Gesture, decree, word: reparation can act both objectively and symbolically. It is a requirement of decolonial thinking, and is expressed in the work of Grada Kilomba, who diverts and draws on figures from Greek mythology, the mother of Western civilisation, to point to the human and political issues of decolonisation. The same critical approach is at the heart of Meloko Mokgosi’s work, which proceeds to deconstruct the history of European painting, as if to underline a debt that cannot be repaid. In Sabelo Mlangeni’s work, reparation is interpreted in a more moral way, underlining the need for marginalised populations to find places to invest in, where they can rebuild themselves and perhaps re-form society.