Colombia’s National Museum removes exhibits on social movements, prompting protests

Removal of exhibits on social movements and political violence has prompted protests and renewed debate over who shapes Colombia’s public history.

Students protest outside Colombia’s National Museum
University students gather outdoors for a class in front of the National Museum in Bogotá during protests over the removal of artworks, photographed by Fernando Vergara for AP on October 21, 2026.

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Colombia’s president says dozens of displays have been removed from Bogotá’s National Museum as part of a cultural “counterrevolution.”

The exhibits covered feminist and LGBTQ+ activism and the country’s political violence, prompting protests by students, artists and civil-rights groups.

History student Azul Riascos said the removals risk erasing part of the country’s past. Officials say they are reviewing displays at other state museums.

The Foreign Ministry also renamed a courtyard that had honoured an Indigenous leader, extending the dispute beyond the National Museum.

People Sentiments Public Mood: Mixed

  • Student Azul Riascos warned the removals risk erasing history
  • Political scientist Estefanía Cardozo criticized the campaign as exclusionary

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A museum policy dispute and public protests have drawn international wire coverage.