Thoughts for Idia
(charcoal on paper, 18”x 24”, original); In Collection of Elizabeth Kaspern
exhibited at Museum of Science and Industry Chicago
Part of growing up is understanding the meaning of ambivalence.
As human beings, we are all bound by our fallibility and our personal pursuit of what we see as a better world. My amazon stares ambivalently while holding two boccio dolls in hand. Boccio dolls are West African fetishes imbued with special powers by vodun practitioners. They were sometimes given to slaves to protect them on their journey to the new world.
The Fon amazons were an all female military regiment in kingdom of Benin from the 17th-19th century. Housed in the palaces of the king, the amazons lived outside of the confines of a male dominated society. But this privilege came at a great price as the Fon were, "more than most African states, dedicated to warfare and slave-raiding" (Stanley Alpern, 1998).
I wonder, "what does one do when privilege comes at the price of misfortune?" I'd like to imagine that the response differs by the individual, regardless of race or gender.