One of the most enduring questions in the history of the African diaspora, and especially the rise of black transnational modernism, concerns the relationship between politics and the arts. Whereas some scholars have considered the ways in which political activists have interacted with writers, musicians and visual artists, others have focused on the political meanings of different creative media. In particular, the modernist vision of blackness has prompted many (often very heated) debates about how to portray blacks and black culture, and the politics of such representational choices. Does an emphasis on positive characteristics of black life create a politically impressive but aesthetically dishonest image of black culture, or conversely do more ‘realistic’ portrayals reflect racist stereotypes and ultimately contribute to a reactionary political agenda? Such debates have been central to discussions of black culture during the modern era, and show no sign of losing their potency in the twenty-first century.

In this essay I propose to contribute to this debate by looking at black modernism in a seminal place and time. As the historian William Klingaman has noted, 1919 was the year the modern world began. In 1919 representatives from nations and peoples across the globe came together to negotiate not just the end of World War I but more fundamentally the shape of the world order for the young twentieth century.