Wanted: Artist to critically engage with ITM’s colonial heritage

ITM traces its origins to the country's colonial past. Founded in 1906 during the reign of King Leopold II, the institute was originally established to train doctors and nurses who would work in the Congo Free State. In 1933, ITM relocated from Brussels to its current campus in Antwerp, where the city's international port provided direct access to ships arriving with patients who had contracted diseases from the Belgian colonies.

Over the past century, ITM has undergone a profound transformation. It has evolved from a colonial institution into an internationally recognised centre for research and education, working in long-term partnerships with institutions across Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Today, ITM advances science and global health through innovative research, high-quality education, specialised patient care and capacity sharing with partner institutions worldwide. Its mission is to reduce the impact of diseases and other health challenges on populations around the world.

This transformation has also required ITM to critically examine its own history. In 2008, the institute introduced the motto Switching the Poles, expressing its desire to move beyond 'development cooperation’, towards genuine partnerships based on mutual knowledge exchange, shared resources, and joint decision-making and governance. This vision was further developed by the current partnership programme “Connecting the dots” and will be continued from 2027 in a next programme “The Health we Share”. Together, these programmes reflect the clear ambition to foster equitable partnerships in which resources, initiative and decision-making are shared, and where ITM positions itself as one of the centres of expertise within a broader network of partners.

While important progress has been made, we recognise that our institutional history continues to shape the present. Colonial legacies create blind spots that to this day, have a direct impact on how we collaborate, teach, conduct research and engage with our partners, students and staff. Acknowledging this history is an essential step towards building relationships that are equitable, collaborative and respectful.

ITM is therefore committed to engaging critically and constructively with its colonial past. As part of this commitment, the institute started a trajectory to examine different aspects of our institutional culture, our partnerships, our curricula, and our physical spaces. This artist residency forms part of that broader process of reflection and dialogue.

Africalia supports the development of the cultural and creative sectors and promotes the visibility of African and Afro-descendant artists. True to its motto "Creativity is life", Africalia works towards the recognition of art and culture as essential drivers of sustainable human development.

To achieve this vision, the organisation collaborates with numerous cultural partners in Africa, Belgium and beyond. Through multi-year programmes, it strengthens organisations, networks, artists, entrepreneurs and others active in various contemporary art disciplines, ranging from performing arts and visual arts to audiovisual arts and literature.

Africalia's programmes in Africa aim to professionalise the cultural and creative industries, strengthen management capacities and cultural networks, and promote recognition of the transformative power of culture. The organisation is currently active in Burkina Faso, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and Uganda. In Belgium, Africalia collaborates with cultural institutions to amplify African and Afro-descendant creative voices within the Belgian cultural network.

(c) image: Banele Njadayi