I Am Africa

This drawing is a tribute to the women of West Africa. Their graceful beauty is matched by their strength, courage, resilience, and often joyful determination in the face of a life that is anything but easy. Their work is tireless, and often thankless. Without their work, everything would stop; they are the true backbone of the village (and of the country). During one of my trips to Guinea, there was a nationwide women’s strike in response to unfair prices that the government had set on some staple food items. In a massive word-of-mouth movement, the women of Guinea collectively stopped working. The country ground to a halt; people went hungry. It lasted all of three days. Their demands were met, and everyone went back to work, singing and laughing as usual.