“Zion Weaver”
John Obafemi Jones
Collage on canvas 2021 8”x10” $125.00
"Two thousand years of history (History)
Could not be wiped away so easily
Two thousand years of history (Black history)
Could not be wiped so easily (Could not be wiped so easily)"
Lyrics from Zion Train by Bob Marley
This collage represents the power of the African spirit. From the early 1500s to the mid-19th century, millions of African men, women, and children made the 21-to-90-day voyage aboard grossly overcrowded sailing ships. Captive Africans had to endure physical, sexual, and psychological abuse at the hands of their captors. In some instances, captives were even thrown overboard in mass in an effort to collect insurance claims. Upon arrival to the new world slave merchants, planters, and overseers deployed extreme violence to traumatize their captives. Rape and the use of the bull whip were routine. Often parents were separated from children and husbands from wives. Yet the African and their descendants survived.
About the author: John Obafemi Jones is an American artist residing in the U.S. Virgin Islands. An expressionistic figurative painter, his paintings are rooted in his need for self-discovery and expression. He frequently uses jazz themes and blues icons because he feels these art forms that have historically confronted some of society’s most serious questions. For examples of mix media painting visit www.johnobafemijones.com