Global Africa: Crafting Cultural Space and Securing Audience Footprints

Arguably, the V&A holds more than 5,000 objects connected to Africa and its Diasporas. Yet visitors continue to ask: Where is Africa in the museum? Without a dedicated space, what does visibility look like? How are collections made discoverable, how do we communicate what we collect, and how do we speak directly to Global African audiences who may not yet see themselves reflected in our galleries?

This programme brings together talks, presentations, discussions, gallery interventions, tours, collections up close, and screenings to consider where Global Africa sits within the museum today, and what comes next. We gather voices from across the V&A and beyond to examine how African and Diaspora collections, stories, audiences, and creative practices are made visible within an international museum context.

Through a series of focused curatorial interventions, the programme explores Africa in depth: from a landmark headline exhibition on fashion, the first of its kind in 20 years, to early photography documenting Black experience before the 1950s, and key photographic acquisitions from the 1990s to the present. It highlights Global African artists working across jewellery and sculpture, addresses the histories and legacies of looted objects, and considers contemporary models of renewable partnership. Together, these strands make a compelling case for a dedicated public space for the display, study, and engagement with Global African collecting.  Further topics to follow.

The event schedule will be available shortly.