Let me begin with an apology.

An unrelenting work schedule, the sudden death of my father-in-law (who I mentioned in my first column), and personal health issues have kept me away for too long. When I first told Patsy that I'd be reviewing "Africa Remix" for TBA, it was immediately after having the pleasure of visiting the exhibition in Paris. That was a while ago, but I'd like to tell you all about it, just the same.

It's good to be back.

Simon Njami is a Cameroonian writer and founder/editor of the Paris-based journal, La Revue Noire, who also served as head of the curatorial team for "Remix", which grew from an international collaboration between four major galleries: Museum Kunst Palast in Düsseldorf, where it opened in July; the Hayward Gallery, London; the Centre Pompidou, Paris; and the Mori Museum, Tokyo. The idea was this: to raise consciousness of the imaginativeness and diversity of the African contemporary art scene.

According to Njami: "The aim of 'Africa Remix' was to put together an exhibition that highlighted the deep motivation behind African creativity, and to put a stop to a series of misconceptions and myths about the continent."

200 exhibits displayed over 7200 square feet of floor. 85 contributing artists. In a word: impressive.

It's true that 'Remix' was brought right into my backyard, at the start of this year. As I wrote, earlier, The Hayward Gallery, there on the lovely south bank of the Thames, hosted the show (from February-April), but I was crushed by work and never made it round. My husband did, however, and came home from the experience teeming with enthusiasm. Fortunately, I had an opportunity to discover what all the excitement was about, during a business trip to Paris, almost four months later. At that time, I traveled with a colleague to Centre Pompidou, where I witnessed a slew of inspired works by modern African artists—the greater number of whom live in Africa, as well as a few who make their homes in Europe and North America.

These are the real faces and voices of the birthplace of civilization and what is now, undoubtedly, the world's most persistently plagued continent. No spears or wooden masks, here. Instead, I found Nigerian artist Dilomprizulike (known in Lagos as "the junk man of Africa"), whose pieces are created from items discarded by others. Instead, I encountered Sudanese artist, Hassan Musa, long known for stinging political commentary, whose "Great American Nude" depicted a naked Osama Bin Laden sprawled over an American flag, and graced the wall leading to the showcase. Instead, there was Angolan Antonio Ole's motley mural, "Township Wall Number 10", which he assembled from cast off items such as road signs, doors, and windows, symbolizing solidarity in his homeland. Instead, a 13-feet model of the Eiffel Tower by Gonçalo Mabunda (a longtime favorite of mine; see his whimsical "Dancer", here), welded from what was left of weapons from Mozambique's civil war.

As we strolled through the rooms, we were serenaded by seductive melodies and rhythms, streaming non-stop from a jukebox. The eclectic soundtrack offered everything from traditional Malian kora music to hip hop from Algeria.¹

"Africa Remix" was a mass of painting, sculpture, photography, literature, and film grouped into three broad yet express themes: History and Identity, which addressed "matters of power and authority, modernity, and tradition and collective identities", and contained the work of Central African Samuel Fosso, one of the most prodigious, renowned African photographers on the art scene since the '70s; an installation by this year's Turner prize nominee, Nigerian Yinka Shonibare, who resides in London; and brilliant South African sculptor Jane Alexander, who positively blew me away (Her tableau, "African Adventure", combined human and animal forms² and was nothing short of eerie...in the best possible sense.); City and Land, which focused on the "contrasting experiences of urban and rural life and the distinctive dynamism of African cities", and featured new work by another personal favorite, impactful South African photographer David Goldblatt, as well as an awe-inspiring 'cloth of gold', 26 feet high, and constructed from thousands of bottle tops by El Anatsui, a Ghanian; and Body and Soul, which considered "issues of individual identity, religion, spirituality and emotion, sexuality, the body, the portrait, and the gaze". It was here that New York-based Egyptian, Ghada Amer, showed off her exquisite images woven from threads of cotton.³

But while it was a decidely contemporary undertaking, nods to a rich and beleaguered history did abound. As Centre Pompidou's literature, regarding the exhibit, accurately assessed:

Jonathan Jones wrote a mixed review of "A.R." for The Guardian Unlimited. Overall, he was less impressed than I was, but he touched on a feeling—and left with a conclusion—that I certainly share.

The good news is that more exhibition stop-overs are being seriously discussed—including venues in Africa and North America. That translates into a chance for you to see this amazing array and for a breathtakingly diverse and compelling exposition to make its way home.