ABOUT US

Decolonising the Archive (DTA) is a Pan-African “living” archive based in the United Kingdom, that seeks to facilitate heritage-based therapeutic interventions for people of African heritage rooted in our archives, cultural principles and technologies.

Our Beginnings

Decolonising the Archive (DTA) was founded in 2011, beginning as a theatre and memory practice endeavour. We worked with groups of elders, drawing on cultural and traditional practices to revive and inform our workshops. We incorporated decolonial practice into our work, recognising that alternative, more inclusive approaches were imperative for our delivery.

We have worked with, supported and trained hundreds of people across the UK and internationally. As we grew into our current role as archive specialists, the lived experience we garnered from our artistic practice and our grounded work within our communities contributed to our knowledge base. This foundation underpins our methods and ways of working.

meet the team

LEGACY BUILDING PROGRAMMES

Decolonising the Archive (DTA) has successfully built legacy and resilience training programmes supporting community cohesion, narrative ownership, archival literacy and heritage-based therapy. Whilst our core focus remains grassroots communities, our work also often sees us collaborating with archives, museums and other types of heritage spaces.

Community Archivist Outreach team with Professor Patricia Rodney and Connie Bell at the Walter Rodney Book Launch of ***Kofi Badu: Out of Africa*** & **Lakshmi: Out of India** (September 2023)

Our training programme Correcting Our Collecting has so far, in its two and half year existence, trained and graduated 60 persons from the African heritage community in Britain to be Community Archivists and Repository Specialists. Currently some of our alumni are now part of our Community Archivist Outreach Team and network, who we can confidently refer to work within the community and can support institutional collaborations.

Summer 2022 - Correcting Our Collecting cohort of trainee Archivists at the Black Cultural Archives

Under our University of Repair training programme we have facilitated over 700 community members in building resilience and best practice in the area of self repair, reparations and restitution.

Summer 2022 - Public Exhibition at BCA curated by our graduates

In our Emotional Emancipation Community Healing programmes we have trained 20 community members to be able to hold self repair circles within their communities.

ARCHIVE AND THEATRE PEDAGOGY

Decolonising the Archive has also built theatre and archive infused programs to address the dearth of African Heritage Theatre practice spaces and sites within the UK and to widen the conversations around ‘Black’ Theatre in Britain that includes its artists and community.

Most notably DTA revived and staged the work of the formidable Writer/ Feminist/Activist Una Marson's acclaimed and almost forgotten play, Pocomania, for the first time on British shores which is now featured the The National Theatre's Black Play Archives.