I thought I knew the depths of you (Blackness)

When we were thinking about the title for oursecond C& Book early 2023 a beautiful conversation came to our mind. For C& Magazine,Jody Pinkrah spoke to painter Ruth Ige in October 2022, and she told her: “Blackness is not restrictive to me. I feel that I might not be able to fully reach its depths in this lifetime, but I am enjoying discovering all that it holds.”

"All that it holds. Tout ce qu’elle renferme. Tudo o que ela abarca. Todo lo que ella alberga." bears this apt title to express how diverse and boundless art practices from Africa and the global diaspora are.

Now, Ruth Ige has written this intimate poem “I thought I knew the depths of you (blackness)” to share with us her very own relationship with Blackness…Thank you so much for it, dear Ruth!

Ruth Ige, Seven Yoruba women with the gifts of healing, foresight and teleportation, 2024. Acrylic, oil stick and charcoal on canvas
Diptych, 122 x 122cm and 122 x 183cm. Courtesy of Stevenson.

I thought I knew the depths of you (Blackness)

I thought I knew the depths of you,
Your joys
Your fears
Your victory
Your pain

We cried tears together
We laughed
We sang
And danced through circumstances
My dear friend.

I thought you were like a mountain
still,
You are a mountain
But one day I saw you change into a bird
You flew above the clouds and hovered
And I saw you spread your wings
What is this?!
So amazing!
And as I turned to speak
You become an ocean
Dark
Brilliant
Carrying the unknown

And I watched as you turned into a multitude of things
You became everything of the earth
And everything of the heavens
And everything not known to us
And everything of light
And everything of power
And everything of spirit
And everything of wonder.

By Ruth Ige.

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