Donation advertising by international aid organizations – criticism and alternatives, 2017

Starting point for the project
(De-)colonial imagery
by ISD (Initiative Schwarze Menschen in Deutschland) and glokal is the developmental donation advertising, which shapes the consciousness of the viewer through its placement in public space and in the media. The imagery portraying the crises in the Global South is characterized by a colonial continuity. The bodies of Black people and people of color are shown in passive, suffering, dependent positions and reduced to these.

From different positions, groups and organizations came impulses for an examination of donation advertising and public relations work of aid organizations. Here, however, the focus was firstly on criticism, and secondly, the discussion was limited to development actors within the scene.

With the project (de)colonial imagery we wanted to go one step further by inviting the artists Rajkamal Kahlon, Isaiah Lopaz and Lena Ziyal to design alternative advertising posters. These were displayed on billboards in central locations in Berlin’s public spaces.

In addition to the artistic contributions of this project, this publication also gathers the voices and counter-designs of activists, scientists and artists.

Download the e-publication here