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This painting represents the act of returning to one's essence : an intimate, powerful gesture, deeply personal and spiritual.

it is suspended by a handmade metal hanger, shaped, painted and cut by myself. This detail draws from the ironwork that adorns doors, windows and gates in Afro-Caribbean homes. These forged motifs are more than decoration, they carry encoded memories, resistances, and sacred geometries.

As part of my PhD research, I explore trajectories of African artifacts in Caribbean societies. This piece embodies that process where African material knowledge resurfaces through creation.

Each brushstroke becomes a thread connecting the archive, the imaginary and the body.

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Navigating in Sisters, Brothers, and Kouzin Thoughts

I’ve too often witnessed people of color, especially young free spirits, lose themselves in the romanticism of Western intellectualism, without ever pausing for real critical self-examination.

Experiencing Knowledge Consciousness and a Life of Freedom

Being a Black woman in the world of knowledge, art, research...is not just an intellectual journey. It is an act of life.

When we enter the realms of knowledge, we must remember these structures were shaped by centuries of colonialism, Eurocentrism, and appropriation.

Too many ignore or downplay it: Western systems of knowledge and the hybrid systems in other regions of the world affected by colonialism and imperialism were constructed on the objectification, devaluation, and intellectual and symbolic plundering of colonized peoples. This applies to humanities, social sciences, sciences, arts, etc.

So, we, the impacted peoples, face two choices:  Embrace the imposed rules and try to "succeed" in a system that was never meant for us...Or: deconstruct, rethink, and re-inscribe our voices, heritages, and worldviews. For ourselves, and for those to come.

Not to blindly adhere to the supposed neutrality of these systems, but to enter a posture of critical lucidity, reappropriation, and reconstruction. this isn't a rejection of knowledge, it's its elevation.

Believing in Solitude... But Creating Alliances

Yes, it’s a lonely road. Because free thinking is marginalized. And even more so when it comes from brilliant, unruly women who refuse to re-center the world on Europe.

But reading those who thought before us, from their bodies, their stories, their languages, their lands, is a strategy for survival, and more importantly, a strategy for transgenerational alliances.

I think of Black, Caribbean, African, Afro-descendant, Indigenous women… and our brothers and “kouzin”: Those who thought from their geo-philosophies. Those who paved intellectual paths so we could inscribe our own.

Bell Hooks. Erna Brodber. Zora Neale Hurston. Rex Nettleford. Sylvia Wynter. Ochy Curiel. Gina Athena Ulysse. Stuart Hall. Françoise Vergès. Juliette Sméralda. And so many so many others.

Participating in the Deconstruction of Cultural Seduction

I denounce, without hesitation, the romanticization of the cultures that have dominated people inside or outside circles of reflections.

Too many people of color end up adopting the codes of the white poet, the white intellectual, without questioning the political and historical foundations of those codes.

And eventually, they dissolve into a world that will never fully recognize them.

“It’s like stepping out of yourself and wanting to forget who you are.”

Knowledge must be a tool: a tool to reinforce the agency of those who’ve been too long pushed to the margins.

To speak of education, autonomy, transmission… is to make knowledge a tool for concrete liberation.

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joy joy joy, et de la musique pour l'esprit !

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Choosing to be in your essence is lighting the flame of love that God placed within you, so you can bloom like the light of the sun.

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Bolsas de Mandinga: Afro-Atlantic Amulets of Protection and Power

In the 18th century, Africans deported across the Portuguese Atlantic, to Madeira, Brazil, or Lisbon, created bolsas de mandinga, small amulets worn on the body. Made by ritual specialists, or those trained in exile, they combined Catholic prayers, herbs, bodily fluids, fabric, and sacred items like medals or coins.

These powerful objects served as spiritual, emotional, and physical survival tools in a world of enslavement. They were believed to stop bullets, calm the soul, protect against violent masters, or rekindle love. Bolsas circulated across Brazil, Portugal, and other colonial ports like Saint-Domingue and Cartagena.

Each bolsa turned the imposed remnants of Catholicism into a mobile, mysterious object of African-rooted power.

A striking example comes from 1730: in Lisbon, an African slave named José Francisco Pereira, a Vodun devotee, was arrested and accused of witchcraft. Like many others of his time, he attracted the Inquisition’s attention due to his spiritual knowledge and the use of bolsas. Many testimonies from both Africans and Europeans, especially during Inquisition trials, described the protective power of those who wore them. source : Interview du professeure Cécile Fromont, thethinkersgarden.com

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I have officially completed my second year of my PhD in African diasporic History and Anthropology. I had to present my progress before a jury, and thank God, it went well.

All day, i felt exposed, and I realize it was because I had shared my vision, my perception and the deep thoughts that guide my research.

This year came with its share of challenges and obstacles, but it also offered beautiful moments. I traveled accross continents, became a teacher, discovered hidden gems for my thesis (objects, books, archives) and met this two beautiful people.

I'm weaving my web little by little, like a spider, patience and creativity. May Bon Dye give me the strenght to keep building my projects and following my dreams. M'ap mande Bon Dye pou l klere chemen mwen, fè m tonbe sou bon moun epi ba mwen fòs pou m kontinye kouri dèyè rèv mwen.

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Old and recent photos of UWI Cave Hill Campus, Barbados

The administration building was designed in the shape of an Akan stool, a West African symbol of cultural identity and ancestral wisdom. It was commissioned by Sir Hilary Beckles to reflect a collective will to reconnect with African heritage and envision future bonds rooted in that legacy.

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In the 1970s, excavations at the Newton Slave Burial Ground uncovered the grave of a man believed to be a healer or spiritual figure. He was buried with powerful objects: metal jewelry, an iron knife, and a short-stemmed clay pipe likely made in Ghana.

Among his burial items was a necklace made from a mix of beads, some with fascinating origins.

One glass bead, made with European powder glass, was probably crafted in Ghana.

Another, a cylindrical carnelian bead, came from Cambay, India ; a region known for carnelian bead production since the first millennium. These beads were traded through East Africa, across the Sahara, and into West Africa.

Other elements of the necklace could have been acquired in Barbados, but together they reflect a deep continuity of African cultural traditions in the Caribbean.

Scholar Jerome Handler used ethnographic sources from West Africa to interpret the necklace, and strongly argued that the man was likely seen as an obeah or healer by the enslaved community at Newton.

This burial is one of the most powerful archaeological cases for the survival of African spiritual identity through the horrors of the Middle Passage and slavery.

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Barbados Heritage District, honoring memory, land and spirit. Designed by world-renowned architect Sir David Adjaye. It will be built next to Newton Slave Burial Ground, the oldest and largest slave cemetery ever found in Barbados. The site will include a memorial, a museum, a global research center, and spaces for performances and reflection.It’s part of a national project called ROAD (Reclaiming Our Atlantic Destiny), which aims to reshape Barbados’identity and economy by making it a central place for learning about Atlantic slavery, from the Caribbean, not just from the West. Barbados actually holds the second largest collection of slave records after the UK. One key part of the project is to digitize these archives and give access to researchers, families, and future generations. But not everything has gone smoothly. Some activists, spiritual leaders, and museum workers protested the construction, saying it disrespected the sacred nature of the burial ground.Now, discussions are ongoing to create cultural and spiritual guidelines.There’s also talk of founding a spiritual university, in collaboration with Codrington College, to show how different faiths and traditions can live together. The Newton Burial Ground itself is powerful: about 1,000 enslaved people were buried there, between 1660 and 1820.They were laid to rest by their families and communities, often with rituals inspired by African traditions.It’s the only untouched slave cemetery ever excavated in the Caribbean.The artefacts and human remains found here tell us stories we couldn’t get from written documents alone. This project has the potential to transform how we understand slavery, heritage and identity. It also reminds us that healing history must include respect, spirit and the voices of the people.

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Terno dos Reis, Henry John Drewal, January 5 1998. Madison Libraries Terno dos Reis (Day of the Kings) festivals are celebrated annually during the christmas season. The January 6th feast commemorates the arrival of the Magi in Bethlehem bearing gifts for the Christ child. Brazilian celebrations include processions in which community members dress in costumes, dance, play music, and carry banners. This Terno festival took place on January 5, 1998 in Liberdade, Salvador.

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My photos : Barbados, 2022

I created this blog to share resources about my research work and connect with others who are interested in the theme of African material culture in Caribbean. In a few days, I'll be heading to Barbados for a research mission. It's the most exciting part of the journey : being fully immersed in the field. I can't wait to share photos and moments with locals, researchers, and artists ! I also really want to share a few moments at the Rasta Temple, where an old Ras once taught me how to sculpt. I'm so looking forward to showing you all of this ! With Love.

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The Gingerbread Houses of Haïti : Between Heritage and Community After the Haitian Revolution, a new architectural style emerged : the Gingerbread Houses. Designed to break away from French colonial architecture, these homes still drew inspiration from European styles, adapting and reinterpreting them to fit the Haitian climate and aesthetic. Initially, they were built for the elite, who resided in these grand homes, while the general population incorporated certain architectural elements into their own houses. However, beyond their elite origins, these homes have also become spaces of exchange, culture, and resistance. The iconic dancer and choreographer Viviane Gauthier transformed her Gingerbread house into a meeting place for artists, musicians, and dancers ; a space of sharing and transmission deeply rooted in Haiti’s popular and African heritage. This communal way of life, based on solidarity and collective support, has been present in Haiti since the forced arrival of enslaved Africans, particularly the Bossales, who maintained strong community structures. This same philosophy of home-as-community can be found in Edna Brodber’s novel Nothing’s Mat, which explores the idea of the house as a place of gathering, knowledge, and cultural continuity. It deeply resonates with me. When I return to Haiti, I dream of having a large house with a communal space ; a place for family, neighbors, and the village to come together for intellectual and creative activities. A home that is not just a shelter, but a living, breathing hub of culture and exchange. Would you live in a house like this ? How architecture shapes community life in your culture/place ?

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Caribbean Vernacular Architecture, fretwork rooted in local or African history and symbolism.

See "Creole and vernacular architecture: embryonic syncretism in Caribbean cultural landscape", Patricia Elaine Green

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Happy memory captured with my camera : friend who contemplates the city and walks in the streets of Santo Domingo passing by the Colmado corner.

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Tomorrow I'm going to become a teacher, I'm going to do my first class. I can't wait! I have prepared everything. 

It's a big step for me. Once my thesis is finished, I want to become an anthropologist and historian of Caribbean societies. My dream is to do research, write on many subjects, transmit knowledge, make cultural films and many other projects!! 

I have so much gratitude to all those who have accompanied me and who are still with me.  Future.