Saviors or Tyrannizers: Western Colonialism in the Lens of the Mutafikah

    In Ishmael Reed's Mumbo Jumbo, a recurring group is the Mutafikah, an secret society dedicated to liberating works of art from Western art museums and returning them to their original country. While this group appears entirely fictional with character names such as Berbelang, Yellow Jack, Thor Wintergreen, and Jose Fuentes, the Mutafikah represents a real historical discourse between Western society and the suppression of  "colonized" cultures in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Reed presents the Mutafikah with a satirical tone as to draw further attention to the true values that they stand behind.

   One illustrative example of this narrative is in Chapter 23, when Berbelang and the Mutafikah are planning their next move: "[Berbelang:] What we especially want [from the Center of Art Detention] is the page of a manuscript dated 1600: The Concourse of the Birds. The real Concourse of the Birds is there? Thor remarks, surprise showing in his blue eyes. Yeah, gringo. The real 1 your swine Robber Baron of a father and his Copper King rats lifted as they sailed the world on their pirate ships" (Reed 86). The Mutafikah (and Reed)'s stance is clear with their vocabulary. The Center of Art Detention (colloquially known as the Met) suggests that the works of art are being held captive, as in a prison; Reed describes the group's excursions as liberations rather than heists. The Mutafikah engage with art in an unconventional way,  describing museums as prisons preventing works from being reunited with their rightful owners. Berbelang's response to Thor exemplifies this dynamic, antagonizing Western conquistadors traditionally seen as the "saviors" of society. With Reed's specific use of vocabulary and poking at Western culture's colonization-based roots, the Mutafikah are shown to seek retribution for previous crimes committed by "Western Civilization" on their culture. 

    Reed's Mutafikah raise real-world discussion about art to this day, specifically regarding controversies with the British Museum. The British Museum have been criticized for harboring "stolen" artifacts taken from countries while they were still under British imperial rule. The British Museum claims it is "protecting" the artifacts and refuses to repatriate, while many countries are calling for the return of goods that rightfully belong to them. This situation parallels the Center of Art Detention/Mutafikah dynamic, perhaps a testimony to the discussion created by Reed's depiction of art museums: do artifacts belong in a museum, or is there irony to keeping the artifacts away from where they originated? In Mumbo Jumbo, Reed takes to satire to "defend" the museums: "The army devoted to guarding this booty [art from other cultures] is larger than those of most countries. Justifiably so, because if these treasures got into the 'wrong hands' (the countries from which they were stolen) there would be renewed enthusiasms for the Ikons of the aesthetically victimized civilizations" (Reed 15). In this passage, Reed criticizes the museums as being superficial and used as a tool to promote a singular "true" lifestyle.

    While the Mutafikah were certainly radical for its time ("Berbelang and his gang are the bohemians of the 1920s Manhattan" (Reed 15), many of the ideas of represented by the Mutafikah have made it mainstream. The British Museum debate certainly has garnered the attention of many countries and still remains unresolved, with substantial supporters on both sides. While it may not be the full strength of the Atonists and Jes Grew, the Mutafikah flips the narrative (in Reed's signature style) to create discussion about art and museums. One thing is for sure, though: Reed would not be a fan of the British Museum.