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Sankofa Sojourn: Study in Nigeria
"Sankofa Sojourn" is the trip my daughter (born 26/10/2015) and i will take to Nigeria to pursue apprenticeship in traditional Yoruba textile arts with Chief Oyenike Davies-Okundaye and her colleagues at Nike Art Center, Osogbo (Osun State). A renowned, multifaceted artist, Nike has devoted decades of her life to teaching and sharing her knowledge of textile design with thousands of students, primarily Nigerian women. She operates multiple galleries and centers of learning, and welcomes those who seek to come and learn. I am requesting frequent flyer miles to cover the cost of airfare, as well as financial contributions for various related expenses (details below) which can be made directly via this Gofundme page.
"sankofa" : Asante Twi dialect (Akan language, Ghana) for "to go back and fetch that which has been forgotten", as in "Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi" ("It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.")
"sojourn" : a temporary stay; also, homage to Sojourner Truth: “The Lord gave me the name Sojourner because I was to travel up and down the land showing the people their sins and being a sign unto them. Afterward I told the Lord I wanted another name because everybody had two names; and the Lord gave me Truth, because I was to declare the truth to the people.”
In essence, we are going back to fetch a form of knowledge which has been forgotten, forcibly so given the cultural genocide enacted via the Maafa and the subsequent shifts in material production imposed throughout modernity-- the industrial era, capitalism, neoliberalism, and now... I have long wanted to learn and practice sewing, but realized that the majority of fabrics and textiles available for such work-- even Ankara and wax prints-- are manufactured in China via mass production, likely by folks laboring in sweatshops or similarly oppressive conditions. I accepted the reality that my intentions go beyond simply making apparel that reflects a decolonial aesthetic, but are rather to engage an approach and process of textile design that is at once ancestral, indigenous, and decolonizing.
Sankofa
I propose this temporary stay (10 months) for us to recover knowledge of traditional textile elaboration which has been lost to most Black Americans and many other Africans in the Diaspora, spanning the process of harvesting fibers, treatment, production of the threads, weaving, dyeing (Adire technique w/ indigo & wax, and more), garment design, and sewing / garment construction. Learning these arts is an opportunity to re-member, to piece back together and in doing so, to recall-- the individual and collective self, our identity as our ancestors' daughters, descendants of peoples who lived in balance with nature and created, consumed in compliment rather than excess.
Sojourn
The ability to recover and re-engage this knowledge is a homage to Sojourner Truth in that it: 1) returns to the root of a lifestyle and accompanying worldviews that were violently discarded, disregarded and displaced by industrialization, and thus reveals the "sins" of capitalism while serving as a sign of creative alternatives and possibilities yet unrealized; 2) constitutes a sort of truth and truth-telling-- there is an empirical basis for the realities of disparity and denigration that we experience as African-descent people under late capitalism, and yet there is simultaneously an exit from these... this temporary stay will bring us closer to our capacity to transform our selves and our community for healing and health.
Upon our return to the United States in September 2017 my intention is to coordinate travel for a collective of Black & African descent femmes to return to Osogbo and apprentice together with Chief Oyenike before establishing a textile arts co-op, most likely in the Seattle area.
details
-------------
Nike Art Center | Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria
http://www.nikeartcenters.com/faqs.pdf
http://www.okayafrica.com/culture-2/chief-nike-davies-adire-yoruba-textile-art/
Chief Nike is an artist and creator of unparalleled caliber. It is an immense honor for us to study with her! Please see her bio for more details.
dates: 1 Nov 2016 - 1 Sept 2017*
*(currently only showing fares through July 2017)
-------------
Depart SEA: 1 DEC 2016
Arrive LOS: 2 DEC 2016
Arrive Osogbo: 2-3 DEC 2016
Depart Osogbo: 31 Aug 2017
Depart LOS: 1 Sept 2017
Arrive SEA: 2 Sept 2017
cost: $3970-$5470
-------------
flight: $1050 (Delta)*
daughter passport: $80
visa: $180
ground travel: $160 (rt taxi Lagos - Osogbo)
housing: $950
program cost: $0
donation to Nike Art Center Osogbo: (<$1500)
materials: $150
food: $300
daughter needs (diapers, clothing, etc): $350
miscellaneous (linens [bed sheets, towels], mosquito net, kitchen utensils, iron, bucket, toiletries): $250
storage unit (in Seattle): $500
-------------
i express my sincere gratitude for your willingness to support this endeavor, be it financially, spiritually, materially (in any other resources you can put in my path), or immaterially via any kin or kindred connections you'd like to share.
-------------
about me:
my name is kristina. i am a queer black feminist femme, single mama to my incredible daughter. i am a child of the earth, and yes there is a moon hanging from my mouth... i am a dancer & a musician, an educator, an artist (however unrealized). my body is my daily canvas. i believe fiercely in the power of my amazing community. i am a proponent of literal decolonization, & of queer black-African Diasporic & indigenous solidarity. i am an adoptee, and i am a survivor, and with this a would-be healer-- much work to continue for my own healing before i can serve others in this way...
thank you for letting me share a little of my story with you! blessings.
"Sankofa Sojourn" is the trip my daughter (born 26/10/2015) and i will take to Nigeria to pursue apprenticeship in traditional Yoruba textile arts with Chief Oyenike Davies-Okundaye and her colleagues at Nike Art Center, Osogbo (Osun State). A renowned, multifaceted artist, Nike has devoted decades of her life to teaching and sharing her knowledge of textile design with thousands of students, primarily Nigerian women. She operates multiple galleries and centers of learning, and welcomes those who seek to come and learn. I am requesting frequent flyer miles to cover the cost of airfare, as well as financial contributions for various related expenses (details below) which can be made directly via this Gofundme page.
"sankofa" : Asante Twi dialect (Akan language, Ghana) for "to go back and fetch that which has been forgotten", as in "Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi" ("It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.")
"sojourn" : a temporary stay; also, homage to Sojourner Truth: “The Lord gave me the name Sojourner because I was to travel up and down the land showing the people their sins and being a sign unto them. Afterward I told the Lord I wanted another name because everybody had two names; and the Lord gave me Truth, because I was to declare the truth to the people.”
In essence, we are going back to fetch a form of knowledge which has been forgotten, forcibly so given the cultural genocide enacted via the Maafa and the subsequent shifts in material production imposed throughout modernity-- the industrial era, capitalism, neoliberalism, and now... I have long wanted to learn and practice sewing, but realized that the majority of fabrics and textiles available for such work-- even Ankara and wax prints-- are manufactured in China via mass production, likely by folks laboring in sweatshops or similarly oppressive conditions. I accepted the reality that my intentions go beyond simply making apparel that reflects a decolonial aesthetic, but are rather to engage an approach and process of textile design that is at once ancestral, indigenous, and decolonizing.
Sankofa
I propose this temporary stay (10 months) for us to recover knowledge of traditional textile elaboration which has been lost to most Black Americans and many other Africans in the Diaspora, spanning the process of harvesting fibers, treatment, production of the threads, weaving, dyeing (Adire technique w/ indigo & wax, and more), garment design, and sewing / garment construction. Learning these arts is an opportunity to re-member, to piece back together and in doing so, to recall-- the individual and collective self, our identity as our ancestors' daughters, descendants of peoples who lived in balance with nature and created, consumed in compliment rather than excess.
Sojourn
The ability to recover and re-engage this knowledge is a homage to Sojourner Truth in that it: 1) returns to the root of a lifestyle and accompanying worldviews that were violently discarded, disregarded and displaced by industrialization, and thus reveals the "sins" of capitalism while serving as a sign of creative alternatives and possibilities yet unrealized; 2) constitutes a sort of truth and truth-telling-- there is an empirical basis for the realities of disparity and denigration that we experience as African-descent people under late capitalism, and yet there is simultaneously an exit from these... this temporary stay will bring us closer to our capacity to transform our selves and our community for healing and health.
Upon our return to the United States in September 2017 my intention is to coordinate travel for a collective of Black & African descent femmes to return to Osogbo and apprentice together with Chief Oyenike before establishing a textile arts co-op, most likely in the Seattle area.
details
-------------
Nike Art Center | Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria
http://www.nikeartcenters.com/faqs.pdf
http://www.okayafrica.com/culture-2/chief-nike-davies-adire-yoruba-textile-art/
Chief Nike is an artist and creator of unparalleled caliber. It is an immense honor for us to study with her! Please see her bio for more details.
dates: 1 Nov 2016 - 1 Sept 2017*
*(currently only showing fares through July 2017)
-------------
Depart SEA: 1 DEC 2016
Arrive LOS: 2 DEC 2016
Arrive Osogbo: 2-3 DEC 2016
Depart Osogbo: 31 Aug 2017
Depart LOS: 1 Sept 2017
Arrive SEA: 2 Sept 2017
cost: $3970-$5470
-------------
flight: $1050 (Delta)*
daughter passport: $80
visa: $180
ground travel: $160 (rt taxi Lagos - Osogbo)
housing: $950
program cost: $0
donation to Nike Art Center Osogbo: (<$1500)
materials: $150
food: $300
daughter needs (diapers, clothing, etc): $350
miscellaneous (linens [bed sheets, towels], mosquito net, kitchen utensils, iron, bucket, toiletries): $250
storage unit (in Seattle): $500
-------------
i express my sincere gratitude for your willingness to support this endeavor, be it financially, spiritually, materially (in any other resources you can put in my path), or immaterially via any kin or kindred connections you'd like to share.
-------------
about me:
my name is kristina. i am a queer black feminist femme, single mama to my incredible daughter. i am a child of the earth, and yes there is a moon hanging from my mouth... i am a dancer & a musician, an educator, an artist (however unrealized). my body is my daily canvas. i believe fiercely in the power of my amazing community. i am a proponent of literal decolonization, & of queer black-African Diasporic & indigenous solidarity. i am an adoptee, and i am a survivor, and with this a would-be healer-- much work to continue for my own healing before i can serve others in this way...
thank you for letting me share a little of my story with you! blessings.