Sankofa (2017)

" I am no leader, I am just a way.

I am no judge, the decision is yours.

I am not waiting for you, I am hoping you.

Once you are ready, just think of me

and you will find me.

Come with your memories, come with your scars. Come with belief, and determination.

Take them all with you

so you can find your path."

This piece is the incarnation of the Sankofa symbol. It litterally means return and get it. It is about the importance of learning from the past to built the future. The Sankofa symbol has two different shapes and both of them are used here. See the bird on Sankofa’s back for a start. It is depicted arching it’s neck in order to take an egg located on its own back. The second version of the symbol is placed on the top of Sankofa’s staff and looks quite like a heart but I’d rather see it as two profiles facing each other and connecting their foreheads. Imagine that the past is actually passing its knowledge to the present and that from this connection will rise the energy or the spirit that is necessary to build a bright future…

Now look at Sankofa’s position. She is standing with her back to us because she is overseeing a future in construction but her head is slightly turned sideways so that one of her ears is oriented backwards, to the past. This is to emphasize the fact that Sankofa is wary, watchful and willing to hear everything the ancients, History and even a younger self have to tell her.

She is of great wisdom and for that matter I decided to make her a more iconic character than I had initially intended by adding a bracelet to her left arm with the Epa (handcuffs) symbol on it. Epa represents slavery and captivity. The fact is that the tragedy of slavery in Lybia was broadly revealed to the world while I was working on this painting so I found it important to remind through it that some lessons from the past are still not learned.

Epa is also the symbol of justice and equality. Food for thought.     

This piece is the incarnation of the Sankofa symbol. It litterally means return and get it. It is about the importance of learning from the past to built the future. The Sankofa symbol has two different shapes and both of them are used here. See the bird on Sankofa’s back for a start. It is depicted arching it’s neck in order to take an egg located on its own back. The second version of the symbol is placed on the top of Sankofa’s staff and looks quite like a heart but I’d rather see it as two profiles facing each other and connecting their foreheads. Imagine that the past is actually passing its knowledge to the present and that from this connection will rise the energy or the spirit that is necessary to build a bright future…

Now look at Sankofa’s position. She is standing with her back to us because she is overseeing a future in construction but her head is slightly turned sideways so that one of her ears is oriented backwards, to the past. This is to emphasize the fact that Sankofa is wary, watchful and willing to hear everything the ancients, History and even a younger self have to tell her.

She is of great wisdom and for that matter I decided to make her a more iconic character than I had initially intended by adding a bracelet to her left arm with the Epa (handcuffs) symbol on it. Epa represents slavery and captivity. The fact is that the tragedy of slavery in Lybia was broadly revealed to the world while I was working on this painting so I found it important to remind through it that some lessons from the past are still not learned.

Epa is also the symbol of justice and equality. Food for thought.     

'' I am no leader, I am just a way.

I am no judge, the decision is yours.

I am not waiting for you, I am hoping you.

Once you are ready, just think of me and you will find me. Come with your memories, come with your scars. Come with belief, and determination.Take them all with you

so you can find your path.''

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