Living decoloniality, practical examples of decolonial
re-existence through the aid sector, a podcast by Carla Vitantonio
with the support of the Center for Humanitarian Leadership.
 

Welcome back to Living decoloniality.
I am Carla Vitantonio and the sounds and noises you hear in the background
are from the city where I live and work.
Havana, Cuba.
Today we will hear from someone whom I met through this podcast.
His name is Dawit Taddele Dessie  and it was thanks to Charles Kojo Vandyke,
whom I interviewed in the past season, that we crossed paths.
Let’s hear from Dawit how introduces himself.
I always find it challenging to introduce myself condensing over
four decades of life experience into a few minutes,
but let me do my best.
My name is Dawit Taddele Dessie and I consider myself a passionate
change maker and a global citizen.
For the last 15 years, I’ve been working on various developmental
research and private sector projects always striving to drive positive
impact. Currently I’m at the forefront of integrating
technology into development through my work at Project Tech for Development
and I also serve as the strategic advisor for East African Philanthropy Network
on their strategic initiatives.
And I’ve always been passionate about harnessing technology
and data for social good.

In this short recording, Dawit already puts on the table something very important
for me and for many people working on decoloniality.
The difficulty, if not impossibility, of reducing one identity to something
monolithic, to one intangible and unchangeable block of information.
Dawit chooses today to introduce himself as someone who is willing to
accompany and drive positive change in the sector.
I ask at him, as I always do with my guests,
where does he see coloniality?

Coloniality for me is a complex concept that manifests itself in
systemic, structural and personal level.
It’s a mindset that continues to privilege certain cultures
and marginalize others. While often settled, coloniality shapes our institutions,
our thoughts, and our relationships. I see coloniality in many aspect of the world
today from economic inequalities to the dominance of Western thought.
For instance, the measurement of progress in development is often rooted in colonial ideas.
As a citizen of a country often labeled as developing,
a term I adamantly refuse to accept or use; it deeply bothers me to hear thrown around casually.
It erases our rich history of economic success
and neglects the remarkable achievement of the past from harnessing the power of trade and agriculture
that stands as a testament to the resourcefulness and adaptability of our history.
Human history is a spectrum. Our ancestors were pioneers in utilizing
minted coins, facilitating trade across the globe,
developing knowledge that is being used in every aspect of our life today.
A feat achieved long before it became a commonplace in Europe.
The dominance of Western-centric education has left a lasting legacy that is reflected in every
aspect of our life globally. One thing that baffles me every day is how Western thought,
starting from the so-called enlightenment era of the 1600,
has managed to wipe down and rewrite history, rebranding the world to solely focus on Europe as a
centre of the world. In recent times I’m trying to move my focus away from systemic and structural
aspects of decolonization and focus more on a personal level where I believe as an individual I can make
the most impact. Recognizing coloniality is crucial if we want to truly understand the world we live in
and work. This requires us to challenge ourselves and the dominant narrative that is ingrained in our
minds. Some were aware of some were not. In the development sector we talk a lot about decolonizing
institutions but we often neglect to invest in the personal decolonization journey. Let’s consider
a few reflective questions. When was the last time we truly listened and not just respond to solve
a problem but to understand the perspective that created power dynamic we live in today? How often
do we interrupt or dominate conversations either be consciously or unconsciously? How can we create
environments where everyone feels comfortable and safe to share their thoughts? One aspect of
colonialism that is your question of how and where do I see it is the lack of co-creation that is
in the development sector. From my perspective co-creation goes beyond collaboration that is a way to
deconstruct the power dynamic that are at the root of decolonization; it involves ensuring that
local perspective shapes the direction and outcome of our development goals that are solely focused
on local context. It means acknowledging, respecting the knowledge and expertise and agencies of
the communities we work with. When we truly embrace co-creation we began to dismantle the root of
the hierarchies that often exist in colonial structures. A powerful definition that strikes me for
its clarity and for its closeness to my feelings. I’m especially interested by how that identifies
three levels of action for coloniality, systemic, structural and personal and how it stresses
we have to start working from this last one. On aware and unaware colonial patterns.
 

In his response
Dawit already anticipates something about my third question and he proposes co-creation as an
alternative to colonial processes in this sector. Let’s hear more about decolonial practices according
to him.

When we turn toward decoloniality I think one of the most impactful practices is
supporting local innovation and acknowledging the agency of communities and solving complex issues.
This approach goes beyond merely recognizing the existence of local solutions. It calls for
a deep investment in local organizations and individuals who are actively developing these
solutions. It’s about understanding that people’s closest to the challenge often have the most
profound insights and the most sustainable solutions. This also involves a fundamental shift in how
we value local knowledge and practice. For generations communities have nurtured a deep understanding
of their environments, culture and challenges they face. Yet in many cases these insights have been
overlooked or undervalued in favor of external solutions. Decoloniality asks the flip-descript
acknowledging that local knowledge is not just relevant but essential in creating less than change.
And I think this is a factual evidence how for the last 40 years development has
lacked to produce results that are wanted. Decoloniality also requires us to challenge the dominant
narrative and actively promote diverse perspectives. Too often development work becomes preoccupied with
systemic and structural aspects. Neglecting the personal dimension that shaped the very system.
From a theoretical standpoint it’s the personal, the lived experience and individual action that
build and sustain structures and systems. We frequently discuss the importance of dismantling colonial
structures and fostering equitable systems. Yet our daily practices sometime contradict these
ideas. For instance, the way we communicate often remains titled driven with hierarchies that
are local colonial power dynamics. We speak about shifting the power, decolonizing institutions,
what we continue to use language that reinforces inequality such as line manager and subordinate.
While listening to Dawit, I realized that his reflection on decoloniality permeated all the
areas of this research. Therefore I asked him to give me one more example on how he is working,
for example, on decolonizing philanthropy.
To truly move the needles of decoloniality,
I personally believe an advocate for staying grounded in the personal. Considering
the commonly used phrase in the development sector, amplifying marginalized voices.
This expression, though well-intentioned, can carry a colonial undertone, suggest that
that we as the development practitioners have the power to give voice to others. In reality,
everyone has a voice. Our role should be to listen and create space where the voices can be heard.
This shift from application to actively listening changes the dynamic of our engagement.
It moves us away from a paternalistic approach where we are the benefactors and others are
the receipients towards a a more equitable relationship where we are collaborators, learners, and listeners.
Let’s explore a specific example in terms of decolonizing philanthropy.
KCDF, which stands for Kenyan Community Development Foundation and partnership with Wild Ganzen,
which is an international foundation located in the Netherlands. They adapted a match fund model.
receive 50% of their funding from local sources and 50%
from extended funders. This model ensures that both parties are equally
contributors creating a more power balance power dynamic. Moreover, it underscores the idea
that project belongs to the community. It’s not something being done to them, but rather with them.
This approach is not just about funding. It’s about shifting the mindset of all involved. It
challenges the traditional model where external funders often hold power, instead of fostering
a partnership based on mutual respect and shared goals. And drawing from this success,
from KCDF Initiative, as part of my job currently with East African Philanthropy Network,
we are currently launching initiative or calling the integrated ecosystem. This effort deeply
rooted in the principles of decoloniality and aims to address the power dynamic within the development
sector. One of our primary goals is to create an endowment fund that will solve as core budget
support for EAPN members in East Africa. One of the main concerns is the driving force behind
a persistent power dynamic in the civil society sector is the overwhelming reliance on external
funding. Most funding from civil society organizations come from external sources,
which perpetuates and reinforces the existing power  unbalance. So this fund will operate
on the match, the fund principle, ensuring that local communities have significant ownership
of the projects they undertake. Additionally, we plan to leverage technology to equip EAPN members
with tools and knowledge needed to improve efficiency, resilience, and data-driven decision-making.
This integrated ecosystem initiative is designed to enhance the sustainability of organizations,
provide a comprehensive understanding of the East African civil society ecosystem,
and boost technological capability across the network. We recognize that we will encounter
challenges ahead, but we believe the solution is also in the strong partnership and co-creation
that exists within the network, and not making sure that the developed solutions are both innovative
and grounded in reality and have an essence of local knowledge itself. You know, for me,
I think when it comes down to it at the end is that the most powerful tool we have in the journey
toward decoloniality is a focus on the personal. On the relationship we build, the language we use,
the way we engage with those around us. By reflecting our interactions, I think remaining committed
to co-creation, I think we can drive significant structural and systemic change. You know, this is
approach not only in lines with the principle of decoloniality, but also fosters a development model
that is more inclusive and equitable. And I mean, I think one of the most important things
we have to acknowledge is the limitations we have as well too, and that we’re going to be encountering
failures as we go along, but I think part of that essence is that from the personal level that
acknowledgement is the key, and it’s a journey that we have to take on. The most powerful tool we
have on our journey toward decoloniality is the focus on the person and on the relationship we build,
the language we use, the way we engage, and again, the journey starts from a personal acknowledgement
of the way ahead. I loved that at the end of his interview, Dawit it implicitly returned to
the beginning and to the importance of understanding our position when we look at the world.
 

You listened to living decoloniality, practical examples of decolonial
re-existence through the aid sector. I am Carla Vitantonio and you can reach me through my
Spotify and speaker channels or through my Instagram Carla Vitantonio. This podcast was deliberately
recorded with minimum technical equipment trying to preserve as much as possible the feelings and
intentions of those who participated. If you liked it, please subscribe and share it through your
network. Living decoloniality was produced in partnership with the Centre for Humanitarian
Leadership. The logo is a present from Eugenio Nittolo