I am grateful to Eliza Steinbock and Laura Cull Ó Maoilearca for their invitation for me to present the keynote performance at the Symposium Archival Interactions: Performing Intersectional Counter-Archives at DAS Theatre. Despite covid-related setbacks, I was happy to have performed the video-performance-electronic music piece “When a lover says “I love you”, is it the words or is it the sayer that matters? or is decoloniality an academic drag?”.

I am also very grateful to have my partner-in-crime Barbara Titus masterfully moderated the post-performance discussion. I was nourished by the conversations with the symposium participants and audience. I will be holding on to this gift as we continue thinking and building communities and networks of decolonial sound, performance, and research.

I also want to thank the video contributors whose faces and voices lent materiality to my thoughts.

Lonneke Van Heugten, Pepe Dayaw, Rosa Cordillera Castillo, Ram De Jesus, Jean Francis Ayo Barcena, Julien Enzanza, Emma Lo, Tim Mooij-Knip, Jiulian Correia, TRVANIA

Photos taken by Udo Akemann