The professor shows them the Firestone Library, funded through money made in the plantations in Liberia. This building is an example of the many museums that have been built with the profits from the plantation system. The plantation system, based on the violent exploitation of people, land and animals,, generated immense wealth that was then partly invested in art and museums. Plantation masters, who were not comfortable with the fact that profits were generated through enslaved or bonded labor, could thus turn their ‘dirty money’ into clean money. The episode delves into the relation between plantations, museums, and art, raising questions about ownership, restitution, and the role of museums in historical injustices. As Gikandi says:
“People always assume that a museum is a clean institution, a good place. In the process, we don't always make the connection between the bonded labor, which is violent and where people are impoverished, with the production of enormous amounts of money, which we can then put in a museum.”
Gikandi highlights the connection between the violent history of plantations and the objects displayed in museums, such as Congolese ivories and African human skulls - objects which were not sold, but acquired through violence. Objects which were often not even objects, but remains of people’s ancestors. The challenge lies in inscribing this history into the representation of these ‘objects’ and considering their rightful ownership. Professor Gikandi emphasizes the importance of the voices of people working on the ground, people from plantations. They should be the ones having their voices heard, rather than privileged intellectuals in America or Europe. The episode concludes with Matthieu and Ced’art expressing their desire to liberate and reclaim the Balot sculpture for the White Cube Lusanga, emphasizing the need for the return of culturally significant artifacts.
“If it was not for plantations, you would not have all these beautiful art museums you see in Europe.”
- Simon Gikandi
Gikandi’s work has significantly contributed to the understanding of postcolonial literature and the role of cultural production in shaping societies. He has written several influential books, including Slavery and the Culture of Taste. This publication delves into the complex relationship between slavery, aesthetics, and the formation of cultural identity during the Enlightenment period. Gikandi examines how enslaved individuals and their cultural contributions were instrumental in shaping the ideas of taste, beauty, and consumption, challenging the notion that Enlightenment aesthetics were solely the product of white European elites.
In chapter four, “Close Encounters: Taste and the Taint of Slavery” Gikandi explains how plantations and art in the antebellum Southern United States were deeply intertwined. The emergence of an aesthetic ideology among the Southern aristocracy was closely tied to their aspirations to English “gentility” and their desire to distance themselves from doubts about their aristocratic origins. Their claims to aristocratic lineage were often met with skepticism, and genealogies were sometimes more closely associated with prisons than noble bloodlines.
The introduction of the slave system played a pivotal role in this “aristocratic” evolution. Wealthy plantation owners used enslaved individuals to suppress the economic power of small landowners who relied on their own labor. This transformation had far-reaching implications for the culture of taste and the social hierarchy of the American ruling class.
Slavery fundamentally altered the meaning of terms such as equality, inequality, and natural rights. African enslaved individuals were set apart from white men, who did this by making racial distinctions, which secured the latter's status and established a clear hierarchy within colonial society. The existence of a class of people in bondage complicated the notions of whiteness and “gentlemanliness”. While being a “gentleman” could provide power and rank in relation to poor whites, it held no weight in relation to enslaved individuals. Slavery reshaped the meaning of wealth, with land and enslaved individuals becoming key markers of social status and a prerequisite for aspiring to the status of “gentleman”.
The private relations between white masters and enslaved individuals were marked by intimacy, while strict moral and physical boundaries were maintained in public. Antebellum architecture often concealed the presence of slavery behind elegant façades, with grand houses hiding slave quarters from public view. The aspirations of Southern gentlemen to embody English taste clashed with the physical and cultural demands imposed by the institution of slavery.
This entanglement of plantations and art in the antebellum South is evident in the way wealth, social rank, and cultural aspirations were tied to the ownership of enslaved individuals. Slavery shaped the social imaginary of the American ruling class and had a profound impact on the culture of taste and notions of identity. Understanding this complex relationship is crucial to comprehending the origins and legacies of modern museums.
About Simon Gikandi
Simon Gikandi is a distinguished scholar and writer, specializing in African literature and postcolonial studies. He was born in Kenya and holds a Ph.D. in English from Northwestern University. Gikandi has taught at various prestigious institutions, including Princeton University, where he currently is Professor of English and Chair of the English Department. His research delves into the complexities of African literature, exploring themes such as colonialism, globalization, and identity.
Sources
The text on this page draws from the following source:
Gikandi, Simon. “Section 3” in “Close Encounters: Taste and the Taint of Slavery.” Slavery and the Culture of Taste, Princeton University Press, 2011, pp.160-166.
Further reading
Appadurai, Arjun. “Museums and the Savage Sublime.” Across Anthropology: Troubling Colonial Legacies, Museums, and the Curatorial, edited by Margareta von Oswald and Jonas Tinius, Leuven University Press, 2020, pp. 45–48. JSTOR.
Demart, Sarah. “Resisting Extraction Politics: Afro-Belgian Claims, Women’s Activism, and the Royal Museum for Central Africa.” Across Anthropology: Troubling Colonial Legacies, Museums, and the Curatorial, edited by Margareta von Oswald and Jonas Tinius, Leuven University Press, 2020, pp. 142–73. JSTOR.
Plantations and Museums
“Part 4: The Museum” is part of the series Plantations and Museums (2021), written and directed by CATPC, Renzo Martens and Jos de Putter. Narration and interviews by Matthieu Kasiama and Ced’art Tamasala. The series is a co-production of Pieter van Huystee Film and VPRO, in collaboration with CATPC and Human Activities, supported by the NPO-fund.
