What is Culture? Why must it be Restored?
Marimba Ani tells us “Culture is a means by which a people protects themselves... [it] is the immune system of a people.” Culture builds and establishes family, community, connection, identity and self-worth. As people of the African diaspora, we have had many aspects of our way of being, our culture, including language, song, traditions and foods systematically stripped from us. In an attempt to reclaim some of our cultural productions and connections, we offer Our Mothers' Kitchens.
What is Culture?, Marimba Ani
The conversations, both spoken and unspoken, that take place in the kitchen are rich with details of our past and lessons for our future. With Our Mothers’ Kitchens we employ food and literature as a means to deepen our understanding of our heritage, our culture and ourselves. By ingesting -reciting, memorizing and dissecting- the work of some of our great women storytellers, we are aligning with the African oral traditions that have been often times passed over by younger generations. We invite you into our kitchen where you will not merely be fortifying your body’s immune system; but fortifying the immune system of our community. What is learned in our kitchen goes beyond culinary and writing skills.
In the works of Black writers, Black folk will see reflections of themselves, their experiences, their culture and heritage. It is our hope that in search of their mothers’ kitchens, they will find their own.
Photograph by Gabrielle Clark, 2021
each time we come together to do this work
we create a kitchen altar
because we know that we are not the first, nor will we be the last
we know our legacies are shared + sacred
we know our ancestors live within us⠀
we create the altar to awaken their spirits⠀
so their memories stretch beyond our bodies⠀
and dance around the kitchen⠀
“we are accountable to our ancestors”⠀
so we honor them each + every time.
- Khaliah D. Pitts
“We are accountable to our ancestors.
”
