How to tackle colonial legacies?

Our research process began with a careful approach, aiming to understand both the historical dimensions of colonialism—especially Italian colonialism—and how its legacies continue to shape contemporary realities. This included also a deeper understanding of the region’s entanglement with internal colonialism within Italy. 

At the heart of our project was a research process that combined historical study with lived experiences. To help us situate our research within the specific historical and political context of Bolzano, we interviewed historians and researchers whose expertise grounded our work in local realities and broader colonial legacies. Our entire research process was guided by the Design Justice principles (Design Justice Network), which helped us engage with the topic responsibly by constantly reflecting on our own positionalities, privileges, and the power dynamics embedded in design and storytelling. 

Thanks to our partner OEW, we interviewed six individuals in and around the Piazza, each bringing unique perspectives shaped by migration, activism, education, and cultural work. We spoke with Antar Marincola, co-author of Timira, who shared powerful reflections on mixed identities and silenced histories in Italy. Fernando Biague, a psychologist from Guinea Bissau, gave us a strong grounding in the emotional and social effects of colonial legacies, both past and present. Radwa, originally from Tripoli, talked about her journey to Bolzano and the reality of supporting migrants. 

We also talked with Salma, a Tunisian master’s student in Eco-Social Design, who explores postcolonial trade and anti-racist practices in her work. Kydoe, from The Gambia, reflected on public space, activism and belonging after 11 years living in Bolzano. And Bassamba, a long-time activist and city council member in Merano, shared stories about advocating for workers’ rights and building community structures that empower migrants. 

Our understanding of how to approach urban memory and plural narratives was deeply influenced by initiatives like the Talking Objects Collective, which connects material culture with multiple historical voices, and by the work of Stadtlabor Wege zur kolonialkritischen Stadt in Göttingen, Germany, whose participatory and decolonial mapping practices inspired how we thought about intervention and co-creation in public space. 

Theory and case studies from collectives like orangotango, glokal.org, and interviewing Cirenaica Bologna, helped us rethink how memory is shaped. We asked: Who gets to be heard in Bolzano’s urban memory? What happens when we include new voices? 

The final outcome is an educational game designed with high school students in mind. Introducing this topic in schools can encourage young people to critically reflect on historical narratives and their relevance today. In Italy’s increasingly multicultural society, recognizing colonial history is crucial for fostering inclusive dialogue and social cohesion.  

It’s interactive and flexible—usable in classrooms and public settings. It includes Positionality Cards to prompt self-reflection and Intervention Cards based on ideas shared in our interviews. Inspired by the game Dix-it, it invites creative associations and discussion, letting players imagine more inclusive futures for public spaces like Piazza della Vittoria. More than just a game, it’s a conversation starter—one that opens up space for imagining differently. 

To learn more about the game and how it is played, we made a video (voice instructions will follow): https://vimeo.com/1092889542

Looking back on the process, one of the things that worked really well was our approach to interviewing. All the research on the historical background, including several experts, helped us to create materials to clearly communicate the context of Piazza della Vittoria to people with varying previous knowledge. These resources gave some structure to the conversations, but we still left enough room for interviewees to shape the dialogue with their own stories. Despite some language barriers, especially for those in our group not fluent in Italian, the conversations still flowed and deepened our engagement with the topic. 

That said, one major limitation we’re aware of is our own positionality. Working on a topic like colonial history and decolonisation requires constant self-reflection, and we’ve tried to stay mindful of our own biases throughout. This isn't a topic we want to “own” or speak over—our role is to listen, learn, and share space. Therefore, We made our positionalities visible in the game instructions. Going forward, we’re committed to amplifying voices and generating visibility to the perspectives of people impacted by colonialism and racism. We want to highlight decolonial practices and work towards breaking down mainstream narratives. 

A big plus in this project was the collaboration with OEW, whose experience working with young people was invaluable. Their input helped shape the game into something more accessible and engaging. We experimented with different formats and ideas along the way, which always sparked useful critical discussions. However, due to time constraints, we didn’t manage to test the game with students yet—a step that’s essential before considering the project “done.” It’s still a work in progress. 

Looking ahead, we want to translate the game into both German and Italian so that more students can use it easily. We’re also thinking about creating a version that’s more interactive and can be used directly in the Piazza, facilitated by OEW. We’d like to expand our pool of interviews to include more young people, to make the content more relatable for the target group. And we’re also thinking about ways to acknowledge the time and knowledge our interviewees shared—this kind of storytelling is labour, and it deserves recognition. 

In terms of next steps, we’d love to distribute the game more widely, but we’ll need funding to cover production. A longer-term vision includes adapting the game for other cities with colonial legacies, such as Brussels or Rome. To make that possible, we’re planning to build a free-access online toolkit explaining how to replicate the process. The hope is to not only raise awareness of colonial traces in public spaces, but to spark conversations and build connections across different places. 

Personally and collectively, we remain committed to critical learning, and to fostering plural histories that shape more inclusive public narratives. 

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our interview partners Antar,  Salma, Fernando, Radwa, Bassamba and Kydoe for their trust and generosity in sharing their stories, perspectives, and experiences.  

Moreover, a heartfelt thank you goes to our teachers Secil, Kris and Sonia and to Fernando and Adrian from OEW for their continuous support, thoughtful feedback, critical reflections and creative input.  

We would also like to thank the experts in the field from Bolzano; Elisabetta Rattalino, Roberto Gigliotti, Alexandra Budabin and Waltraud Kofler for their time and knowledge. Additionally, we are grateful to the students whose collages we were allowed to incorporate into the game.