In the 1990s a new wave of globalization changed the field of cultural production in many African countries and paved the way for major new cultural events. In particular during the last two decades an ever growing series of art and cultural centres were and still are being established - often against the background of broader national (art) histories and the historic prominence of the state as the primary patron of the arts. In considering the historical genealogy of these 'new spaces', this volume examines the infrastructures and public spaces they create, the theoretical discourses they tap into and explore, the aesthetic and (cultural) political debates they stir, the role they play in the field of cultural institutions and cultural activism, and their relations with state and municipal institutions.