Maghreb Noir: The Militant-Artists of North Africa and the Struggle for a Pan-African, Postcolonial Future

Moroccan, Algerian, and Tunisian governments supported Black liberation struggles by offering military and financial aid. Tangier and Algiers attracted Black American and Caribbean artists, Tunis hosted African filmmakers, and young freedom fighters established military training camps in Morocco. North Africa became a haven for militant-artists, challenging neo-colonialist structures and authoritarianism. Maghreb Noir explores the personal and political lives of these artists, who followed Frantz Fanon's ideology of continued revolution and advocated for transnational, trans-racial collaboration.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 11 July 2023
Publisher: Stanford University Press

After achieving independence, the governments of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia looked towards the Global South for support in their efforts to combat Black liberation struggles. Tangier and Algiers became hotspots for Black American and Caribbean artists seeking to escape the oppressive influence of American white supremacy. Tunis played host to the Journées Cinématographiques de Carthage, which brought together African filmmakers from across the continent. Additionally, young freedom fighters from various African countries established military training camps in Morocco. North Africa became a refuge for militant-artists, who significantly impacted postcolonial cultural discourse through the 1960s and 1970s.

Maghreb Noir delves into the personal and political lives of these militant-artists, exploring their collective challenge to neo-colonialist structures and authoritarianism in African states. Drawing on a wide range of Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and English sources, as well as interviews with the artists themselves, Paraska Tolan-Szkilnik expands our understanding of Pan-Africanism geographically, linguistically, and temporally. These militant-artists departed from the racial solidarity advocated by many of their nationalist forebears and instead followed the intellectual guidance of Frantz Fanon, their mentor. They championed the creation of a new ideology of continuous revolution, one that transcended national boundaries, crossed racial lines, and defied the emerging nation-states.

Maghreb Noir highlights the significance of North Africa in fostering these global connections and uncovers a hidden history of grassroots collaboration among militant-artists from around the world. Through its exploration of the lives and works of these artists, the book sheds light on the complex and multifaceted ways in which art can be a tool for social change and resistance.

Weight: 412g
Dimension: 150 x 229 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781503635913