(CNN) A mural of an African proletariat breaking the chains of capitalism in Angola; an imposing, North Korean-built monument in Addis Ababa. Cold War relics dot the African continent from Ethiopia to Burkina Faso. One organization has now decided to take a closer look at the decades-old relationship between Africa and communism.

"Red Africa", a season of events and exhibitions looking at communism's effect on the continent took place earlier this year at Calvert 22 , London. Curated by Mark Nash, the project's findings have been collated into an upcoming book , with Nash taking the reigns as editor.

Requited love

The flirtation between Africa and communism went two ways. Many African artists and filmmakers were encouraged to study in the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc under free education schemes, and they brought their ideas back home.

Soviet artists, in turn, used the image of Africans and African-Americans in countless propaganda posters, to represent the Communist party's supposedly more enlightened perspective on race and other social issues.

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