Metropole/Colony: Africa and Italy

With the use of different materials such as books, paintings and artifacts the exhibition Metropole/Colony: Africa and Italy is organized and display in a series of events that took place when Italy was colonizing Africa during the Fascist movement. When stepping into the exhibition there is a brief summary in the center of the room were explains what the exhibition is about. The exhibition is organized with the main events represented by propaganda placed on the walls, and with artifacts located at center of the exhibition, such as the platters display as a symbol of the acquire territory  in Africa devoted to agriculture. Even though one can explore the room in any way possible, all events at some point become the support or base of another event. for example, on one of the walls the propaganda is giving a brief description of the cities in Italy, and how the cities were been constructed and how they were making connections from the cities in Italy to the cities in Africa such as Libya and Ethiopia. The materials also explain how citizens were drawn into following and supporting the Fascist regime. Families had to place maps and children have to play games that represented Italians colonizing Africa. They were also Italian postcards that portrayed Africans working on the fields under the fascist movement. Propaganda showed the development of transportation and how the government had the ability to improve the citizen’s life style. All of these different scenarios are organized and placed around the room, with artifacts that explain the event for viewers to understand. It explains the fascist regime rapid development of agriculture and industry that do to this Rome started to produce postcards publicizing its branches throughout East Africa in order to represent to absorption into Italy’s empire. In the exhibition on one of the walls there is a painting where the Africans are shown harvesting crops. At one side of the exhibition propaganda of airplanes and models of trains are displayed to show that once Italy’s army conquered the territory in Africa, tourism started to come into Africa, allowing tourist to retrace these historic events. The arrangement of the material in the exhibition was a very successful way of organizing it. The placement of the artifacts and elements helps the viewer understand the series of events that happen in order for Italy to colonize Africa and to let Italy itself become a stronger nation.