Making Sanctuary as a Decolonial Practice
Putting Wounds to Work
Course Description
Bayo Akomolafe is a maker of sanctuary. This is a project of becoming lost as a way of responding to the constraints of identity, steeped in Yoruba folklore and the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade. Bayo’s work is rooted in the notion of postactivism, or opening a space of inquiry about the ways in which we respond to crises. The Swahili word Vunja is also at the core of this project, marking the site of strange ruptures, then inviting celebration and dance with/in those cracks. These cracks are sites of excess where things spill over; where new forms of becoming-together might be cultivated. The motif of Vunja is a galvanizing force that informs our explorations, our attempts to bring things together in new ways, and our gesturing towards the concept of “making sanctuary.” In these and many other ways, this class seeks to position such openings in relation to our current notions of safety and mental health.
This class invites participants to put individual and collective wounds to work, to treat them as portals and cracks connected with larger territorial shifts, instead of matters to be eradicated by a dominant mode of being. Rather than seek to help people arrive at a fixed consensus or identify solutions to our problems, this class is a unique invitation to meet the world differently and come alive in other ways. To serve those disarticulated by and disenchanted from dominant systems, we will create together, lean into the exquisite, re-member the places that hold us, and make sanctuary tangible.
What you’ll learn:
How to co-create a local/decolonial sanctuary as a way of becoming response-able to and with/in colonial frameworks
What the concepts of postactivism, transraciality, becoming-black, and making sanctuary offer to our movements for a ‘better’ world and “mental health”
How we can cultivate “ecologies of trust” in a time of weaponized divisions and deep uncertainties
How modern forms of knowing – including the scientific method – determine and preserve how crises are made real to us
Faculty
Bayo Akomolafe, Philosopher, Writer, Activist, and Professor
Bayo, rooted with the Yoruba people in a more-than-human world, is the father to Alethea and Kyah, the grateful life-partner to Ije, son and brother. A widely celebrated international speaker, posthumanist thinker, poet, teacher, public intellectual, essayist, and author of two books, These Wilds Beyond our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity’s Search for Home (North Atlantic Books) and We Will Tell our Own Story: The Lions of Africa Speak, Bayo Akomolafe is the Chief Curator of The Emergence Network and host of the online postactivist course, ‘We Will dance with Mountains.’
“Bayo is speaking for a future that doesn’t yet exist and that is exciting and scary and bewildering, but going back to ‘normal’ is not the option I wish for all of us.”
What You Get
20 videos (2+ hours of content) full of history, research, and unique perspectives
Exclusive readings and resources
Discussion with a creative community of professionals and advocates inside the course
A reference and resource list to aid ongoing learning and exploration on the course topics
Audience
This course is for:
Mental health and physical health professionals, including: clinicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, peer specialists, recovery support specialists, housing specialists, nurse practitioners, wellness support workers, coaches, holistic practitioners
Students
Activists
Family members and advocates
Anyone who works or plans to work with people experiencing mental health-related challenges
“Being a fugitive, considering wellbeing as a stopping place, science is political, and so much more…loved being in community with it all. Looking forward to spending more time with all of this to unpack, explore, live into.”
Take the Class
This self-paced course is hosted on Mighty Networks, home to IDHA's School for Transformative Mental Health. This virtual community space supports sustained learning, engagement with other students, access to supplemental resources, and opportunities to interact with your faculty.
We provide the option of enrolling for at the general ($20) or supporter rate ($40) to ensure the sustainability of IDHA’s work and enable us to create more accessible, cutting-edge training content.
CLICK THE BUTTONS BELOW TO JOIN US ON MIGHTY NETWORKS!
If you already have an account, simply log in to proceed to the course.
If you’re new to IDHA’s Mighty Network, you will be prompted to create an account and then receive access to course content.
FAQ
When does the course start and finish?
This is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.
What if I am unhappy with the course, content, or platform?
We love hearing your feedback on what we can do to improve our efforts to bring transformative mental health to the public! Shoot us an email at contact@idha-nyc.org and let us know your thoughts. If you disagree with any of the perspectives shown in this course - that's great! We encourage differing perspectives, so feel free to leave a comment in the course - so long as your comments remain respectful and you speak from your own point of view.
I am a person struggling with mental health issues/a family member of someone who is struggling. Can I take the course?
Absolutely! Just note that this course is geared towards professionals in the field, and will speak mostly to those working in a formal support role. However, we welcome anyone who wants to join!
Are refunds available?
At this time, all sales are final, we cannot offer refunds after purchase.