INT'L BLK HERITAGE+ HISTORY MTH™ JUNE 2021
CULTURE LAB
CULTURE LAB
MIXED VOICES : 001
Photographer: Marco Giannavola
“But when you were born, you weren’t brown. You weren’t black. Instead, you were born with pale skin and red hair. I Want You To Feel What The World May Not See…”
Words from Kanyessa McMahon in a letter to her son, Daschel
Name: Zi
Where were you born? Nottingham, UK
Where and how did your parents meet?
My parents met at a social gathering in Nottingham. Although I was raised as an only child by my mum.
What is your mixed heritage?
My mum is Jamaican and my dad is Irish.
What challenges or misperceptions if any have you experienced?
Growing up in a majority white community, having Afro hair was a challenge. I was very shy and having big curly hair made me stand out from everyone else. I would always feel more comfortable, attractive and confident if I straightened my hair. I’m now learning to love and be proud of my hair, it’s a part of my identity.
What are your hopes for the future?
I hope that Black heritage and history is taught and given a platform in schools from a young age, not for one month but throughout the year. People of colour should be able to learn and share their history and achievements, especially if their parents were denied that opportunity when they were young.
Name: Jimmy
Where were you born? West Bromwich, West Midlands, UK
Where and how did your parents meet?
My parents are childhood sweethearts and lived on the same street, and my grandparents met in the late 1950s.
What is your mixed heritage?
My grandfather on my mum’s side, he arrived from Jamaica in 1956.
What challenges or misperceptions if any have you experienced?
I am pale-skinned, which means it isn’t obvious I am of mixed heritage. So I’m often not believed about my black heritage, I am also often a witness to racism as I’m deemed “safe” because of my skin colour. I also feel unable to own my Jamaican heritage due to my skin colour which is sad. I loved and admired my grandfather, he was a huge influence on who I am today.
What are your hopes for the future? I hope people are more aware that black heritage comes in all shades.
Name: Yana
Where were you born? NY, USA
Where and how did your parents meet?
On a spiritual retreat of sorts in Denmark.
What is your mixed heritage? African American/Swedish
What challenges or misperceptions if any have you experienced?
As a singer I have heard that I don’t sound “Black” when I sing which deeply upset me when I was younger as almost all my idols where black. But with the years I have come to embrace and appreciate that my mixed heritage has gifted me a varied palette of influences which carry over into every part of who I am, including my voice.
What are your hopes for the future?
That my children grow up feeling connected to all their heritage and that they are confident enough to not try to make themselves fit into anyone else’s perception of who they should be.
Name: Henri
Where were you born? Pennsylvania PA, USA
Where and how did your parents meet?
My mom was on an interview to be a nanny and the lady of the house introduced her to my dad who lived in the same building at the time.
What is your mixed heritage?
My father is German/French Creole,
My mother is German Jamaican, Indian, Chinese
What challenges or misperceptions if any have you experienced?
I often get asked what’s my mix and that I can’t be just black and I always ask, why not?
We come in all shades and tones.
What are your hopes for the future?
I hope that as people we can all be more purposeful when it comes to the future.
Name: Érica
Where were you born? Luanda, Angola
Where and how did your parents meet?
They meet each other at a family party
What is your mixed heritage?
Angolan and Portuguêse
What challenges or misperceptions if any have you experienced?
Throughout my life at university, professors would often give me a lower marks based on my skin tone, when new professors of colour were brought in, my marks went up significantly. Classmates also rejected me or made rude comments about my hair. People have also made rude comments about my mixed heritages, particularly in Portugal.
What are your hopes for the future?
May we live more harmoniously no matter the color of our skin.
We all end up in the same place.
Name: Yulia
Where were you born? Luanda, Angola
Where and how did your parents meet?
In Russia, Moscow, at University, at a party
What is your mixed heritage?
Angolan/ Russia
What challenges or misperceptions if any have you experienced?
I think having grown up in countries which were never my “own”, my ambiguous look, has often left people treating me like a foreigner, to be precise “a tourist”, someone who is temporary. As such I’ve never belonged but rather been seen as a nomad. I have noticed that mixed race, black people and foreigners have been more accepting of me and we are quick to find common ground.
What are your hopes for the future?
Having a highly mixed family with every shade , I truly hope to see better and equal treatment and rights across all races, although I sense we are still very far from achieving this. Across the world there are still too many laws that allow for discrimination, but above all there a very few places with proactive laws to rectify the damages of the past. My hopes are that everyone in terms of colour can at least start on a level playing field.
Name: Robert
Where were you born? Philadelphia, USA
Where and how did your parents meet?
Parents met socially in the Germantown section of Philly where I grew up.
What is your mixed heritage? Nigerian, Cameroonian, Ghanaian, English, Scottish, Swedish, Irish
What challenges or misperceptions if any have you experienced? Growing up people would ask me what I was mixed with because of the texture of my hair, light skin or what people saw as “Asian eyes”. Everybody in my family looked like some version of this so it wasn’t special to me. Fast forward I moved to LA to actor. I asked my first agent why she wasn’t submitting me for certain castings that I heard about. She looked at me befuddled and said, “you don’t think you’re the guy next door, do you?” I said, yes. She said “you have an exotic look, what are you mixed with?’ I didn’t have much lineage knowledge at the time and I couldn’t answer. Consequently in the casting environment I was never “urban” enough for the projects I saw myself fitting into. She referred some amazing books that helped me tap into and understand the essence of who I am and the perception of my outer “exotic” look.
Hopes for the future: I began my journey into DNA and lineage 3 years ago and it has both changed and shook me at my core to think that I have existed my whole life without this information. I am literally a league of nations. So, any prejudice or bias I had or have are being dealt with. My hope is that people will not be afraid to take the first step into the DNA deep. Because all the things, the “urban legends”, the myth and mystiques about who we are, where we came from etc. (how we most identify) can be dispelled and the true journey into multiculturalism can begin.
Name: Djaka
Where were you born? Paris, France
Where and how did your parents meet?
My parents met at a Jazz club in Lyon, France.
What is your mixed heritage? I am French & West-African, from the Mandingo tribe. My mother is from Autun, a small town in the Burgundy area in France. My father is from Kindia, a small village in Guinea-Conakry, West Africa.
What challenges or misperceptions if any have you experienced?
I might sound odd, but I think the biggest challenge as a person of mixed heritage was to understand and reconcile with my struggle, as well as coming to terms with the absence and lack of support for people of mixed heritage. That was the first stepping stone.
What are your hopes for the future? My hope and goal are to create conversations around identity and ancestry, understanding the ramifications of being born from different cultures, languages and ethnicities. As a filmmaker, my desire is to shed light on the experience of multicultural and mixed identities. It is definitely a philosophy of mine to be able to expand on what it means to be of mixed heritage, living at the intersection of different cultures. I want to develop narratives that celebrate the beauty and complexity of culture mixing, of second and third-generation immigrants, narratives that feature multi-cultural worlds and multi languages storylines. And I long for a fairer representation of the African diaspora, and for equity and inclusion of all ethnicities and genders through empowering stories.
Name: Sophia
Where were you born? Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Where and how did your parents meet?
They met in Rio, Brazil. My father was working there and came across my mother at the bus station on her way to work.
What is your mixed heritage?
I am (in the bigger picture) Half American from my fathers side and Half Brazilian from my mother side.
Ethnicity wise my mother is an Afro-Brazilian with heritage from Nigeria and my father’s heritage is Norwegian.
What challenges or misperceptions if any have you experienced?
I have been segregated in a catholic school in Alabama along with my brother who we share the same mom and dad. I was 6 and my brother 7 and we were split within the school , I to the “white” section and my brother to the “black” section. Because I was lighter and my brother darker.
What are your hopes for the future?
Equality and respect for all race and genders. That race should not be included in job applications and salaries should be fair and not effected by by gender or color.
Name: Kanyessa
Where were you born? New York City, USA
Where and how did your parents meet?
At a Steel Pulse concert in New York
What is your mixed heritage?
Black as in Jamaican and African American (white, South Asian, Cuban)
What challenges or misperceptions if any have you experienced? When I say I’m black, it’s always surprising to me when people push further and are like, what else? Like many people are not, and look just like me. Complexion, isn’t an indicator of anything.
What are your hopes for the future?
That it becomes the standard that when someone tells you who they are, people believe them. As a mother of a white appearing black boy I hope he never has to feel he has to explain himself.
AFRICA (click the flags or videos to learn more)
CAMEROON
Bimbia – former slave site
Republic of Ivory Coast – Côte d’Ivoire
Historic Town of Grand-Bassam
Ghana’s
‘Door of No Return’
Senegal
Goree Island ‘Door of No Return’
EUROPE (click on the flags or videos to learn more)
ENGLAND
(The City of Liverpool)
Slavery Landmarks
FRANCE
(Nantes)
Slavery Memorial
PORTUGAL
(Lisbon)
The African Lisbon Tour
PORTUGAL
(Lagos, Algarve)
The Slave Market (Mercado de Escravos)
North America (click on the flags or videos to learn more)
USA
(Washington DC)
Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture
JAMAICA
(Kingston + Montego Bay)
Jamaica National Gallery (Kingston) & National Gallery West in Montego Bay
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
USA
DETROIT
Motown Museum
South America (click on the flags or videos to learn more)
COLOMBIA
San Basilio de Palenque,
Believed to be the first town in the Americas liberated from slavery.
PERU
(Hacienda San Jose)
Secret Slave Tunnels
BRAZIL
Historic Town of Ouro Preto
If you don’t know about these now you do…
Step aside for these designers and brands from across the Afro Diaspora. If you didn’t know, now you know.
Brand AFRICANA from Nigeria: Nigeria is located on the western coast of the African continent. The national capital is Abuja, in the Federal Capital Territory. Lagos, is the former capital and retains its standing as the country’s commercial and industrial center. Many diverse languages are spoken in the country, including Yoruba, Edo, Igbo, Tiv, Fula, Hausa, Ibibio, and English.
HERITAGE: NIGERIA
HERITAGE: NIGERIA
Brand MWAMI from Senegal: Dakar is the Capital of Senegal, and the country is located at the westernmost point of the African continent. Served by multiple air and maritime travel routes the country is known as the “Gateway to Africa. Due to the location Senegal was and an early point of contact with European explorers from England, Portugal, and the Netherlands before ultimately coming under French rule in the late 19th century.
HERITAGE: SENEGALESE
HERITAGE: SENEGALESE
Brand UPTOWN YARDIE from Great Britain with Jamaican heritage: Jamaica is in the West Indies and is the third largest island in the Caribbean Sea, after Cuba and Hispaniola (AKA the island divided politically into the Republic of Haiti (west) and the Dominican Republic (east). The capital of Jamaica is Kingston and the island has various Spanish, French, and English place-names, remnants of its colonial past. Jamaica became independent from Great Britain in 1962 and most people are of African ancestry, though East Indians, African-East Indians, Caucasians and Chinese also make up the population. Jamaica is known for the religion Rastafarianism, which centers around the divinity of the late Haile Selassie, emperor of Ethiopia
HERITAGE: JAMAICAN / BRITISH
HERITAGE: JAMAICAN / BRITISH
Brand ATTO TETTEH from Ghana: Ghana was the first black African country south of the Sahara to achieve independence from Great Britain’s colonial rule Jul, 1 1960. Accra is the capital city and It is the second-most populous country in West Africa, after Nigeria. Ghana is the world’s second largest cocoa producer behind Ivory Coast, and Africa’s biggest gold miner after South Africa. It is also one of the continent’s fastest growing economies. Ghana was inhabited in the Middle Ages and the Age of Discovery by a number of ancient predominantly Akan kingdoms in the Southern and Central territories.
Brand THEBE MAGUGU from South Africa: Officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), it is the southernmost country on the African continent and is the world’s 23rd-most populous nation. It has three capital cities: executive Pretoria, judicial Bloemfontein and legislative Cape Town. The largest city is Johannesburg. Approximately 80% of South Africans are of Black African ancestry who speak a variety of different African languages. The remaining population consists of European (White South Africans), Asian (Indian South Africans), and Multiracial (Coloured South Africans) ancestry.
THEBE MAGUGU
SOUTH AFRICA
THEBE MAGUGU
SOUTH AFRICA
Brand PYER MOSS from the USA and the creator of the brand has Haitian Heritage: The Republic of Haiti is on an island located in the Caribbean, to the east of Cuba. Haiti occupies the western three-eighths of the island which it shares with the Dominican Republic. The major cities are: Cap-Haïtien, Jérémie, Les Cayes, Hinche, Gonaïves, and Jacmel. Haiti has two official languages: Haitian Creole and French. Port-au-Prince is the capital and most populous city. Under colonial rule by the Spanish and then the French, in 1804, the French were finally defeated and the slave population and they successfully gained independence for the country.
Brand CASABLANCA from France and the creator is from Morocco: officially the Kingdom of Morocco it is located in North Africa between the Sahara desert and the Mediterranean that stretches from the Moroccan Atlantic coast to Egypt. The Kingdom of Morocco shares a strip of land with five other countries going from west to east: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. Rabat is the capital city of Morocco and the country’s seventh largest city. The official languages are Arabic and Berber. In 1912, France and Spain divided Morocco into French and Spanish protectorates. Morocco formally achieved independence from France March, 2 1956.
BRAND: CASABLANCA PARIS
HERITAGE: MOROCCAN
BRAND: CASABLANCA PARIS
HERITAGE: MOROCCAN
Brand KANGARUI from Kenya: Officially the Republic of Kenya it is located in Eastern part of the African continent. It is the world’s 48th largest country by total area and is the 29th most populous country. The capital and largest city is Nairobi, though the oldest city and first capital is the coastal city of Mombasa. It’s believed there are a total of 68 languages spoken in Kenya which reflect the country’s diverse population though the Bantu Swahili language and English are most common, the latter being inherited from colonial rule.
Brand MIMI PLANGE from USA creator from GHANA: See Brand ATTO TETTEH above
BRAND: MIMI PLANGE
HERITAGE: SENEGALESE, GHANAIAN, FRANCH
BRAND: MIMI PLANGE
HERITAGE: SENEGALESE, GHANAIAN, FRANCH
BRAND: MIMI PLANGE
HERITAGE: SENEGALESE, GHANAIAN, FRANCH
Brand PIET from Brazil: Officially the Federative Republic of Brazil is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. With a population of over 211 million people Brazil is the world’s fifth-largest and sixth-most populous country, and has 26 states and a Federal District. It is the largest country to have Portuguese as an official language and the only one in the Americas. Brazil is one of the world’s most multicultural and ethnically diverse nations. Brazil has the largest population of people of the African diaspora in the world. The current capital of Brazil is Brasilia . Rio de Janeiro was the country’s capital between 1763 and 1960.
Brand NO-TRIBE CLOTHING from USA. Creative Director Ghanaian and British: See Brand ATTO TETTEH above.
Brand DAILY PAPER CLOTHING from the Netherlands: The Dutch have been present in South Africa since 1652 with the first permanent Dutch settlement around what is now Cape Town. The first Dutch Colony in Africa was established in Ghana in the 16th century, commonly referred to as the Dutch Gold Coast.
First a Dutch and then a British colony, South Africa unites in May 1920 and becomes independent.
BRAND: DAILY PAPER CLOTHING
THE NETHERLANDS
BRAND: DAILY PAPER CLOTHING
THE NETHERLANDS
BRAND: DAILY PAPER CLOTHING
THE NETHERLANDS
Brand LOZA MALEOMBHO from USA creator from Brazil: See brand PIET above
BRAND: Loza Maléombho
HERITAGE: Côte d’Ivoire
BRAND: Loza Maléombho
HERITAGE: Côte d’Ivoire
Brand KENNETH IZE from USA creator has Nigerian Heritage: see brand AFRICANA at the top
