Paul Laurence’s poem, titled “We Wear the Mask”, describes how African-Americans wore a symbolic mask, ultimately referring to how the oppressed were required to put on a front to remain within the then white-ruled societal standards. This forced African-Americans to hide their true feelings, suppressing their freedom and destroying their overall well-being.
Using the context of this poem and the culture of Ghana, we were given masks to decorate. I was inspired to paint my mask when sitting on the beach at One Africa, with Elmina Castle to one side of me and the empty horizon straight ahead. It got me thinking about the significance of the water crashing onto the rocks, the same ocean where African ancestors were taken from their homes and placed onto ships that floated on this water. The same ocean where some tried to escape, either failing or succeeding. The same ocean where some finally returned home via boat, being taken through the door of no return and back to their homeland. Looking up from this water, there was nothing but the horizon, where the water met the sky. The same horizon that those captured and enslaved saw before embarking on an unknown journey now sat before me, instilling its power to change lives.
Within my mask, you can see where water meets the sky, signifying the unknown. Firstly, this was created to honor the bravery of all Africans who were enslaved, remembering the journey that they all took, whether that journey took them to the oceans, the heavens, or elsewhere. This is signified by the silver in the eyes of the mask, right at the line of the horizon, showing the strength of all Ghanaians who were pushed into their unknowns. Alongside the history brought by enslavement times, the top of the eyes are lined with the old cedi, further incorporating Ghanaian history into the mask. The mask also hosts boats in the water. Although these boats took those enslaved away, they are also bringing ancestors back home. They were placed within the mask to show just that—they played a significant part in the dark parts of Ghanaian history, yet they are the means of transportation to let ancestors rest in peace.
Overall, this mask embodies our duty to recognize the power of the unknown, to humbly respect all who empowered strength to endure the abusive hardships of the enslavement times, and to remember and provide peace to those who fought for freedom.