Samia Henni Exhibition Details Sahara’s Colonial Nuclear Legacy
Algerian historian and curator Samia Henni is presenting her exhibition, "Toxicité coloniale," also known as "Colonial Toxicity," at the Centre Avril in Paris. Running from November 20 to December 19, 2026, the exhibition focuses on French nuclear colonialism within the Algerian Sahara. This cultural initiative highlights the extensive research conducted by Henni to document the long-term effects of these historical events, with a public opening scheduled for November 19.
Between 1960 and 1966, the French colonial regime conducted 17 atomic bomb explosions in the Algerian Sahara, comprising four atmospheric and thirteen underground tests. These actions led to significant radioactive fallout, affecting not only Algeria but also the broader regions of Africa and the Mediterranean. The explosions resulted in irreversible damage to natural environments, built structures, and living organisms. More than six decades after the initial tests, access to official archives for this secret program remains highly restricted, and the full extent of its consequences is still largely unrecognized.
In the absence of comprehensive official records, Samia Henni compiled a diverse array of sources, including available, offered, contraband, and leaked documents, to construct the exhibition. The multimedia installation features confidential papers, archives, maps, visual and audio materials, historical and scientific explanations, and contemporary images. Structured into thirteen audiovisual assemblages, or "stations," the exhibit traces the spatial, atmospheric, and geological impacts of the bombs, illuminating colonial vocabulary and the persistence of radioactive and architectural debris. Henni's work underscores critical colonial facts, such as the insufficient control of explosions, security deficiencies, and the hazardous employment of Algerians in dangerous construction sites. This research has garnered prior recognition, with earlier versions presented in Amsterdam, Zurich, London, Paris, Ottawa, and Montreal, and an accompanying book distinguished internationally.
