Table of contents

01 02
Introduction Historical context
and Portuguese Identity

03 04
Intention of the Conclusion
artist
 01
Introduction
Who is Kiluanji Kia Henda and his art piece
 Kiluanji Kia Henda
He is an Angolan artist.
He was born in Angola's capital
city Luanda in 1979, four years
after the country gained
independence from Portugal.
 The struggle from independence was followed by a long civil war
(Angola civil war) that was in 1975-2002 (about 30 years).

History Politics War Colonialism

But, at the same time there is also excitement and hope

FACTS STORY TELLING NEW IDENTITY

DOCUMENTARY HUMOR FOR ANGOLA/PEOPLE
“I call myself as a conceptual artist”
—Kiluanji Kia Henda

Conceptual art
● Developed in the 1960s
● Emphasises the idea behind an
artwork over how it is made or
what it is made from

In the last 10 years, he has significant international recognition, having

won the Frieze Artist Award at the London fair in 2017 and being selected
in 2019 for the Unlimited project at the Basel art fair.
 Plantação
He submitted and won the
project "Plantation" to the
competition for the Memorial
planned in Lisbon to honor
enslaved people

The project is a representation

of a burned plantation made
up of 540 sugar canes made
of black aluminum, each 3
meters high and 8 centimeters
in diameter
 Plantação

The memorial shows the

historical link between
monoculture and slavery.

The aim of the project is to

create a place of
remembrance that
encourages reflection.
 Plantação

The installation will be erected

as a memorial in a central
location in Lisbon, in Campo
das Cebolas =One of the
places where slave markets
once operated
 02
Historical context and
Portuguese identity
(Krone, 2023)
● Portugal's colonial past is closely linked to the history of slavery

● Portuguese explorers began capturing and enslaving Africans during

overseas exploration in the 15th century

● Enslaved Africans were transported across the Atlantic to Portuguese colonies

for labor on plantations

● Legacy of Portugal's involvement in slavery has had long-lasting social and

economic impacts, including racial dynamics and inequalities that persist
today

(Cascais, 2021)
 Let’s talk about Lusotropicalism

● Concept emerged during the late 19th and early 20th centuries to justify
and legitimize Portugal's colonial empire - particularly in Africa

● Portuguese “uniquely suited” to colonize and govern tropical territories

due to “racial and cultural compatibility” with non-European peoples

● idea of racial mixing as a positive aspect of Portuguese colonialism,

"Luso-tropical" society characterized by racial harmony and cultural fusion

● 1950s and 1960s – the exceptional character of Portuguese colonialism and

the idea of the absence of racism

(Vale de Almeida, 2008, p. 4-7)

 And what about PostLusotropicalism?

● The flux of immigrants from the late 1980s onwards

● Origin of immigrants: former Portuguese colonies in Africa, Brazil, and

Eastern European countries

● Episodes of blatant or covert racism vs the Portuguese people’s belief

that they have a non-racist character

(Vale de Almeida, 2008, p. 9-10)

 Portugal's history of colonization and
slavery & National identity
● Influencing its culture, economy, and ongoing efforts towards addressing
historical injustices

● Slavery played significant role in shaping racial dynamics within

Portuguese society

● Structural discrimination of african people

● Insufficient reappraisal of history

● Burden of the past

(Wagner, 2021)
 03
Intention of the artist
Carrying out this project “was a joy, but also a
great responsibility”
 Main aims and challenges of the
memorial
● To pay tribute to the memory of the millions of African enslaved by Portugal
throughout its history

● “There was a silencing of centuries of violence and trauma”

● “Reconciliation with the past can only happen if we first recognise the mistakes of
this tragical historical period”

● The work he is doing with the monument is symbolic and we can not pretend that
nothing happened: Portugal must confront its history and put an end to the
omissions and subterfuges on this issue
“The most important thing is to
make people aware of this part
of Portugal’s history, so as not
to fall into collective amnesia”

“I believe in art as a means of

dialogue, with the power to
spark debate in order to save us
from this collective amnesia”
 Multiple dimensions of the
monument
● “The modernity we see here was also built on the backs of black enslaved people. It’s
important to realise that”

● The monument has different dimensions:

- mourning and pain of the past
- hope for better days

● “There is pain and tragedy in it, but there is also an open door to a better future”
 04
Conclusion
 Addressing the Culture of Silence

“If Portugal today continues to view the past as ● Embrace the entirety of their history
the great days of glory, how can we confront the
most inhumane side of this heritage and ● Foster reconciliation among the people
consider that the opposite, tragic and harmful,
of Portugal
is also part of the country's formation?”
… ● Dare to confront its self-proclamation as
“history without this factual part is a version full
of omissions and lies. And so, it will be a humane colonial power
impossible for us to bury prejudices and hatred,
● Didactic dimension
which do nothing to achieve the peace and
harmony desired in the relationship between ● Shaping collective memory
different peoples.”
● Interactive memorial

● Construction: reinforcing the

purpose of the memorial

● Emptiness-critical comment

● Wounds of the past

 Resistance - are Portugal ready
to address their past?
● Elected through several voting sessions in 2019-2020
● Approved by the Lisbon municipal government
● Consensus, yet controversy
● Met resistance
● Still at the planning stage
● Lacking ability and willingness to face their past?
 Comparison with Great Britain-
International Slavery Museum
Dedicated to address the international importance and impact
of slavery, both in a historic and contemporary context

“To understand Liverpool’s role in the transatlantic slave trade

and its impact on the economic and cultural growth of the city”

“The International Slavery Museum increases the understanding

of transatlantic, chattel and other forms of enslavement. We
remember. We act.”
What you should take away from
this presentation
 Bibliography
Re Mapping Memories. (n.d.). Kiluanji Kia Henda: Plantação. ReMapping Memories Lisboa.
https://www.re-mapping.eu/pt/artes/kiluanji-kia-henda-plantacao

Tate, T. (n.d.). Introducing Kiluanji Kia Henda.

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/kiluanji-kia-henda-23100/introducing-kiluanji-kia-henda

Santos, I. M. (2021, March 12). RTP. Plantação fictícia. Artista angolano evoca escravatura em Lisboa.
https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/pais/plantacao-ficticia-artista-angolano-evoca-escravatura-em-lisboa_n1304123

International Slavery Museum (2023). About the Museum.

https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/international-slavery-museum/about

Djass (2019). Memorial De Homenagem às Pessoas Escravizadas- Lisboa. https://www.memorialescravatura.com/

Cascais, A. (2021, March 24). Portugal confronts its slave trade past.
https://www.dw.com/en/portugal-commemoration-transatlantic-slave-trade/a-56976093

Wagner, T. (2021, July 6). Wie Portugal seine Kolonialzeit aufarbeiten will.
https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/rassismus-und-kolonialismus-wie-portugal-seine-100.html

Vale de Almeida, M. (2008). Portugal’s Colonial Complex: From Colonial Lusotropicalism to Postcolonial Lusophony. Queens
University: Belfast.
Thanks!
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