?UESTIONS: Langz Raphael - Ancestral Home

Artist, filmmaker and activist - Langz Raphael inherits her superpowers from the ancestors.

A beautiful mix of spiritual heritage, customs and culture. Langz's art provides an ancestral home for the lessons and beauty of those before us.

Can you share with us your ambitions?

Creating to me is like breathing, I need it to survive. I always create with the goal in mind that I just want to share a piece of my heart through my art.

Whatever it may be I literally just create because I have a story to share, or my frustrations as an artist. At the end of the day my art is my voice so I create what I feel.

How important is ancestry to you and its influence in your work?

As a Black creative I feel obligated to share my beliefs, traditions and culture through my art. If we don't know where we come from or who we are, then we don't know where we are going.

I believe I am my ancestors wildest dream, I am on earth for a purpose and my art is my gift that I can use as a form of communication. It is very important to me that I carry those who came before me, as well as those who are like me.

What messages do you wish to express?

I have a lot of things to say, but my message is and always will be "if we do not know where we are coming from, than we do not know where we are going." It is very important to be deeply rooted in who you are and also understand your gift and purpose. We are placed on earth for a reason, to love and to unite.

Is there a tradition that has influenced your journey?

I am influenced mostly by the life that my ancestors lived from their values to their traditions to their ancestral powers. I am influenced by what's going on in, and around Africa.

I myself am not so much of a fan of modernization. I like to think of myself as an old soul. I like to think that my work comes from the past, lives in the presence and will forever be a representation of an African.

All images courtesy of Langz Raphael

Instagram: @langz_raphael

MUS!C: Kemi Sulola - Till I Met You

Silky smooth, harmonic vocals - Kemi transports us back to 90s R&B.

Till I Met You is reminiscent of a warm summers evening, reflective and peaceful. Sweet honeyed voice and mellow vocals to soothe the soul.

A beautiful ode to anything and everything special in your life!

Instagram: @kemisulola

Website: kemisulola.com

Facebook: kemisulola

ACT!ON: Nemonte Nenquimo - Not For Sale

Rich wildlife, complex ecosystems and Indigenous tribes, Ecuador is considered one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth.

Nemonte Nenquimo is an indigenous Waorani woman who has committed herself to defending her ancestral territory, ecosystem, culture, economy and way of life. She led a successful court action to block a proposal for oil exploration and drilling on 500,000 acres of Waorani land.

80% of the Waorani population currently lives on one-tenth of its original ancestral lands, they maintain the traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle of their ancestors. Oil exploration, logging and road building has had a catastrophic impact on their rainforests.

In collaboration with Amazon Frontlines, she launched “Our Rainforest is Not for Sale,” a digital campaign that collected 378,000 signatures globally that opposed the auction. 

Nemonte bought various tribes in addition to elders and youth together in unity. She also acted as a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Ecuadorian government because it had not obtained legal consent from the Waorani tribe to put the land up for auction. 

The court ruled in favour of the Waorani, protecting the 500,000 acres from oil extraction and also requiring that no land can be auctioned off without prior and informed consent. This victory set the example for a legal precedent for Indigenous rights in general and inspired other tribes to follow the Warorani’s example.   

She continues to proactively helped communities maintain their independence from oil company handouts, by installing rainwater harvesting systems, solar panels.

To support her fight, she co-founded the indigenous non-profit Ceibo Alliance. The alliance brings together four different indigenous nations – the A'i Kofan, the Siekopai, the Siona and the Waorani. It builds sustainable indigenous-led alternatives for the protection of their lands by improving access to education, involving young people in leadership, promoting solar energy and creating economic opportunities for women.  

In 2020, Nemonte Nenquimo was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for South and Central America, as well as named in Time’s magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people.

Instagram: @nemontenenquimo

AF: Amazon Frontlines