July 2022 - Just ObservingJust Observing

This is Iyabo. She was bought from a beautiful woman at a market in 1996 when we lived in Kokomo Indiana.

I loved her from the beginning. I loved her dress, her jewelry and I loved the woman who sold her to me. The woman was from Africa and explained, in a beautiful accent, how she was sharing a little piece of her culture through Iyabo. Being an artist, I appreciated the craftsmanship and the attention to detail which brought her to life.

Iyabo has been on and off my shelves for almost 26 years. She is still a beautiful piece of art, and she still makes me smile.

Fast forward to today…

I was unpacking some of my treasures and I came upon my beloved Iyabo. How things have changed since she became a part of my life. I needed to tell her… everything.

I told her, today, it might be considered cultural appropriation if I put her on my shelves.

She laughed.

I described how white and black humans have been divided – again. We’re told to no longer judge a person on their character or integrity but by skin color, beliefs, where they live, and what they do for a living.

She furrowed her brows.

I warned her that any discussions of differing opinions on subjects, such as these, were basically forbidden. Respect and civil discourse were a thing of the past.

She became sad.

I explained that the freedoms her designer came to America to find, are starting to crumble. Sadly, while many of us stand on the sidelines and watch it happen.

She was shocked.

Not to be a complete downer to this little work of art, there was some discussion how I truly believe, people just want to be loved, heard, hugged and to be free. They want to take pride in their jobs (as her designer had), have food to eat, live without fear of crime and believe in what people say to them. People want the truth, which is hard to share at times, rather than the lies which seem to come so easily to so many.

She whole-heartedly agreed.

I also described “social media” to her, which was not around when she was created. “Although humans think they are truly advanced,” I shared “we are not ready for this type of communication. We share “our” truths and believe it should and must be “everyone’s” truth. We’ve forgotten that “the” truth is truth…”

She understood.

I finished up our talk and placed her in a perfect place on the shelf so I can smile at her daily. She’ll remind me of the beautiful intentions, the talent, and the reasons her designer came to this country.

She’ll tell me, often, to ignore what’s being published or posted and continue to believe as I have always believed, that people are basically good.

Her cute little smirk will impress upon me how character and integrity need to be brought back into our everyday lives and taught ‘by example’ to younger generations.