Liberated slaves come to life in ‘Forgotten Saints’ exhibition |24 July 2023
Mr D’Offay (right) in the company of some of the guests at the vernissage of the exhibition
An exhibition by renowned local artist, Emmanuel D’Offay, portraying the faces of young liberated slaves aged between 6 and 17 years, is on display at the Eden Art Gallery.
The vernissage of the exhibition titled ‘Forgotten Saints’ took place last Thursday in the presence of local dignitaries and fellow artists.
When addressing the guests, Mr D’Offay said the opinion expressed and the paintings in the exhibition were his personal perception and he referred to slavery as the “greatest atrocity that the world ever experienced in its history, what can rightly be called the original sin”.
He added that in Africa and the world, slave trade and plantation slavery have never been accepted in body and mind for what they were; “genocide, holocaust, displacement of unprecedented historical and geographic magnitude. It was Hitlerism long before Hitler, to borrow the phraseology from Aime Cesaire in his book, ‘Discourse on Colonialism'”.
Mr D'Offay, who considered himself as a slave activist, stated that through his exhibition he wanted to “advocate for the recognition and reverence of a group of individuals who have been tragically forgotten by history, the martyr slaves”.
He added that they deserve to be remembered for their ultimate sacrifices which paved the way for today’s freedom, human rights and equality.
“These forgotten saints embraced virtues such as courage, endurance, and forgiveness despite unimaginable hardships. They exhibited qualities that we often associate with religious figures canonised as saints. Their acts of resistance, their refusal to accept their enslavement, and the quest for justice inspire us to this day,” said Mr D’Offay.
There are altogether 33 photos of young boys and girls in the exhibition, with special artistic touches made by Mr D’Offay, who has also given them various titles including ‘Sold’, ‘The Martyr’, ‘Sainthood’, ‘I am Human’ and ‘Transformation’ among others.
“All of these people had names, they had their families, and I wanted to show their suffering, and question as to why they cannot be called saints. I want people to question themselves every time they look at those canvases until such time comes when whoever is responsible, will do their mea culpa,” said Mr D’Offay, adding the scourge of slavery is still being felt today.
Robert Alexis, a fellow artist, who is also a former student of Mr D’Offay, said he was impressed with the paintings, which clearly showed the children’s pain and suffering.
“I can see how he has depicted a broken heart, those that have suffered a lot. My personal preference is the one titled ‘Living in the Shadow’, where the photo is on an old piece of wood. It is a powerful message, as you are trying so hard to see a face and decipher who the person is, the personality, but you cannot, compared to the others which are clearer,” said Mr Alexis.
Fellow colleague, Egbert Marday, said the paintings evoke strong emotions; and how a group of humans were poorly treated by another group. He added it was also fascinating to see Mr D’Offay, a non-black person, empathizing with black people’s suffering.
‘Forgotten Saints’ is expected to go on a tour on the continent and exhibited in several other African countries closely linked to slavery.
Mr D’Offay said he is working closely with the African Union to realise this.
“These slaves that you see in this exhibition were taken from different countries including Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique and several others so I want to go to the continent and start to raise awareness and consciousness of how the trade started, and eventually take it to Europe and other places. Eventually if we want to have a museum on slavery, we could have all the materials here,” concluded Mr D’Offay.
‘Forgotten Saints’ is open to the public for a month at the Eden Art Gallery.
Patsy Canaya
Photos by Patrick Joubert
