In “Beyond Single Stories: Addressing Dynamism, Specificity, and Agency in Arts of Africa,” Susan Elizabeth Gagliardi and Yaëlle Biro (2019) raise a much-needed discussion. It is based on an urgent need to review the perpetuation of single stories that have been written about in regards to historical African arts. Although problems involved in labeling African arts in museums and publications seem to be unanimously recognized, proposed solutions often simply shift terms or words without necessarily resulting in a deeper revision of colonial practices. Maybe this response is due to the fact that although we recognize Africa as a plural continent, we are not yet open to recognition of many different kinds of objects and collections.

A brief visit to the main museums with African art collections in the United States and European countries is enough to realize that the works presented to the audience, in general, have a very...

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