How do you process the darkness of the world? How does one overcome feelings of sadness, stress, and defeat? People do it in many ways, some engage in escapism through drugs or physical activity, some ignore the stressors, many people meditate. Others actively engage by participating in activism - like organizing or protesting. Me, I turn to creativity. The process to create a meaningful work helps to process the events provides focus that allows energetic resources to move away from stress and into the work, which once finished can be displayed, shared, or destroyed.
Like many who heard about the October 7th Hamas attack, I was shocked. Like many people I was saddened by the harshness of the Israeli military response. Had I lived in a more population dense area, I would have joined the protests, I may have helped organize, I would have been more involved. But living in the woods, what could I do? Art!
I began this piece after the October 7th, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent Israeli response. I was stressed and paralyzed. There was so much information coming out about the history, opinions, and news it became overwhelming. With such a devestating turn of events I felt helpless. As I sat with the feelings I was inspired to create a beaded piece that visualized the global interconnectedness of global systems of oppression and dehumanization. What better way than harnessing the word Apartheid.
The capital A and lowercase a deal with the linguistic and geographic uses of the word. Because Apartheid is an Afrikaans term developed for the systematic preferencing of one group of people (those of European descent) and the codified oppression of all others (Africans, Asians, and any combination of known as "Coloureds") the A is capitalized.
The little "a", or lowercase "a" to be more precise, is for the use of the term outside the South African context. For example, the term has been adopted by activists and scholars around the world to criminalize and ostracize other nations' authoritarian and discriminatory governing practices. For decades scholars and folk have applied the term to the Israel-Palestine situation. Many, including Amnesty International, reference the disparities between health, wealth, service, and opportunity resources which privilege Israelis at the expense of oppressing Palestinians.
To solidify the concepts, I placed the old South African flag of the Nationalist White Supremacist government that established Apartheid in 1948 on the left and the Zionist flag on the right.
This video of me in action over the soundtrack of Alpha Blonde's "Apartheid" seemed appropriate as a call to action for America which has played a significant role in upholding systems of oppression at home and abroad. Although the song was released in 1985 many could revive it as an anthem to stop the war in the Middle East.
Obviously, the USA flag is in the center. As a first generation-born "American" who spent time as a child in Apartheid South Africa I was deeply affected by systems of oppression and the ways in which it indirectly affected my family and me. First off, my mother was an asylum seeker from Apartheid South Africa in the early 1970s. By the time I was born though she missed her family and wanted to me to know who they were and in turn who I would be so I traveled for the first time before I was 2 years old. I returned to NYC (where I was born and raised) months later. A pattern was quickly established and I traveled to my grandparents' farm in Mangete located in what was known as "Zululand" every other summer.
The thing about rural Mangete was that it was a "Coloured" reserve. Meaning it was a space designated for "Coloured" folks who were related to a White, British citizen who had curried favor with a former Zulu king. Read my dissertation if you wanna find out more about John Dunn. Despite not being white, the Coloured people there (who were all related) were made to feel that they were somehow better than the indigenous amaZulu people, with whom many were related, because they lived like Europeans! The other superiority complex I collected during an interview with a Coloured principal of a formerly Coloured school was that "Coloured have the brains of the white man and the brawn of the black man!" My point is, during those visits I learned about the racial hierarchy within South Africa. I learned that my light skin and features would provide me a privilege to pass as a member of the dominant group. But as a child I relied on the adults in my family to go places and since all of them looked very non-White I stuck with "my own." For instance, when my mother and I visited South Africa, people would think my mother was hired help rather than my mother which infuriated her. If she was trying to discipline me and some "savior" would attempt to curtail her behavior she would unleash her fury. Years later, one of my dark-skinned Puerto Rican friends told me similar stories about her experiences with her light skinned baby in NYC! It is amazing how these systems of oppression manifest over and over throughout time and space. Needless to say, I have an intimacy with the systems of oppression, even if it is indirect because my family never went to the beach or to the city which were highly segregated. I remember my cousin and I getting yelled at for playing with the Zulu kids where they lived because we had to be separated. I remember in the early 1980s, my grandfather watching the news and seeing a simple black and white graphic on TV explaining the illegality of race mixing. I was young but I recall an ominous feeling erupting. Then there were the disparaging epithets referring to people of Indian descent as "coolies" because many had been brought over as indentured laborers and servants in the 1800s. Ironically, my grandmother's paternal family were from India via Mauritius! Indians were also considered a despised group because many owned shops and were merchants which placed them higher than Coloureds but lower than Whites.
Photos from left to right. My maternal grandma Fulvie's brothers and father (far right). Fulvie's mother, Rita Saker nee Dunn (standing left) and Fulvie Strydom nee Saker (standing right). My mom (left), grandma (top), me (right).
My personal history, news of terror and suffering, and recent experiences /observations professionally inspired me to move the energy out of my mind and into the creative realm. It became a way to process the media, people's ignorance regarding systems of oppression and feelings of general anxiety and hopelessness to do anything in the face of such horrific events along with historical and contemporary racist and misogynistic segregation and genocide policies.
Deserts versus apartheids
A slide I presented at a local meeting to discuss food systems in our region December 2019.
In late August 2019, I attended a conference on health. There were doctors, nurses, food systems workers, all sorts of non-profit workers and me. There may have been 100 people there. I have a fond recollection of the ice breaker that revolved around the rock, paper scissor game. I need to remember to do this with my next class. People break off into 2s and play rock, paper, scissor. The defeated person joins the winners team, becomes their cheerleader and the winner finds a new opponent. The winner absorbs the losing team until in the end there are 2 people left with a number of people cheering them on. It is a fond memory because I ended up winning the entire game.
Anyway there was a guy in attendance who claimed to be from the southwest. When we all settled down to listen and talk he stood up and took everyone to task regarding the language around food access and health mainly surrounding the language of "food deserts."
"Being from the Southwest, an arid desert environment," he said that he took offense to the term because deserts are ecological viable geographies. Some animals thrive in deserts. Human beings have thrived in deserts. "Rather" he urged, "We should describe the occurrences as 'food apartheids' because it directly ties into a system made by humans to restrict resources for one group at the privilege of another!"
Boom I immediately fell in love with the sentiment and when I began working within the food system and was tasked to present I did my research and presented that same information. I received a less than warm reception. When I heard food deserts over and over, I continued to challenge people. At a meeting last year with health care professionals, I heard someone use the term "health deserts" I took them to task and urged them to use health apartheids.
Unfortunately, I received push back. I was told by the leaders, in not so many words, that they had no faith in their constituents to learn a new word or concept. "Our clients are at a fourth grade reading level" they said. "This is the language we use" they said. I was immediately shut down. I became offended by their arrogance and lack of wanting to change the paradigm that would teach people to see these disparities as systems that can be changed. As an educator I was disappointed that these people who are responsible to lead and educate were so closed minded. Instead of pushing back I got creative.
This is the result!
Check the conversation with my farmer friend who helped me figure out how to finish.
You sent
Me: Hey any suggestions for this?
You sent
My last task is to secure the piece of leather to hang but not sure to leave it raw or bead.
LV
What color beads are you considering?!
You sent
Dunno. I considered whit and orange to match the top. But part of me is now thinking green for the contrast?
You sent
I could just stay consistent and keep it red
You replied to LV
Original message:
I thought green also
Why?
You replied to LV
Original message:
But a few different greens like a vine!
Ohhh I kinda dig that.
You sent
I doubt I have enough of one type of green anywho so that may work!
LV
Green to me symbolizes life. And despite all this violence we survive along with our planet.
❤️
You replied to LV
Original message:
I dig it!
LV
We are hanging on to a green and blue ball in the universe and we depend on the green in the world to breathe life into us and feed us.
❤️
You sent
K. Imma play a bit. Hope to have it done tomorrow
🙌🏾
You replied to LV
Original message:
We are hanging on to a green and blue ball in the universe and we depend…
Love it TY sis!
❤️
LV
The message is STRONG!
❤️
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