The Courier

Chéri Samba, Little Kadogo, 2004. Acrylic and glitter on canvas, 205 x 246 cm.

Courtesy of C.A.A.C. - The Pigozzi Collection, Geneva. Photo: Christian Poite.

And as part of that journey, five of Congo’s most celebrated artists were included, sharing gallery space with the likes of Braque, Diego Rivera, Gustav Klimt and Rodchenko. The importance of this cannot be stressed too highly as it is the end result of many decades of campaigning by cultural icons such as Picasso and Braque for the proper recognition of African artists and their work.

But while some may see this as a cause for celebration and ’about time‘ recognition, for the curators at the Tate Modern it is entirely normal that these comparisons should take place – in fact it would be remiss of them, professionally incorrect, NOT to act like this. As far as they are concerned art is art – where it comes from is of no real importance. For them it is the celebration of art that is the key. As I said earlier, it is quite simply, business as usual.

A world away from the banks of London’s River Thames and the glitz of the Tate Modern, business as usual takes on a whole different meaning. For while the acceptance of a continent’s creativity is being recognised as part of a far greater artistic movement, Africa’s desire for lasting peace is a different – yet much more vital – search for another kind of business as usual.

Encouragingly, in recent months there are signs that peace, of a kind at least, can be achieved. More importantly perhaps is that the peace process in many African countries is being achieved by Africans themselves. Often historically the sticking point is the recent ability and motivation for African leadership to take control that is giving new impetus and new hope to the peace process in many countries across the continent.

South Africa is continually approached by the European Union to act as the main driver for peacekeeping operations. In Darfur, this has translated into one of the most important peacekeeping forces, mainly comprised of Africans. Already nearly 600 South African troops and 100 police officers are serving under the African Union (AU) flag. And this time, Africa will supply logistical support as well for what will be a UN-AU hybrid force.

The UN Security Council has also requested that the AU maintain its presence in Somalia for a further six months, until the UN is able to deploy its own troops in the country. Additionally, the AU force in Somalia needs to be strengthened to undertake additional missions. These include protecting the transitional government and cooperating with other agencies in the development of a national security and stabilisation policy.

In Sierra Leone’s recent elections, voters paid special tribute to the AU forces for their proactive role in ensuring a peaceful and corruption-free process. Lauded for their exemplary transparency, AU observers were reported to have no hesitation in taking action whenever there was the slightest suspicion of election fraud or vote-rigging. As an example, one of our colleagues of PanaPress (a Pan-African news service based in Dakar) reported the comments of one voter who said, “election observers must not simply draw up reports, but must also avert conflicts and take measures to ensure peaceful elections the way the AU observers do.” Praise indeed- and something the AU forces should be proud of.

It is comments like this that started me thinking. Are we on the way to seeing peace and democracy in Africa because of, not in spite of, Africans themselves? To come back to where we started in the Tate Modern in faraway London, wouldn’t it be wonderful if instead of art imitating life, in this case life imitated art and we were just able to get on with it? Peace, regular elections, real democracy. Now that’s business as usual!