Paper short abstract:

This contribution adresses the conditions in which the decolonial turn opens a window to a common and shared understanding of the terms of decolonization of present relations especially in the humanitarian sphere

Paper long abstract:

If the decolonial turn is more than a buzz word, it appears that it’s meaning is diverse, especially in a context of insufficiently explored colonial past. Our paper intends to explore what decolonization for Cameroonian, German and transnational aid interlocutors, and what barriers or possibilities do they see from related demands. We look at the challenges posed by a specific linkage between colonial and contemporary, post-colonial forms of aid/humanitarianism in a the context of a nostalgic invocation of the German colonial past by some Cameroonians on the one hand, and an insufficient reference to the structuring German colonial presence in Cameroon on the German side. How, under these conditions, can a common and shared understanding of the terms of decolonization of present relations be constructed? The paper will be exploring the conditions in which is negotiated a shared space with a past that compels.