Abstract

Belgium has responded in different ways to decolonization campaigns. Its public space – and especially the references to Leopold II – has been criticized since the early 2000s, but has only gradually been adapted since around 2020. Other debates, such as the tradition of Black Pete, the renovation of the AfricaMuseum and the question of restitution of artefacts, were dealt with in a more mature way than in neighboring countries. The Black Lives Matter movement of 2020 also affected politics and academia, but these have reacted more slowly and less drastically.