*Limited Exclusive Edition of 20*
 
24" x 36" giclee print, signed and numbered with a Certificate of Authenticity.
 
The Story: 
 
Series: American African 
Titled: JUBA (Under Fire) 
 
Have you ever considered the significance of music and dance in the African-American community? Why do African Americans sing and dance at times of happiness, suffering, and grief? 
 
In African American culture, singing is a common means of communication. The first victims were the African slaves who were kidnapped and transported across the Middle Passage across the Atlantic. They  spoke many languages because they came from several African nations. Songs allowed them to express themselves to one another. On the journey, slaves from many nations, tribes, and cultures sang to one another. By song, they were able to locate relatives, compatriots, countrymen and women.
 
Throughout enslavement, songs were passed down from one generation to the next. These songs, which were influenced by religious and African traditions, would subsequently serve as the inspiration for what are now referred to as "Negro Spirituals." 
 
Why do we dance ? To express oneself. We dance together, but why? To recall, to affirm that we have a language in common, that we exist, and that we are free, is to heal.