If Desktop icons fail to load properly:

• Ensure caja is installed
• Check that ~/.config/user-dirs.dirs does not have just "$HOME/" for the Desktop icons
• See notes at https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1057296

For CentOS Stream 8 see https://copr.fedorainfracloud.org/coprs/stenstorp/MATE/