Join us for an evening of sonic experience and collective inquiry into alternative narratives of worldmaking. How do we imagine futures beyond the limits of the present? What stories, sounds, and forms of collective thinking can emerge through practices of unlearning, decoloniality, and radical imagination? How do we not only envision new worlds but actively bring them into reality?

Blending sound and thought into dialogue, the event creates a space where artistic expression and critical reflection can collectively interrogate inherited systems of knowledge and explore new possibilities for global coexistence. Beginning with a musical experience by Nigerian-British singer/songwriter Azekel, the evening centres around conversations with Adom Getachew, Bisrat Negassi and Minna Salami on the sources, visions, and practices of forging alternative worlds. Drawing inspiration from anticolonial traditions, Afrofuturism, indigenous praxis, and feminist approaches to knowledge production, the gathering encourages us to reflect collectively on how narratives shaped by colonialism, capitalism, nationalism, and inherited structures of domination and exploitation continue to shape our social and political imagination - and how they might be unlearned.

The event is a co-production of M.Bassy and the Imaginal Worldmaking Studio, supported by the Hamburg Institute for Advanced Study (HIAS) and the Global Policy Institute at Durham University.

Participating artists, thinkers & cultural actors:

Azekel

Azekel was born in Abuja, Nigeria, before moving to London at the age of five. Growing up as the eldest of four boys in East London, Azekel was steeped in the rich traditions of his Nigerian heritage, with Yoruba culture and music, including legends like Fela Kuti and Sunny Ade, shaping his early life. This deep connection to his roots is ever-present in his music, blending seamlessly with the diverse influences he absorbed in London’s vibrant cultural melting pot. From electronic beats and rock riffs to hip-hop and grime, Azekel’s sound is a unique tapestry woven from the many threads of his experiences. His love for soul and R&B, combined with his fascination for Nigerian funk and jazz, led him to develop his distinctive style. Azekel’s live performances have captivated audiences worldwide, with standout shows at iconic venues such as the Southbank Centre, The Barbican, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, as well as international stages like ART X LAGOS, the Cannes Film Festival, and with Kokoroko at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles and the inaugural SXSW London. His collaboration with Yves Saint Laurent has further cemented his status as a cultural icon, and most recently he performed at the award ceremony for the highly prestigious Woolmark Prize, which celebrates the most outstanding rising fashion talents from around the world, chaired by Donatella Versace with Ib Kamara as Guest Artistic Director. Azekel continues to push musical boundaries, evolving a body of work that bridges sound, art, and culture.

Adom Getachew

Adom Getachew is Professor of Political Science and Race, Diaspora & Indigeneity at the University of Chicago. She is the author of »Worldmaking after Empire: The Rise and Fall of Self-Determination« (2019) and co-editor, with Jennifer Pitts, of »W. E. B. Du Bois: International Thought« (2022). As part of a four-member curatorial team, she curated the exhibition »Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica« and co-edited the accompanying catalogue. She is currently working on a second book on the intellectual origins and political practices of Garveyism. Her public writing has appeared in Boston Review, Dissent, Foreign Affairs, the London Review of Books, the Nation, the New York Review of Books, and the New York Times.

Minna Salami

Minna Salami is a Nigerian-Finnish and Swedish author and cultural critic, and formerly senior fellow and programme chair at THE NEW INSTITUTE in Hamburg. She is the author of »Can Feminism Be African?: A Most Paradoxical Question« (Harper Collins, 2025) and »Sensuous Knowledge: A Black Feminist Approach for Everyone« (Bloomsbury 2020) which has been translated into multiple languages. She was creative director of the short film »Black Feminism and the Polycrisis«, which won a 2024 Lovie Award. A leading voice of contemporary feminism, she has drawn over a million readers to her multiple award-winning blog MsAfropolitan.com. She now writes »Kaleido: The Europatriarchy Files«, a publication naming what others miss about our times. Her essays have appeared in The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Ideas Letter, and Project Syndicate, and she regularly delivers lectures on platforms ranging from TEDx to Yale University, the European Commission, and NASA’s Singularity University. Minna is a Full Member of the Club of Rome, a BMW Foundation Responsible Leader and sits on the advisory boards of the African Feminist Initiative and of Cambridge Studies in Public Humanities and Feminist Studies, as well as on the council of the Royal Institute of Philosophy.
 

 

19.6.2026, 7 PM: Performance & Panel Discussion with Azekel, Adom Getachew & Minna Salami

Location: M.Bassy e.V., Schlüterstraße 80, 20146 Hamburg
Please reserve via: reservation@m-bassy.org