In 1973, Mobutu Sese Seko, the former president of Zaire, hosted the only AICA International Congress ever held on African soil. Nearly 50 years later, the tide has turned. The global movement for the reappropriation of African art is now unstoppable, driven by civil society.
In this symbolic and powerful moment, AICA International's 57th Congress took place in democratic South Africa, marking 30 years since the fall of apartheid.
Congress Theme
Re-imagining the Global South: Art, Gender and Identity
This event brought together voices from the Global South to discuss how art, gender, and identity intersect in both historical and contemporary contexts, offering a critical re-thinking of the relationship between art and the processes of colonization, marginalization, and diaspora.
In addition, as part of the Congress, the UNESCO Women in Art In Africa Seminars brought together speakers (artists, curators, academics) from all over the southern half of Africa.