CRAFTY GYAL
A WORD FROM THE EDITOR Hey, My name is Kwabena Devonish. I’m originally from Cardiff. I’m currently in my second year at Arts University Bournemouth, studying Fashion branding and communication. I started Crafty Gyal to help black female art students connect, be inspired, and learn from each other’s experiences. Being in an arts university I am all too familiar with being only one of two black females in my class. The art industry in itself is very eurocentric and work based on themes of black trauma, colonisation or race in general; can often be misunderstood or overlooked in favour of more palatable work for a western audience. At Crafty Gyal, we are here to give black women a voice, a platform, and a safe space to showcase and celebrate work from a range of disciplines, exploring a multitude of themes. For our first issue, we are discussing black representation or the lack thereof and what makes it authentic? At Crafty Gyal we feel it is important to look to the creatives of tomorrow as they will be shaping the future. This is why discussions with students is an important part of what we do. We want to deconstruct the obstacles that black women face in the creative industry and create a positive change. Speaking of positive change, we are so glad to have Ms Stella Kajombo-Lee as our cover star for our first issue. She will be discussing how she has navigated through her role as Vice president of AUBSU and what she has learnt in this influential position.
6 Depiction of black Narratives 28 Portraying race in fiction
12 Grace and power
22 The Narrative series 32 Barbourshop
CONTENTS 22
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WE ARE HERE TO GIVE BLACK WOMEN A
Depiction of
Authenic black representation in animation As the saying goes ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’ If this is the case then black children are very limited in what they can be, with authentic black female representation in animation far and few between. The existence of animated black characters idealistically should not be a political matter, and yet it has become so because of the continuous lack of authentic representation. With media outlets such as Disney shaping childhoods with ideas of right and wrong and what is considered normal; should we be critiquing these characters further to really understand what makes an authentic black character. To help us tackle this issue of authentic black representation in animations I spoke with two animations students to see what their thoughts are. What are some of your earliest memories of watching cartoons and what cartoons did you relate to? Jasmine Hewitt, First year As a kid, I used to watched cartoons on Saturdays at my grandma’s, who would watch over me and my cousins with a newspaper and Lucozade from her sunken chair. Though I didn’t know it at the time my grandma’s was a hub for me and my black cousins, with us watching a myriad of cartoons together. This is where I was exposed to the lack of black representation in cartoons. Looking back on my favourite shows black characters were often sidelined and made supporting characters to the main character. Characters like Susie from Rugrats (1991) and A.J from Fairy Odd Parents (2001) come to my mind yet I did not relate to them. I remember relating to Lilo, from Lilo and Stich. I saw myself in her strange rituals, tantrums and unknowingly seeing myself in her awkward attempts to assimilate into white spaces.
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In your opinion what do you think are good examples of authentic representation within Disney and why? J: Films like Moana have gotten closer to authentic representation taking advice from Polynesian people; as well as avoiding rewriting historical moments for fantasy’s sake. These decisions are important for black and brown to kids to see. More diverse and authentic representations from Shows like The Proud Family which understood the importance of the specific black family dynamic, which is crucial for black kids to see. These kinds of shows demonstrate that there is no one way to be black and express yourself.
How would you create an authentic black female character? M: To create an authentic black female character I explore different elements of black culture and how they choose to express that in their appearance. For example, how do they do their hair, the clothes they wear and how they wear them etc. I think it is important to build depth, as without a backstory and an inner world to a character they fall flat. To make a character authentic takes building their story, and translating those to elements within their visual design.
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Why is it important for you to create black female characters and where do you take your inspiration from? Marie Ogunkolade Third year For me, character design visually tells the story and identity of a character. When creating a character, I look for inspiration in the people around me. As a black woman, I want to see my friends, my culture and inspirations expressed in my work. Creating black female characters is important to me as I feel there is still a lot of gaps in the representation of women of colour. Within a story, they are often shallowly represented.
Illustrations by Marie Ogunkolade
I believe the ideolgy that authenticity comes from the depth of character.This needs to be understood by not only animators but also writers. We are all multifaceted human beings and a character should demonstrate that. What are some of your favourite black animated characters and what characteristics do they have that you feel makes them authentic black representation? M: I have quite a few favourite black characters. Some of my favourites are Susie Carmichael -Rugrats, Bumblebee -The Teen titans, Frozone - The Incredibles, Huey -The Boondocks and Craig - Craig of the creek. I find smaller production companies are more willing to take the “risk” of having a character of colour as a lead character. Larger companies are still exploring if characters of colour as leads are marketable and profitable in comparison to their “standard”. Smaller companies don’t have that same issue well, definitely not on the same scale. Instead of focusing solely on making the biggest profit, they are more driven to create shows they genuinely care about. I find for this generation of creators, authentic representation and diversity are important to us, so we will push to see that in whatever industry we work in.
With the characters I gave as examples, I’m drawn to what most people will be drawn to with any well-developed character; their positive nature, forward-thinking attitudes, problem-solving skills and, general relatability as an individual within their stories. In these characters, I of course, see a bit of myself, growing up there was very little representation of characters that looked like me. Many representations of my race in the media were negative. I realised this pretty early on, so I definitely found myself looking for positive black characters in the shows and movies I watched. I paid them the attention I feel they deserve. A lot of these characters had very little said about them or their backstory and their personality would be built gradually through the series. I definitely see the development in representation and appreciate characters of colour getting to shine, but of course, there is still a long way to go.
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GRACE AND POWER
When of I think of my friend Stella, I think of two people, Lupita Nyong’o and Michelle Obama. A type of grace and intellect that is very rare to find. Ironically, I first met Stella at a Black history month debate at AfroCaribbean society. Ironic to me because in terms of conversation around black identity in Western society, Stella is one of my go-to people. Born in Malawi and raised in Britain at the age of eleven, Stella’s experience is unique and adds to the complexities of her identity. These complexities not only make her a critical thinker but also a knowledge seeker.
I wanted to interview Stella not as my friend but as an artist but more importantly as Vice President on the Students Union at Arts University Bournemouth. I want to understand her experience as a woman of colour in such an influential position. For my first question, I want to take you back to your first year, the start of your university journey. What were your expectations of university and what was your reality like? Were the two ever in sync?
S: To be honest with you, I think I really didn’t have a specific expectation for university because I didn’t know what the ‘creative education’ would look like. The only comparison I had to an ‘art education’ was with my experience studying a foundation at Kensington and Chelsea College which I really enjoyed. I suppose what I hoped the university would be is a place where I could meet an eclectic mix of like-minded people, just as I had in college. I was also very lucky to have incredibly supportive tutors at college and hoped that the university would be the same.
In terms of the reality that came from experiencing university, I would say that one thing that became clear to me immediately is that there were not many people that looked like me. I believe I was one of two black people in my year, so in a way, that hope of meeting a mix of eclectic people wasn’t exactly there; despite this, I ‘did’ meet like-minded people both on my course and outside of it. I also met incredible creatives who became my tutor, lecturers and friends, which is a blessing in itself. To sum all this up, I guess I kept an open mind when stepping into university. I think the human in us will always look for others who we see ourselves in. This connection of shared experiences is very powerful and gives us a sense of community. Likewise, as you experienced, meeting likeminded people can also be fulfilling in other ways. Being open-minded when entering into new experiences is a good approach to have, especially in the creative industry.
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“I don’t think I could have called myself a leader a year ago, but I have always known that I enjoy helping people”
Looking back at your three years of study at AUB what made you want to get involved with the Students` Union and how did this involvement progress? S: You’re completely right, I can confidently say that I do seek any form of community everywhere I go. Transferring, sharing and experiencing things with other people allows us to grow and that is important to me. Looking back to my three years of study, I really didn’t engage with the Students’ Union until the end of my studies. At Freshers Fair, I remember signing up to join so many societies but didn’t attend any meetings, I supposed it was fear holding me back. This changed a little later; Initially, a friend of mine who was leading the International Society wanted to have less responsibility on the Society (at the time I was at the end of my second year)...I volunteered to take some more responsibility as president and to be honest with you I wasn’t good at it. I think it was the mix between personal workload and planning for meetings. I then joined the Feminist Society in my third year which I really enjoyed it and I felt like I made a huge contribution. From this, I was a little more aware of the Clubs and Societies and what they had to offer, and I spoke to the Student Union staff more. In terms of my role now as Vice President, it truly came by chance. Through a leap of faith.
Someone planted the idea of me running for it and I thought “I do have ideas and I would like to try something new. I have a passion for the power of creative education and the creative experience” I also had a great partner to stand with and amazing friends to help with campaigning so it just felt right, and now here I am close to a year later. I think it is interesting that you weren’t really engaged with the Students` Union at the start of university. It’s easy to assume that people in the role of president and vice president such as yourself and Jordan had this burning passion for the SU right from the jump, but ultimately that’s what university is all about, getting to know those passions you never knew you had and taking that leap of faith.
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Having been in your role for almost a year now what do you think are some of the differences between leading the Students Union in an arts-focused university rather than an academically focused university?
S: Yeah! some people plan to be in this role years in advance, it definitely wasn’t the case on my part and that is a very ‘me’ thing to do. I also see it as a way of learning something new about yourself. I don’t think I could have called myself a leader a year ago, but I have always known that I enjoy helping people and luckily that was a big must for this role. To answer your question, I would say that the biggest difference between leading the Students Union in an arts-focused university rather than a non-arts focused university is the flexibility. I personally feel that Arts Universities are much more flexible and willing to work ‘with’ the student. Although there is competition; it is healthy, and each person is pushed to their own potential. I think this flexibility differs from other Universities where the course might specifically lead to a specific job. That ridged nature may allow some people to thrive, for an art student it could be a restriction. You see that flexibility in everything, for example, my projects always ended differently to how they started yet I was always able to excel. Similarly, based on feedback from students in my year, there were necessary changes made to the course for those in the year below us. This is the beauty of our Arts University and the power of their students. I think that kind of fluid progression that is encouraged by arts universities does as you say allow students to explore and excel in their practice.
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In your role as VP you are in a lot of committee meetings, speaking to governs, chancellors and other university authorises, as one of very few or sometimes the only minority in these discussions how do you hold your own in these predominately white spaces?
S: So when I first started the role, there was a definite experience of imposter syndrome, half of it was because I was in most cases the only person of colour in some meetings and the other because I didn’t feel like I could contribute enough. I suppose it is because I thought there was an expectation of me, and to some extent there is, but after sitting in on a few committees and groups I began to realise that my being there was enough and that the individuals around the room wanted to achieve the same goal as me. I would say when it comes to holding my own, it’s been largely influenced by the way that I was treated through those meetings. Every single individual respected and listened to one another, which makes it so easy for me to play my part and bringing in personal thoughts or experiences without feeling out of line or out of place. I think imposter syndrome is something that many black women have felt when in unfamiliar predominately white spaces. However, as you stated you being there is enough.
Sometimes we expect black people in these high positions to uphold the all values and all opinions of all black people but that is not possible. Your singular experience as a black woman is what you bring and this is a great starting point in terms of diversity in these spaces. Before you became vice president, you were studying fine art and I know a lot of your work explores the in-between spaces of colonial and post-colonial, How has your role as Vice president within an educational institution informed your practice?
S: I agree with you a hundred per cent! In terms of what you have asked, my work has developed so much throughout my academic career. I’ve always been interested in the hybridity of cultures. I think it was also an outlet where I could explore what my identity truly is; I was born and raised Malawian and have spent my teens and adulthood in England, that does something to you. I became really obsessed with the cultural theorist Homi K Bhabha. My friend jokes that his book is my art bible, but Bhabha literally coined the term ‘third space’ which talks about how hybridity begins to develop whole new ‘third’ identities and cultures. I pretty much did my best to explore those ideas through different mediums. I think in a weird way being in this role explores that, this ‘Presidency’ is such a unique space that you can never really experience again once you go through it. No one can truly teach you how to do it, you almost have to figure it out as you experience it. In terms of my practice, being VP in an arts university has a lot of benefits.
I am in constant conversation with creatives, makers and specialists, as well as those that manage the institution. It’s almost like having a full picture of a puzzle as opposed to a small section of it. Overall, I have really grown through navigating this ‘space’ in only one year.
That concept of the ‘third space’ is really fascinating. A lot of people who have been exposed to multiple cultures probably have experienced this without even realising it. Conversation is such an integral part of being an artist. Your experience may be the focus of your work but gaining inspiration, ideas, opinions and first-hand experiences from other creatives, makers and specialists will help you to grow as you have done over the year. And lastly What are some positive changes you, your fellow sabbatical officer Jordan and the SU team made this year that you are proud of?
S: I am truly grateful for having learnt so much this year. When Jordan and I decided to run for AUBSU presidents of 2019-20 we were really keen to push for representation for all. We wanted to make tangible and integral changes to how students and staff engage with the environment around them and consider the impact of their actions on the environment, including within their creative practices. We have been able to work with the University to introduce AUB branded reusable steel bottles and have taken away all single-use plastic cups from water fountains.
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We wanted to push for healthy lifestyles and affordable food prices to make sure that all students were able to get the nutrients they need in order to fuel themselves as they work on their craft. There has been a healthy salad bar introduced in our canteen. We also admired the opportunities to be able to travel the country for inspiration through Bus Trips so that students could operate beyond their immediate environment which we have been able to do. I would say that we have been able to make a shift towards all of the right directions and know that more of this will continue moving forward. I would say, the biggest highlight has been the shift towards removing the stigma around mental health through Small Things Matter wellbeing campaign. This is something that is open to all.
Post by @AUBSU_matters the offical instagram page for AUBSU`s ‘The Small Things Matter’ wellfare campaign
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We want students to recognise both their physical and mental health within all the things they might experience, such as moving away from home, personal experiences, handins and more. The Small Things Matter campaign has tried to educate, support and invited all to take small steps to take care of their mental health and well-being. We have really seen the positive impact on the mental health of students especially within the current climate of Covid-19, we’re always receiving messages on how this has helped them. Both myself and Jordan are incredibly proud of the impact this has had. I also think we will continue to share these positive notions of wellbeing in our daily lives.
Styling by Stella kajombo-lee and Jordan Verdes Photography by Jordan verdes
THE NARRATIVES SERIES
I wanted to document my Mother’s daily meditation routine step by step; she starts by getting out of bed and taking her singing bowl outside. She often incorporates aspects of Tai Chi and Qi Gong, these are two of the many different forms of meditation. Tai chi is a slow martial art that can be used for exercise that focuses on health and wellness of the mind, body and spirit while Qi Gong is a process of external movements, typically repeated a certain number of times, that works to give strength and energy to our body and spirit. My Mom and I have an incredibly close bond and she is one of the primary people that I look up to; because of the restrictions of the COVID-19 lockdown I felt it made a lot of sense to focus on her for this project. She inspires me beyond belief and I have always had an interest in how she chooses to meditate, what materials she uses, her process, her technique etc. Julia Cox
The representation of race in media is a tough topic to tackle and the world of literature isn’t exempt from this scrutiny. Racial stereotypes can be found even in our most treasured literary works, leaving writers of all ethnicities wondering how they can write about race without alienating one group of people or another. But the do’s and don’ts of writing about race aren’t as black and white as they might appear. When it comes to describing people of colour, authors love to use poetic and flowery language, but coming across phrases like “mocha skin” and “almond eyes” just feels inappropriate to many modern readers. Such descriptions might seem innocent enough, but any comparison between food and people of colour creates an unnecessary fetishization of our skin tone. Writers then begin to fall into the trap of “othering” their characters of colour, highlighting them as exotic, less natural or otherwise distinctly different from their white counterparts—all ideas that are better left buried in our colonial past. So, how should we talk about skin tone? Well, I personally have no issue being described as a black woman. I don’t mind if you want to talk about my skin as lighter than my father’s but darker than my mother’s. It’s okay to state things exactly as they are so long as you’re not singling out your characters of colour. Don’t put your reader in the position of assuming everyone is white until proven otherwise.
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Should you only write about your own ethnicity? Most writers are given one piece of advice: write what you know. It’s a statement that tends to do more harm than good. Not only does it stifle creativity, favouring realism over fantasy, but it implies that a writer is the leading authority on aspects of their identity. Suddenly, a black writer is expected to only talk about issues relating to race, and their opinion on the subject is seen as representative of all black people. There’s no denying that there are issues with writing about ethnicities other than your own, misrepresentation and stereotyping being the key ones, but there has to be some flexibility in what we can write about. None of us exist in isolation, we interact with people from different backgrounds every day, and so it’s only natural that our characters will do the same. But if we’re going to write about something outside our lived experience, we have a responsibility to do our research and talk to other communities so we can represent them fairly.
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How should writers approach race? If there’s one thing you should always remember about writing race, it’s that race is only one part of a person’s identity. There’s nothing worse than coming across a character who is a walking caricature of their ethnicity. How many times have we come across a sidekick who’s nothing more than an amalgamation of racial stereotypes and does nothing to further the plot? Characters of colour should be just as rounded as their white counterparts. They should grow and change, overcome their flaws and develop new ones. Yet at the same time, race should play a part in a character’s experiences. Otherwise, authors are just performing a box-ticking exercise, attaching ethnic names to nonethnic characters.
Text by Ellie Grant Illustrations by Jasmine Hewitt
I want to see what Sunday dinner is like when the West Indian grandparents come over, or how a shopping trip with friends goes wrong when one girl can’t find a foundation to match her skin tone. Often, it’s the smaller things that make up our racial identity and these are the things that writers can draw on to celebrate race without perpetuating stereotypes. So, yes, celebrate my blackness and acknowledge my history, but don’t forget that I’m also female, bisexual, disabled, British, a sister, a creative…you get the picture.
BARBOURSHOP
This work is called Barbershop (2019). It was a short performance which documented myself placing headwraps onto other individuals. This power herichary of a black women being a focal point and being the most the important person in the performance. The relevance of the handmade head wraps explores the complex history where head wraps were once worn to prevent acts of sexual viloence on the plantation . This perfomative act of lovingly and maternal placing theses head wraps speaks to importance of hair with the black community and the bonds which form around hair. This experience of hair has become a theme within my practice, exploring the cultural signifier and link it’s identity hair for black women such as myself. Louise Hall
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CONTRIBUTORS Jasmine Hewitt Marie Ogunkolade Stella Kajombo-Lee Jordan Verdes Ellie grant Julia cox Louise Hall We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped this magazine come together. Whether you contributed work, gave feedback on the magazine or generally supported this project I couldn’t of done it without you. Thank you