniality of knowledge.
Listen to “Living decoloniality 02” on Spreaker.
Episode 3
This episode is focused on cooperation among universities. Carla interviews three researchers: Adriana Moreno Cely, Kewan Mertens and Viola Nyakato, who share their decolonial practices and the methodology they are developing to tackle their own coloniality.
Listen to “Living decoloniality 03” on Spreaker.
Episode 4
In Episode 4, Carla interviews Themrise Khan, an independent professional in international development, based in Pakistan, who is working to develop what “a new ecosystem for international aid”. Themrise is not interested in using the framework of coloniality, although what she says echoes very much concepts and theories discussed in the podcast so far. She aims at creating a new roadmap that each country -and she stresses the national dimension of her plan – changes the way they live, provide, and ask for international aid.
Listen to “Living decoloniality 04” on Spreaker.
Episode 5
In this episode, Carla interviews Nigerian health worker and activist Jennifer Uchendu. Jennifer is the founder of Sustyvibes, a community where young people with a passion for a just world come together to connect and design new ways of living, for themselves, the planet and the world at large. Carla and Jennifer talk about decolonial practices when linked to “ecoanxiety”, to narratives, but also to power relations and to how those power relations shall be unveiled, even when relations with donors are involved.
Listen to “living decoloniality 05” on Spreaker.
Episode 6
In the penultimate episode of Living Decoloniality, Carla interviews Kenneth Amaeshi, Professor of Sustainable Finance and Chair in Transnational Governance (Global South) at the School of Transnational Governance. Carla and Kenneth discuss some of his work in Nigeria, which places importance on local approaches to sustainable development by utilising traditional social networks and practices.
Listen to “living decoloniality 06” on Spreaker.
Episode 7
In the final episode of Living Decoloniality, Carla reflects on the journey from episodes 1-6. She revisits her initial research questions and recaps the different topics covered by her guest speakers.
Listen to “Living decoloniality 07: until the next time” on Spreaker.
Episode 8
This episode features Maydi Bayona Estrada, a cultural anthropologist, who speaks to us from Cuba. A feminist and decolonial activist, Maydi shares her insightful perspective on international cooperation in her country and in academia, addressing issues such as the reproduction of privilege and power with clear and real-world examples.At the same time, Maydi proposes alternatives and healing practices that can support our work of decolonial re-existence.
Listen to “Living Decoloniality 08” on Spreaker.
Episode 9
In this final episode of the fourth season of Living Decoloniality, Carla Vitantonio is joined by Matilde Dani and Asier Hernando Malax-Echevarria to reflect on some of the key threads that have shaped this season, the first one produced in Spanish.
Drawing on the voices featured throughout the series, the conversation explores the ethics of care, the role of bodies and situated knowledge, and the ways coloniality continues to operate in everyday practices within cultural work, social action, and international cooperation. The discussion also returns to a central question running through the season: how to move from discourse to practice, understanding decoloniality not as an identity, but as a daily practice shaped by choices, tensions, and responsibilities. In the final part of the episode, Carla opens a reflection on the coloniality of gender, a topic that remains largely unaddressed within international cooperation and humanitarian sectors.
Listen to “Living Decoloniality 09” on Spreaker.
Living Decoloniality is presented in partnership with the Centre for Humanitarian Leadership, with the support of the School of Transnational Governance.
