Unlearning Empire begins with a poetic intervention by hn. lyonga. In his poems, the writer and artist explores the challenges neighbourhood(s) face in a postmigrant society—ranging from belonging and exclusion to the everyday negotiation of space. hn. lyonga’s texts offer a poetic entry point into questions that will see further elaboration at a political and discursive level.

The panel discussion that follows with experts from Madrid, London, Brussels, and Amsterdam will address the question of what shared demands emerge from the decolonial efforts of different actors across European metropolises. Starting from their respective local contexts, the panel explores where experiences, strategies, and political goals overlap—and where differences remain. The aim is to make visible the connections between decolonial movements in different European cities, and to ask what common language and shared demands can arise from them.

In this way, the evening links an artistic-poetic perspective to an analytical-political engagement with the city, migration, and decolonization.