The article, while praising the undeniable erudition and visual quality of Umberto Eco’s work, cannot help but notice the omission of elements related to the African world. This critique fits into a broader debate on the risk of Eurocentrism, which is particularly evident in academic and popular works.

The article highlights a challenge that characterizes communication about Africa: the continent is often marginalized in historical and cultural discussions, let alone political ones, even when its inclusion could have enriched a scholarly work like Eco’s.

However, the accusation of Eurocentrism could be mitigated if we consider that The Book of Legendary Lands may have been intentionally conceived by the author as a text exploring legendary places tied primarily to European literary and cultural traditions.

It would be interesting to discuss how the concept of “legend” is interpreted in different cultural traditions, in order to include narratives that do not belong to the Western canon.

In conclusion, although the critiques of presumed Eurocentrism are valid in some respects, it should also be acknowledged that no work can be all-encompassing. Nonetheless, the article presents a valuable challenge: encouraging future works of cultural synthesis to give more space to narratives beyond the European canon.