Why did some African critics object to the exhibition Magiciens de la Terre?

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raffia-fiber cloth — African art Raffia-fiber cloth, made by the Kuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, mid-20th century; in the Honolulu Academy of Arts.

African critics and intellectuals objected to the 1989 exhibition Magiciens de la Terre at the Pompidou Centre because it presented a relatively narrow and limited view of the artistic production occurring across the African continent.1

While the exhibition brought international attention to specific artists—such as Chéri Samba and Kane Kwei—critics argued that this selection failed to represent the breadth and sophistication of contemporary African art. Many African artists were deeply engaged with the discourse of Modernism, producing complex, abstracted, and innovative works that were not reflected in the exhibition's focus. By highlighting only certain styles, the show obscured the rich variety of African artistic engagement with colonialism, nationalism, and modernity.1