Decolonising Aid with Fingo

• Quick look

  ✹ Project: Design and facilitation of collective imagination workshop series with Fingo (Finnish NGOs) and partners in Kenya and Ghana, imagining the decolonisation of international development work.

  ✦ Methods: Collective imagination, workshop facilitation

  ✦ Client: Fingo Ry

  ✦ Collaborators: Zeynep Falay von Flittner (through the Falay Collective)

  ✦ Year: 2024

• About the project

  How can we have meaningful conversations about complex and emotional topics like decolonisation and power shifts, especially when we’ve benefited from historical injustices?

  In the “Decolonising Aid” project, Falay Transition Design worked with Fingo, participants from the Finnish NGO sector, East and West Africa, and artists to rethink the international development sector. Using Transition Design methods, we explored new, future-focused possibilities for the field.

  At the same time, we incorporated various design tools to create spaces for open, mindful, and compassionate conversations around these important issues.

• Process

  In the project we developed and tested a series of different tools for recognising the complexity of this topic.

  1. Grounding Activity: We started with a calming breathing exercise and music to gently ease into the session, fostering presence and openness among participants.

  2. Emotional Carpet Weaving: We created a unique space for acknowledging and honoring the spectrum of emotions that emerged. Through the collective effort of placing colorful post-it notes on an empty grid, we wove together a metaphorical carpet of emotions.

  3. Acknowledgment of Historical Harms: Fingo team members began with an acknowledgment of historical injustices, addressing the enduring legacy of colonialism and white supremacy within international development, setting the stage for accountability and meaningful change.