For the first time in the Franco-Belgian comic book classic, Black characters have full-fledged roles and are drawn without the racist depictions that marred the genre.
Tag: Colonization
Heating Up Culture Wars, France to Scour Universities for Ideas That ‘Corrupt Society’
The government announced an investigation into social science research, broadening attacks on what it sees as destabilizing American influences.
Report Aims at ‘Reconciling’ France and Algeria, Its Former Colony
A government-commissioned study offers proposals to address longstanding grievances. But it does not recommend an official apology and skirts the issue of systemic torture by French troops.
Return Looted Art to Former Colonies, Dutch Committee Tells Government
The Netherlands should show “a willingness to return” items taken without consent, a report said. But past experience shows the path from recommending restitution to actual return can be a long one.
France’s Colonial Legacy Is Being Judged in Trial Over African Art
Activists are being tried in Paris over the attempted theft of an African artwork from the Quai Branly Museum, which they say was a protest of colonial-era practices.
U.K. Conservation Society Details Links to Colonialism and Slavery
The National Trust said a third of the properties it manages had direct links to colonialism or slavery. Some have a “hugely uncomfortable” history, it said.
The Forgotten Colonial Forces of World War II
“There’s a scattered memory of their sacrifice all over Europe.” The Allied powers relied on colonial troops to defeat the Axis, but their contributions are not often recognized.
French Magazine Sparks Outrage Over Racist Depiction of Black Lawmaker
Danièle Obono, a French-Gabonese lawmaker, was portrayed as an enslaved African in a fictional narrative that she described as a “political and racist attack.”
For French-Algerian Families, Virus Disrupts Cherished Summer Ritual
Holidays in Algeria are a cornerstone of the cross-cultural identity of many French people with roots there. This year, they are stuck at home, and the pain is acute: “It’s sacred for us to leave.”
Belgium’s King Sends Letter of Regret Over Colonial Past in Congo
The first acknowledgment by the royal family of the European country’s brutal actions in central Africa stopped short of an outright apology. It comes as Belgium begins to publicly reckon with the abuses.