Colombia's President removes dozens of exhibits from the National Museum in a cultural 'counterrevolution'

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Colombia's President removes dozens of exhibits from the National Museum in a cultural 'counterrevolution'

22 October 2026

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella announced that he is spearheading a cultural counterrevolution that includes removing dozens of exhibits from the National Museum, a step reported on October 22, 2026. He said a week earlier that he wants to prevent cultural institutions from being taken over by what he calls atheist social communism. Exhibits that addressed the history of social movements, including feminist and LGBTQ activism, and Colombia's political violence have since been taken down. Dozens of demonstrators gathered on October 21, 2026 outside the National Museum in downtown Bogota as riot police guarded its entrance, with civil rights groups, artists and students warning that the removals could erase parts of the country's history.

City of the National Museum: downtown Bogota President: Abelardo de la Espriella

Why it matters for exams: Capital cities and national museums are standard general knowledge, and this is a current example of state control over a museum's content.

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22 October 2026 Source: Al Jazeera

In plain words

Bogota The capital of Colombia — The National Museum of Colombia stands in its downtown area.

Counterrevolution A movement to reverse changes brought by an earlier movement — Here it describes an effort to undo the cultural direction of previous governments.