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 The
Congos inhabit the northern coast of the isthmus of Panama and are the
proud descendants of the cimarrones--Africans who  escaped
slavery by fleeing to the mountains and rainforests. Congo history and
culture are preserved today in "living art traditions" that serve as
a reaffirmation of a proud people's identity and is centered on bringing
to life the heroism of the cimarrones. As a member Taller Portobelo,
I am involved in preserving these traditions through works of art. |
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 While
the plight of abducted Africans has figured prominently in my work for
many years, and more so since I have been living in the village of Portobelo,
the souls of millions of Africans who perished at sea during the Middle
Passage of the trans-Atlantic slave trade have become a source of great
concern for me. As a result, I have created a series of installations
that are intended to memorialize these individuals. Seminal to these
installations is the notion of reconciliation and healing. I believe
that art, like religion, can serve as a vehicle through which the process
of spiritual healing can take place.
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Yoruba-Lucumí
Aesthetic Traditions:
In
his 1996 essay "From Africa to the Americas, Art in Yoruba Religion"
in Santeria Aesthetics in Contemporary Latin American Art, Babatunde
Lawal identifies the three main functions of art in Yoruba devotional
practices as communicative, honorific, and representational. Since the
early 1970s, these functions have been the primary objectives of my
installations that are grounded in the Yoruba/Lucumí traditions. |
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