Comic creation in museum mediation: an anti-racist reparation initiative of colonial legacies

This paper examines the potential of using comics in museum mediation as a symbolic reparation activity that responds to colonial legacies in museums. The analysis focuses on two comic creation workshops developed in conjunction with the Education Team of the National Museum of Colombia. The workshop's theme addressed the representations of racialised identities in the Museum and aimed to reflect on racial discourses present in the collection, inviting participants to redress previous images of oppression by creating a comic page about the objects and characters displayed in the galleries. Findings suggest that comic creation can facilitate symbolic reparation initiatives from colonial legacies in museums by raising awareness of the discourses that tie together objects and images, and by giving participants tools to mediate and, in some cases, remediate hurtful representations. The dialogue between anti-racist comics and museum collections can also encourage critical reflections towards everyday acts and representations of racism.