Interdependence

In the mid 19th century, wax prints were introduced in West Africa by Dutch merchants trading in the East Indies. These originally Indonesian batik prints were replicated by the colonialists, rejected by the Indonesian purists, but loved by West Africans. In fact, the imperfections in the print which the Indonesians rejected made the prints seem more authentic to Africans. We loved them so much we named them after proverbs. The fabric above has one of my favorite wax print names...'A single tree cannot withstand the wind.' Our strong belief in community and interdependence is captured perfectly with this design. Interdependence defines us.

Growing up, our neighbors looked out for us as much as our parents did, and we afforded them the utmost respect. This was reflected in how we addressed them; Auntie this and Uncle that, even when these adults were no relations whatsoever. We were each other's keeper, and our community benefited greatly from this practice.

Just yesterday my mother told me a story about her stepfather, a cruel man who threatened to beat her and her siblings whenever her mother was not around. Thankfully, he was never able to carry out his threats, because of the old ladies who lived nearby. They kept an eagle eye on him when her mother was away, and had no problem intervening when voices were raised too high in their home. Their vigilance made a world of difference in the lives of my mother and her siblings.

I believe rekindling some of these old-fashioned values could avert a lot of the tragedies we hear about today.