Inner Child: Angèlique Kidjo
on David Shrobe's "Eternal Navigation" As told to Souleo
When I look at this work, I am connected back to theatre, which was a major part of my childhood. My mother had a theatre group in West Africa in the 1960s called Theatre Troupe of Benin. She did everything from writing to rehearsing to costumes. I used to watch my mother cutting fabric to create costumes.
Angélique Kidjo. Photo by Gilles Marie Zimmerman.
At six years old I remember tying the fabrics together and putting them around me to make sashes. I would start my own play by making up my own world full of people. I learned from my mother how to come up with different forms and colors to help tell a story. I see those elements in David’s work.
David Shrobe, Eternal Navigation, 2015. Courtesy of the Artist.
The color and pose of the figure, with eyes closed is serene. It reminds me of inner peace. And the title is special because life is eternal. In my country, when somebody passes away they live on through memory. The spirit of that person is forever part of us. My father passed away and although his body left us his spirit is always there. To me that is the meaning of ‘Eternal Navigation.’
--
Angélique Kidjo is a three-time Grammy-winning recording artist and activist. Her most recent album, “Sings” is available now. On March 18 she will anchor the fifth season of the monthly magazine series, “21ème Siècle (21st Century).” http://www.kidjo.com/