Sankofa

Sankofa is an Akan phrase and a proverb, which means “Go back and get it. In other words, “it is not taboo to go back and get something after you have forgotten it.”

I titled my work Sankofa because I drew the original artwork with a Ballpoint pen on paper instead of a stylus on a computer or tablet. The Ballpoint pen was one of my drawing tools in the past before the stylus. The artwork is in memory of my grandmother. It is not her portrait but, it is my beautiful memories of her from the past. As I reflected on time and social evolution, I recollected with a lot of nostalgia, unforgettable memories, and the relationship I shared with my deceased grandmother when she was alive. Because of the bond that we had, I was able to discuss almost everything with her. She used to tell me Ananse (spider) stories. These stories were imaginative but life-shaping, with a lot of moral lessons. My major worry is if my children and possibly my grandchildren will have the same memories and relationships my grandmother and I had. Will social media and digital search engines prevent them from listening to my Ananse stories or asking the same or similar questions that I used to ask my grandmother? I am worried about this separation. Social media and digital search engines are separating us instead of uniting us. My grandmother is no more alive but, I still have her words in your memory bank.

The Sankofa artwork was exhibited in Seigfried Gallery at Ohio University in 2021 and printed on T-shirts and mugs after the exhibition.

Ballpoint pen drawing