We are Art

By Melanated Glow

From the shape of our silhouette to the words we select to express ourselves.
From the images we draw, paint, and act out, to the silence between each movement or stroke.
From our pure athleticism to the way we sleep.

We are art.

Everything we do is art. The way we dress and the way we dance is artistic. Just look at us. There is a rhythm to our existence that is felt. There is a drumbeat playing as background music as we journey through life. We tend to admire sculptures and large paintings as art, but even our fingerprints could be admired as every single one of them is unique. Every part of our bodies represents a microcosm of the macrocosm. We literally have the whole world in our hands with each part of our hand representing a part of the solar system and the elements.

As a people, we are sometimes ridiculed for our expressiveness. We tend to be loud and overly excited in a normal conversation. I know that I can tell an old story like it happened a minute ago! Spectators may think that we are arguing with how boisterous our conversations can get, but it is just how vibrant we are as a people. In a recent con-versation with Brotha Ricky in regards to his living in Ghana, he mentioned how expressive we are naturally and that in America it can get us killed while it is considered normal in Africa. Talking with our hands is something that we do. Right now the “One Leg” dance is going viral globally because it represents our expression and simplicity.

We create and we are art in everything we do. We are known to have the most extravagant garments when attending festivities. African garments are always elaborate. We dress to impress almost every where we go, but we put special effort into dressing for major events and celebrations. Some of our people literally won’t step outside unless their appearance is to their standard in regards to clothes, hair, nails, etc.

Our fashion, music, dance, and essence have permeated the world since the beginning of time. If imitation is the best form of flattery, the African race should feel completely flattered as we initiated the essence of the culture that we experience whether we get the credit for its creation or not. The way we cook is art. Coming together with a meal is how we naturally share space in community. We previously ate as a tribe and some families continue the Sunday Dinner ritual today as if “Big Mama” is still here. We prepared food with ingredients essential for our health, made with love and positive intentions. These happy moments are followed with laughter, dance, and joy with a “full” stomach.

Our expressiveness is so contagious that the world wan-ted to experience our art. Art is our expression. The way we speak is artistic. Our music is art. Our poetry is art. Our journey and experience are art. We are attracted to the colors that bring peace to our spirits so it becomes an expression of our internal. In con