The western world’s colonial and postcolonial actions painted a dangerous picture of Africa. One that was demeaning and contradicting to the point that it could not be seen or felt by the African eye and emotion but rather only served the Western ones. That picture being myopic and focused only on what could serve the Western canon to justify and advance exploitation, in this case artistic.
Africa’s creativity is not solely black or white, it is not rich or poor and it’s definitely not just a wax print of a zebra or a giraf fe. It is an incredible abundance of cultural expression, artistic manifestation, heritage, history, nature and a life force that existed and will continue to exist outside of the Western stereotype, regardless of the many distortions of its essence and its misgivings.
Outside of that, African creativity comes from a dif ferent source of imagination. It stems primarily from a heritage rooted in generational passing and a consistent evolution that allows an almost sacred notion of respect for the culture, and that is visible in the craftsmanship and the level of creativity coming from African artists. The process in which that knowledge is passed down from generation to generation is both personal and sentimental, and that allows a particular relationship with the produced art.
Movement of hope