Dismantling the West’s temples of plundered African artworks-essay collection reassesses the 'colonial encounter'
A new collection of essays explores how artists and filmmakers are responding to the history of European colonialism in Africa. The book examines the role of Western museums in holding plundered artifacts and highlights the work of artists like William Kentridge.
Why it matters
The collection contributes to the ongoing global discourse regarding the repatriation of cultural heritage and the decolonization of art institutions.
review How the West’s temples of plundered African artworks can be dismantled Essay collection documents how artists and filmmakers have reacted to colonialism and pillage in Africa Tobias Carroll 31 August 2026 Share Social aspirations in colonial Africa: Seydou Keïta’s Untitled (1954) © Seydou Keïta/SKPEAC, courtesy of the Jean Pigozzi African Art Collection
Within this collection of essays, Jeremy Harding, author of Small Wars, Small Mercies (1993) and Border Vigils: Keeping Migrants out of the Rich World (2012), explores the way artists and filmmakers have used their work to react to a history of European colonialism in Africa. He also offers nuanced commentary on the writings of the philosopher Albert Camus and those of the ethnographer Michel Leiris, and ponders how Western museums can best address the presence of plundered goods in their permanent collections.
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