Statement
As an extension of the Transcendent Iconography Series, current work will continue to be added here.
Said Mother Muse To The Lord Of The Dance: 'The Devil's Claw Is Sirius, B. Prepare For War
This piece explores the unbroken connection between Africa and her descendants and defines it as both evidence of our strength and as our first weapon against oppression across the Diaspora. It was inspired by watching footage paralleling traditional African dances with centuries of African American dances, demonstrating an intangible transmission that has survived against all odds. Brittsense photographed an Oakland dancer/rapper, JR, and captured his warrior spirit.
Here, I render Africa (the mother of humanity) and personify her as a muse, inspiring him to use his gifts in the fight for liberation. Anointed, he conjures Shango’s double-headed ax, invoking the Orisha’s warrior spirit. Shango is also known as a Lord of Dance, a reference to uplifting the critical role of art in the struggle. He is bound by the wrists with the devil’s claw plant, chosen because its ominous name reflects this perilous country. However, it is also a medicinal plant, and its chain could be easily severed by his ax or by recognition of his own strength, so this alchemist has everything he needs to transcend, to fight, to be free.
His totem is the African Long-Tailed Bush Shrike, the “scatterer of enemies” in Zulu lore. His lower body is the darkness of the cosmos, a reminder that we are all made of stardust (therefore, we are greater than the stereotypes and limitations placed on us). The Sirius constellation is centered in the darkness. The ancient Dogon knew Sirius had an invisible dark companion star with a 50-year orbit, yet modern science only “discovered” this fact with high-powered telescopes in 1862.
This is but one of countless examples illustrating how our ancestors held legitimate knowledge and wisdom that we can and must protect, listen to, and learn from. This piece brings to light how we, Africa’s children, hold within our DNA profound knowledge, creativity, perseverance, and even swagger, which expresses itself whether we are conscious of it or not. We can harness the gifts of this inheritance to empower us in the fight for Black lives today.
Through The Fire-Beauty, Joy and Awe Are Our Birthright
This archetype is a reminder that, despite (and because of) all the suffering our ancestors have endured, every breath we take is a miracle, and all that we build/create is a victory. The saga of the Black experience in this country, as well as each one of our personal journeys, is unfolding on a giant rock hurtling through space, and our bodies are literally made of stardust—simply awe-inspiring. The fact that we have found ways to thrive in the fires of systemic oppression is no less than a miracle and is a testament to our genius and might—our inventions have shaped this country, our music and swag have every corner of the world swooning, we break records and break through ceilings, we care for our elders, we relish our children’s laughter, we show grace and forgive—the list of victories is inexhaustible.
This figure’s totem, aglow in her heart, is the 80-million-year-old protea flower, which, like her/us, spreads its seeds in wildfires. In ancient Egypt, it was said that at the time of death, each heart would be weighed against an ostrich feather before the soul could pass into the afterlife. Here, she effortlessly grasps this ancient wisdom, encouraging us to do the rigorous work of transcending the myriad of hardships we face in life—to not let suffering harden our hearts or rob us of intrinsic peace and joy.
She is tethered to the beyond by a golden thread, haloed by a multitude of gilded spirits, and cocooned by the cumulative number of ancestors she/we have, going back generation after generation. They form an intangible army from whom we can inherit not only trauma but resilience.