Art enthusiasts in Louisiana are learning about the history of
the African diaspora as seen through the art of Professor Imna
Arroyo. "Ancestral Memories: The Work of Imna Arroyo" opened on
May 14 at the Paul and Lulu Hilliard Art Museum at the
University of Louisiana in Lafayette and ran through July 9.
This exhibition gives visual voice to the untold millions of
Africans who died during the Atlantic crossing between Africa
and the American colonies. As scholars report, millions of
people were kidnapped and loaded onto slave ships. Ancestral
Passage is composed of 27 terracotta ceramic figures in a sea of
acrylic canvass. The figures represent African ancestors who
died during the journey and are coming back to tell observers to
remember African gifts. A six-minute DVD, titled "Trail of
Bones," tells this poignant story and accompanied the
exhibition.