Black History Month in the UK.
The theme was to dress in clothing that represents our heritage. To be honest, I struggled with this theme. Realising that many Caribbean islands like mine @anguilla_tourism do not have a traditional attire for men has led me to search and learn more about my ancestors and who they were before they were brought over to a that land that already was home to different tribes of people. For those who also don’t know who their great-great grandparents are or where they came from, do you also have this weird void in trying to imagine what life was like for those before you? I think most people have a disconnect rooted in their lives and for black people in the Americas, its exacerbated by not having the means to really pinpoint it. It’s hard to cultivate a sense of belonging. I’m Caribbean, but my roots are from elsewhere. My ancestors didn’t choose this. I’m British, but from a British island in the Caribbean, not from the United Kingdom. My outfit, all black with a red beret, signifies my frustration with the feeling of not belonging. It also signifies the fight to belong. I recently did a DNA test and discovered my ancestors were from North, Southern, and East Africa, including a Bantu tribe in East Africa, Mozabite (north Africa), and the San people (Southern Africa). Bantu peoples originated in West Africa but spread across Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa in the first millennium AD. Now, Bantu people are estimated to be over 35% of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Mozabite people are a Berber ethnic group from Algeria. Mozabites are primarily Ibadi Muslims, but there was a small population of Jews as well. The San people are among the first cultures of Southern Africa and descended from the first inhabitants of Botswana and South Africa. Learning about my ancestry has been interesting and surprising. Most of the slave trade was through West Africa, yet none of my ancestors are from there. I still have much to learn about my ancestors. Please checkout @shaungordonstyle. Photo by @ethiclee_ Black outfit with beret by @davidwej_uk #storybysugsean #blackbritishgents #blackhistorymonth #barbicancentre