This past summer has undoubtedly caused the world to do some questioning of themselves and where they fit in the world on an entirely new level, for me, it has catalyzed my articulation of subjectivity and the identities in which I harbor. A recent trip to Jamaica drew this introspection even further and has led to the creation of the newest print to be added to Art and Letters.
I am a woman of Jamaican/Southeast Asian Descent, and Kenyan-White Descent; basically if Kamala Harris and Barack Obama had a child (sorry to make that weird/political but I am talking percentages here people, to make explaining less complicated XD) . I have the luxury, unlike many African Americans, of knowing my lineage and roots, of knowing what black I arise from and although that allows for an understanding many unfortunately are not allowed due to the thief that is white colonization, it creates a maze.
Like much of the entire Caribbean, Jamaica once was a colony that held imported slaves brought in to farm sugar cane. The oppressed African natives, outnumbering the white slave masters, revolted and were able to claim the island gaining independence and national pride; 'Out of many, one people'...
The national motto is a house to peoples of many religions, cultures, colors, and classes, creating a unifying black nation, one with the intention for all to be seen and heard.
This broad array of black peoples dislodged and removed from their origins has left us with a void of the truest understanding of ourselves in the racial and cultural sense, and then we are left to survive in a world where that dictates our entire existence. Just as this country that holds my roots has created a harbor for black unity, so has Pan Africanism, holding the entire band of indigenous peoples and those of the diaspora under a band of solidarity. This movement holds the core belief that we not only share a history but also a common destiny.
The Pan African Movement first originated with the earliest revolts on slave ships and uprisings and holds in this continued struggle for freedom the work and space for the two U's; Unity and Upliftment of people of African Descent.
My newest piece holds the image of the Pan African flag, a symbol of our strength in our community; the many blocks that, when cemented together, form the beauty that is the great pyramids. I introduce, Mother Pan Africa.....
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