Afrofuturism meets fantasy in this inspired novella:
"Our mothers were pregnant African women
Thrown overboard while crossing the Atlantic Ocean on slave ships
We were born breathing water as we did in the womb
We built our home on the sea floor
Unaware of the two-legged surface dwellers
Until their world came to destroy ours
With cannons, they searched for oil beneath our cities
Their greed and recklessness forced our uprising
Tonight, we remember"
- "The Deep", clipping.
Credit goes to Daveed Diggs and his hip hop group clipping. for creating such an imaginative narrative about African slave women who were lost to the seas and formed their own mermaid enclaves beneath the waves. Rivers Solomon takes this concept and expands upon it, tackling the difficult topics of oppression and multi-generational trauma. Although this is a slim novella (measuring about 150 pages), it packs a punch and feels incredibly relevant to today's social-political climate. Highly recommended.
"Our mothers were pregnant African women
Thrown overboard while crossing the Atlantic Ocean on slave ships
We were born breathing water as we did in the womb
We built our home on the sea floor
Unaware of the two-legged surface dwellers
Until their world came to destroy ours
With cannons, they searched for oil beneath our cities
Their greed and recklessness forced our uprising
Tonight, we remember"
- "The Deep", clipping.
Credit goes to Daveed Diggs and his hip hop group clipping. for creating such an imaginative narrative about African slave women who were lost to the seas and formed their own mermaid enclaves beneath the waves. Rivers Solomon takes this concept and expands upon it, tackling the difficult topics of oppression and multi-generational trauma. Although this is a slim novella (measuring about 150 pages), it packs a punch and feels incredibly relevant to today's social-political climate. Highly recommended.