Abstract

In June 2023, the Prime Minister of Portugal Antonio Costa made a state visit to Luanda where he visited the premises of the future Museum of the Struggle for Liberation, located in the former Casa de Reclusão, place of imprisonment for several protagonists of Angolan independence. As this was the first time the project was made public, Costa's visit was filled with political symbolism that is relevant in the context of post-colonial Lusophone cultural and heritage diplomacy. But, taking into account that the space in question also embodies a history of extreme post-colonial violence, what are the epistemological and political costs of the project? Based on the case study of the new museum, we propose to debate the processes of public ritualization and heritage performatization of the post-colonial Lusophone space. To this end, we will use the operative concept of “heritage spectacle” to discuss the actors, relationships and representations surrounding heritage processes.

Team