Stories before Sunset
The sound of Kora flowed as conversations, stories and arts flourished in a sunlit garden. African Diaries’ first event Stories before Sunset was hosted in Saint Nicholas Miracle Garden, a community garden in the heart of Harlem, New York. It was a special afternoon filled with stories of humanity. The storytellers featured at the event included Ugandan fashion designer Emmanuel Bagwana (brand name: Eguana Kampala), Kenyan visual artist Churchill Ongere, and Gambian musician Malang Jobarteh.
“As an African brand, I feel like it’s a good opportunity to tell our stories.” designer Emmanuel was excited about the inaugural African Diaries event. His brand Equana Kampala infuses Afrocentric prints including the traditional Batik dyeing to more contemporary styles and shapes. He reflected on the mission of his work, “I use fashion as one of the ways to bring progress to Uganda. Young people in the fashion industry have the potential to bring economic and cultural development to home.” As conversations deepened, Emmanuel revealed the influence of his family. ‘My mother and aunt both have come far and made something of themselves. My mom is a registered nurse and her achievements inspired me.” A down to earth personality in an expensive industry, he surprised everyone that he was frugal and recycled lots of fabric, a trait that shaped him to play a role in the circular economy and environmentally conscious design.
Malang masterfully played the kora, an instrument of choice for griots, storytellers who chronicle the history and traditions of West Africa. Kora is traditionally played to tell stories of love and ancient kingdoms. The theme closest to Malang’s heart is peace. Having traveled to many countries, Malang has witnessed wars and put peace in the center of his music. The theme resonated with the audience, especially a Ukraine artist who was concerned about her family back home. The first song Malang played is called Kaira, which means peace. Coming from a family of traditional Gambian musicians, his grandpa played this song from one hundred years ago. Today, the song for peace is still relevant. “Peace is the best.” Malang was eloquent in music and simple in words. His music was captivating, stopping pedestrians and cyclists from the street. Many passers-by felt transported to a different world. An undefinable artist, Malang’s music was also layered with tradition and Afro-jazz elements from his many travels. “People know my music, outside of music, I’m just Malang.”
Churchill Ongere’s works “Suspensions” were objects of discussion for many audiences walking into the garden. Everyday objects such as chairs, stools, boxes and fruit – suspended, drifting, tumbling – were clearly metaphors that demanded interpretations. The answer was in Churchill’s diary. In the period leading up to the 2017 general elections in Kenya, he began a daily journaling of his personal responses that developed into a body of work that questions the location, access to and contestation of power.The chair, for example, is cast as a symbol for the location of power. The fact of the chair being unoccupied signals that power is something available to be claimed, wielded, shared, transferred. Churchill’s artworks explore the politics of human relations. At the intersection of art and advocacy, Churchill has a background in international relations and affairs. His art are critical observations that eschew explicitly political or anecdotal imagery. Stories were communicated through innocuous objects and their movements and interactions within undefined bound and open areas.
Humans of diverse backgrounds in the community entered into a different world inside the Saint Nicholas Miracle Garden at the inaugural event of African Diariest. Children and seniors and New Yorkers from all over the world soaked up stories of the African artists and musicians.
Stories are humanity’s vibration. The first event of African Diaries made art, music and design vibrate and took audiences to Africa.