INSPIRATION

This piece took me about a year to complete; from the fear of filling up that huge canvas with my soul to the excitement of adding the finishing touches. This is the piece that kept me spiritually balanced when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world and changed my life and environment like for millions of people on this planet.

Afrikan Puzzle is a reflection of Africa whose glorious past and knowledge are often denied, disputed, and recreated to the point that it’s puzzling; Africa whose children were scattered all over the world for centuries to be destined to bondage; Africa who was then divided into 50 countries, creating a new map of the continent that was superimposed over more than a 1,000 indigenous cultures and regions; Africa who is still struggling with her heavy past, her challenging present but still entertains the idea of building a great future.

Africa is a big puzzle that I attempted to piece together in this work. Although I agree that it does not do justice to Mother Africa whose beauty is too profound to be captured, I’m proud that I tried and I love what I have done.