On 28 May 2026, numerous visitors gathered at Berlin Global Village to celebrate the annual Earth Ceremony at EarthNest. Located in front of Berlin Global Village, the Decolonial Memorial is not a static monument but a living space of remembrance that is renewed and activated with every ceremony. Through the addition of soils from formerly colonized regions, EarthNest continues to grow as a collective space of memory, connecting past, present, and future.

Throughout the evening, a recurring question emerged: How can experiences and memories be preserved and carried across generations? How can they remain connected and alive?

Following welcoming remarks by Armin Massing, Managing Director of Berlin Global Village, the evening was opened by Jeanne Nzakizabandi, Curator and Programme Officer. She highlighted the poetic intervention There is a Table in This House by hn.lyonga, noting its ability to create a space of intimacy, care, and collective reflection. Nzakizabandi also praised the exhibition Gathering Otherwise, which emerged from an open call for creatives connected to EarthNest.

Art, Activism, and Civil Society in Dialogue
The roundtable discussion The Nest We Share brought together perspectives from art, activism, and civil society through contributions by Jeremiah Ikongio, Maimouna Ouattara, and Billy Fowo. At the heart of the conversation was the question of how these different fields can learn from one another and build meaningful forms of solidarity.

Billy Fowo, curator and writer at SAVVY Contemporary, reflected on his work on the EarthNests Sonic Memorial. One interview in particular had a profound impact on him: an elder sharing the story of his grandmother. Such oral histories, he noted, are invaluable forms of knowledge and memory. EarthNest offers a space where these stories can be preserved, shared, and passed on to future generations. The audio narratives are available online through the EarthNest website.

Jeremiah Ikongio emphasized that, for many artists of African descent, art and politics cannot be separated: “Our reality is political. Our existence is political.” Art, he argued, not only reflects social realities but also has the power to transform them.

A Table as a Space of Encounter
With the poetic intervention There is a Table in This House, hn.lyonga created a space for collective reflection and presence. Drawing on lyonga’s practice of “Neighbouring,” the audience was invited to arrive in the moment and consider their responsibilities toward one another.

The performance addressed trauma, exclusion, and the power of community. It asked what it truly means to be a neighbour: to pay attention, to care for one another, and to understand loneliness not only as an individual experience but also as a collective responsibility.

Earth Stories from Madagascar, Namibia, and Brazil
The Earth Ceremony itself marked the emotional centre of the evening. MFA Kera, Israel Kaunatjike, and Jeannette Ehlers shared the stories behind the soils they had brought from Madagascar, Namibia, and Brazil, reflecting on their personal, historical, and political significance. The soils were then ceremonially placed into the clay vessels of the memorial.

Gathering Otherwise: Diasporic Connections
The ceremony was accompanied by the opening of the group exhibition Gathering Otherwise: Diasporic Connections. Featuring works by Soukaina El Adak, Martha Díaz Adam, Juan Camilo Alfonso, and Ọládayọ̀ Thomas, the exhibition explores questions of belonging, migration, and diasporic identities.

Through painting, photography, textile works, and mixed-media practices, the artists create spaces for encounter, reflection, and exchange.

The exhibition remains on view at Berlin Global Village until 10 July 2026.

Looking Ahead to the 2027 Earth Ceremony
EarthNest continues to grow. Next year, another Earth Ceremony will invite members of the diaspora to contribute soil from formerly colonized regions and share the stories connected to it.

Each new contribution reminds us that remembrance is never complete. It is an ongoing practice.

📸 Foto-Credits: A'ja Dotson