International Black™

medievalpoc:

These incredible photographs by Omar Victor Diop, a Senegalese photographer, were brought to my attention by a twitter follower. This series, entitled Project Diaspora, was inspired by both Diop’s sense of isolation during an artist residency in Europe, and then subsequent wonder upon discovering the massive academic collection, Image of the Black In Western Art. From the New York Times:

“As a Francophone African,” he said, “I had never heard of these individuals.”

He has since made up for that oversight, producing “Project Diaspora,” a set of 12 images Mr. Diop adapted from artworks created in Europe from the 15th to the 19th centuries. They represent outstanding individuals who lived in Europe and illustrate the historical depth of the ties that have linked the Western world to the African continent.

In each image, Mr. Diop poses as the person in the original engraving, painting or sculpture. “I enjoy the idea that, contrary to the conventional self-portrait, I am just an accessory,” he said during a Skype interview. “My goal is to bear witness to the contribution of Africans to universal civilization.”

I’ve made the imposition here to include some of the original artworks beside a few of the photographs from the series, a testament to both the accuracy of the recreations, and well as to underscore the symbolism of Diop’s interpretations.

You can read about each artwork and individual that inspired these works at the New York Times article also linked above, at Diop’s online gallery for Project Diaspora, or learn more about individuals like Don Miguel De Castro, ambassador from Kongo to Dutch Brazil here at Medievalpoc.

blackwomenofbrazil:

Jongo: The dance and rhythm that is the living memory of black ancestors in Brazil

Note from BW of Brazil: A great and timely post today considering that November is the Month of Black Consciousness in Brazil. Much is often said about Brazil’s debt to Africa, not only in its culture, the many words in the Portuguese spoken by Brazilians, but in the very veins, faces, skin colors and DNA of its people, whether they identify as black, afrodescendente or not. The word Samba, Brazil’s most popular musical rhythm, was derived from the word semba, a word common to many West African bantu languages (1). Below, become familiar another of Brazil’s enduring cultural practices that have been kept alive for centuries by the descendants of Africans brought to the land that would come to be known as Brazil centuries ago. Be sure to also check out the videos at the end of the article. 

The full story here:  Jongo: The dance and rhythm that is the living memory of black ancestors in Brazil