Les patrimoines africains et caribéens au Commonwealth Institute de Londres : entre mise en scène et quête de (re)présentation « authentique » (années 1980)
Anaïs Makhzoum is a PhD student in British History at the Université de Picardie – Jules Verne (Amiens, CORPUS) working under the supervision of Prof. Mélanie Torrent. Her research deals with the politics of memory, culture and identity in artistic representations of the Commonwealth in London museums and art galleries. She explores these issues through a double focus on cultural diplomacy (between Britain and newly independent Commonwealth countries) as well as on the relationships between those institutions and diasporic communities from the Caribbean Commonwealth in London after decolonisations.
This article focuses on the Commonwealth Institute in London – a cultural and artistic centre dedicated to the Commonwealth which opened in 1962. The Institute held a unique position in the institutional landscape of the Commonwealth as well as in the London artistic scene, in a context of social, political and artistic turmoil in 1980s Britain. This article examines the Institute’s research of “authenticity” through its promotion of African and Caribbean heritage, both in terms of “realism” and by involving Commonwealth governments, artists and communities in its projects – through exhibitions or festivals, for instance. The ambivalence and limits of this performed “authenticity” are analysed through a focus on its modalities, its depth and the (political) motivations behind it.
