The IDEA

My name is Adeola and I am an artist. I was born and raised in Trinidad (although I spent some of my early years in Jamaica). I now live in Wales with my husband and 3 sons. The idea of being Caribbean in Cardiff is part of my everyday life here and occasionally I encounter scenarios that allow me to actively consider that reality. I am grateful for my Caribbean upbringing and often I feel as if I am in-transit. Even in Trinidad, my sisters and I often felt a sense of ‘otherness’ because our accent and the way we spoke were slightly different from the other children in the playground. When I had my first son I remember thinking of my Trinidadian legacy and how many typical Trinidadian things I did not know how to do – play the steelpan, cook roti, bakes, saltfish, pelau and Christmastime pastels. As my experience of motherhood developed I became increasingly aware that the panic to be hyper-Trinidadian was unnecessary and that essentially being Adeola with my inherent passion towards my home country meant that I can foster love and appreciation and learning. I continue to learn about my home even as I open myself up to discovering Wales. I have also become aware that the home I represent is not necessarily the same home as another Trinidadian living in Cardiff. That is, there are both general and specific characteristics that define me as Trinidadian and Caribbean. I adhere to some stereotypes of representation and I am also, often the exception to some stereotypical rules. The point is that we are informed by the experiences that make us – cultural, social and personal.

The workshop with the elder Caribbean women from ACES highlighted to me some of the ways in which, even as unique individuals we have shared mechanisms for coping. I observed that church/finding community and being able to share and talk about ‘home’ were important for these women, as well as being able to re-create aspects of ‘home’ through bits and pieces. I had wrongly anticipated that generating conversations with these elders would potentially be challenging due to generational, religious, class/cultural blocks and the usual physical barriers incurred by the process of aging (loss of hearing and so on). On the contrary, these Caribbean women were full of energy and laughter and voice. They were beautiful and I felt an immediate connection with them. They hailed from different Caribbean islands and settled in Wales for different reasons. The question for the workshop was “What animal are you?” They each responded with an animal and described why this animal was significant to the way they perceived themselves. Musician and songwriter Keith Murrell then converted their ideas into words that rhymed. The ACES women each sang their stanza and further facilitated by Keith, created a song that was meaningful and specific to their presentation of themselves.

What I represent as a diasporic Caribbean woman is identifiable in many Caribbean people – the way we make space out of a place or sometimes out of not-much-place at all. The way we make a meal to feed a family or a masquerade, essentially again and again we utilize this creative energy of re-creation, re-imagination, re-presentation.

I am very excited to be a part of this Assembly and this BLOG highlights some of the key aspects of my contribution so far.