Round table
February 11 | 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Round Table – Visual Arts and the Reclaiming of Postcolonial Narratives
Free Activity | Space is limited, Reservation required
For Black History Month, the McCord Stewart Museum, in collaboration with the Festival Afropolitain nomade, presents a discussion exploring how contemporary visual arts serve as a powerful means of reclaiming postcolonial narratives, enabling artists from the African continent and the diaspora to reconstruct, reaffirm and revalue their cultural heritages. The conversation will highlight the role of memory, forms of symbolic resistance and the dynamics of transmission that shape current artistic practices.
Organized as part of the Immersion 2026 creative residency, with the support of Canadian Heritage, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts de Montréal, this round-table discussion accompanies the visual arts component of the program presented at the McCord Stewart Museum, alongside the culminating concerts on February 14 and 15, 2026.
Panelists
- Vanessa Kanga (Canada/Cameroon)
- Didier Toko (Cameroon)
- Marie-Joseph Miendje Toko (Cameroon)
Facilitator: Mariana Djelo Baldé (Canada/Guinea)
Information
- Free activity in French, on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
- Length: 90 minutes
- Location: J. Armand Bombardier Theatre at the Museum
- The round-table discussion will be followed by an audience Q&A.
Vanessa Kanga | Canada/Cameroon
Founder and Executive Director of the Festival Afropolitain Nomade and creator of the Immersion program, Vanessa Kanga is a cultural producer and multidisciplinary artist. Her work explores the intersections of transmission, heritage, women’s leadership and diasporic narratives through projects that bring together performing arts, visual arts and international artistic mobility.
Didier Toko | Cameroon
Founder of the Douala Music Art Festival and Up High Lab, and curator of the visual arts component of Immersion 2026, Didier Toko focuses his work on deconstructing colonial narratives while foregrounding the symbols, memories and aesthetics of contemporary Cameroon.
Marie-Joseph Miendje Toko | Cameroun
Chercheuse, conférencière et panéliste spécialisée dans les enjeux de genre, de mémoire culturelle ainsi que des enjeux épistémologiques du Sud et de décolonisation des récits, Marie-Joseph Miendje Toko intervient dans le cadre d’Immersion 2026 pour discuter de la réappropriation narrative par les communautés marginalisées.
Mariana Djelo Baldé
Mariana Djelo Baldé is a storyteller, cultural mediator and the founder of MAD (Maison des Artistes de la Diversité), a Montreal-based organization dedicated to supporting artists from diverse backgrounds. She has lived in Montreal for the past 17 years, where she works to pass on the oral and textile traditions of West Africa. As an engaged author and creator, she challenges dominant narratives to give space and voice to stories that have too often been pushed to the margins.
About MAD
MAD is a haven for creators from diverse backgrounds. A production house for bold ideas, it places artists’ mental health at the heart of its mission and creates cultural experiences that amplify marginalized art forms. Experience MAD:
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