“We are all Moors!” wrote the Cuban poet Jose Marti in 1893, as he proclaimed solidarity with the Berbers of Northern Morocco who were challenging Spanish rule at the time. Marti’s call for Latino-Muslim solidarity also spoke to a past and to the future, as both Muslims and Latinos have come to be seen as enemies and threats to modernity and the West – an idea that began in the iconic year of 1492 when the Moor was expelled from Spain and Columbus began the conquest of the Americas. Histories Absolved taps into these histories by showcasing the revolutionary graphic art work of the influential Cuban-based Organization of Solidarity with the Peoples of Africa, Asia and Latin America (OSPAAAL) and their posters of solidarity with the anti-imperialist struggles taking place in the 1960’s, ‘70’s and 80’ in Egypt, Syria, Morocco, Palestine, Yemen, Afghanistan, Lebanon and numerous other places in the region. Through the exhibition, as well as public dialogues, Histories Absolved explores the urgency and importance of these solidarities for today when war, xenophobia and repression are rampant.

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