Black Creators Matter ✊

We’re not going to explain why: we assume that if you like Supamodu, you also don’t like the white supremacy.

We’d rather tell you about what makes us super excited: the protests have now spread from the US to the rest of the world.

There have now been Black Lives Matter rallies of different sizes and set-ups on each of the six continents: from Kolkata to Athens, from Christchurch to Mashhad, from Lagos to Saõ Paulo.

The whole world is coming together to stand, march, and fight for equality and dignity.

And there is even a really cool map, which allows you to see all the places where the protests have been held.

You know how much we love maps!

There are many other ways to support the Black Lives Matter movement and honor the lives of our black brothers and sisters.

One of them is to support art created by black artists and makers.

This newsletter is about a bunch of very talented black people who had inspired us recently. Coming from Africa, from the Americas, and Europe, they have bestowed us with a privilege to share and champion their work.

Here is our (mostly) North American map:

One of the best things to happen to Supamodu in the two and a half years of our existence was when a lovely woman called Angela Loughran got in touch with us about a painting we’d featured. It was a beautiful self-portrait by a Guyanese artist, who had no other presence on the internet but beguiled us enough to write about it. We immediately asked Angela to find out more about the man and his works. And it turned out that Patrick Barrington, the artist in question, had an absolutely remarkable life that’s inextricable from the history of the UK and Guyana. Read about his fascinating life.

Not only black creators deserve our admiration and attention: all black people equally. “Juanita,” a light-hearted yet profound film, is centered around a simple Dominican immigrant woman in Spain whose life does not pan out as she had expected. So when she returns home, she has to reconcile reality and aspirations. A much-needed look into the sacrifices women of color make when they decide to look for opportunities elsewhere, it will have you laughing and crying all at the same time.

When discussing black creativity and black labor, we must always remember to look towards the African continent. It has some excellent “African Makers,” as the Chadian rapper Anonyme sings. His trio of records is a beautiful collection of collaborations with some of his country’s and the continents’ finest musicians. And not only are they extremely danceable and melodically fascinating, but they also provoke thoughts on the issues of post-colonialism and African identity—exactly the music we need today.

One of the most heartening things about the protest moving happening around us today is that we see people of other races willingly listen to what the African-Americans, Black Latinos, Africans, Caribbeans, and people of other black ethnicities have to say.

To stand in awe in front of fiery, passionate speakers delivering their creeds, and respond with empathy and respect.

We firmly believe that the way to achieve racial equality is to listen to those who aren’t like you.

To watch them, to read them, to see them. And, most importantly, to care for them.

Because isn’t this the whole premise of embarking on an adventure with a book, a film, a record, or an artwork: to experience something that you know nothing about?

At least, that’s how we see it. And we’ve never been disappointed by the discoveries we made.

So please, if you’re not black, make time in your schedule this week to engage with some black creativity and to learn more about the lives of black people you’d never meet otherwise.

And if you’re black, just know that we stand with you in solidarity, and we love you

Hope you enjoy Supamodu and feel compelled to forward this email to your friends.

Thank you for being with us! 💛

— Katya Kazbek,
editor-in-chief