White Dove

This piece of art, done on batik cloth, features a mix of cultural traditions from the peoples of Burkina Faso. The name Burkina Faso itself translates as “Country of the honest”. We see masks and a ritual goblet made of calabash gourd in the hands of a witch doctor. An enchanted solution of sorghum and water, prepared by a sorcerer, pours out from the goblet. Against the backdrop of the round ermine pattern (a typical mask of the Bobo people), the red spot represents the blood of a victim who has been sacrificed. I associate this with a ritual of the spirit of the God-creator Su from the Kassena people in Tiébélé. I took part in this ritual myself; with my utterings, I wished death upon one particular dictator. And the white dove of peace, appearing on this batik cloth as if out of nowhere, is bringing us peace and victory!

I told the artist that I was bringing the work to Ukraine; may it help us win!

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