NOTELESS FASHION
The Transatlantic Slave Trade stole over 12 million Africans from their homeland and subjected them to a life of forced labor. When we think about the Transatlantic Slave Trade, we think mostly about the loss of life, the loss of family, and the loss of labor. We almost never think about the loss of culture, of traditions, of language, of religion, of ourselves. Those losses; however, were not forgotten by the Stolen. They were keenly aware that being sold into slavery meant that their lives were different forever, which is why the Stolen were known to sneak okra seeds in their pockets, so that they could hold on to something, anything from their past. Vodun in Haiti, Condomble in Brazil, and Santeria in Cuba all incorporate aspects of West African traditional religions. Many former slave enclaves still incorporate African cadence and words in their language today, like the Gullah people of South Carolina. The Stolen knew the importance of holding on to the culture.
Today the descendants of those Stolen are still trying to grasp for pieces of the past, and often look to the continent to find the answers they seek. Cultural Ambassadors such as Katharine Dunham and Pearl Bailey traveled to African countries, as well as the Caribbean, learning the customs, culture and dance, and brought it back to the United States African-American revolutionaries have also sought asylum in both African and Caribbean countries at different times during our collective fights for independence, including Assata Shakur and Rob Williams in Cuba, and Pete O’Neal in Tanzania.
Studies have shown that African-American and Latino children who are taught about their own histories and cultures fare better academically. That is why collections like the one that we have here are important, because learning about the past and ones own connection to it translates directly to success. As you explore the images in this collection we hope that you will be inspired to do your own research, connect the dots on your own ancestral story, and learn about the cultures that birthed you. It is necessary for survival.
For more information about De La Sébure visit www.delasebure.com
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