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By Edith L. Dixton, Contributing Writer for Andnews.org Posted to the web 14 May 2008
The more than 5,000 African immigrants, who have settled in Southwest Philadelphia during the past 15 years, have made the African population of Southwest the largest of any region in the city.
Though these African settlers came to America on their own free will, unlike their earlier ancestors brought here for servitude, they still have suffered numerous injustices as they’ve adjusted to living in America and more specifically, Southwest Philadelphia.
In many instances, unfair treatment against African immigrants has come not only from offspring of slave owners but from descendants of the slaves themselves.
In an effort to focus on common threads between the African and African-American cultures, the Mural Arts Program (MAP) and the African Cultural Alliance of North America (ACANA) joined with other community partners including the Globe Times, Southwest CDC, the 12th Police District, the Chester Avenue Business Association, The Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and others to heal the community through art.
On Saturday, April 12, the Unity Mural, designed by the aforementioned partners, was dedicated before a large crowd of Southwest residents at 58th Street and Woodland Avenue appropriately called “Bridging the Gap.”
For several months, MAP has been working with the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health; and members of the West African immigrant and African American communities of Southwest Philadelphia on a groundbreaking mural project.
The Behavioral Health sponsored mural, Bridging the Gap, brought together members of the West African immigrant and African American communities in Southwest Philadelphia, because despite underlying cultural connections between the two communities, the settling of West African immigrants into a predominately African American community in Southwest Philadelphia has caused tension between both communities.
The communities helped muralist Willis Humphrey come up with a mural design that is reflective of the cultural commonalities between the two communities. With thematic input from community members of Southwest Philadelphia, Willis Humphrey is painting a mural that is a collective story about overcoming conflict, perceived stereotypes, accepting commonalities, differences, and finally, healing.
The community mural making phase of this project fostered great insight into ways in which to bridge the gap between communities. The community planning committee included African American and West African community organizers and leaders who came together to discuss what images best convey the mural theme. During the planning meetings, great ideas, heartfelt discussions and heated debates occurred about the direction that the mural should take. Muralist Willis Humphrey was able to create an amazing mural out of the process. However, it became apparent that the mural itself served as a jumping off point, and not the end of the conversation of just how to bridge the gap.
The Unity Mural which now covers a formerly barren wall on the side of the Southern Inn at 58th Street and Woodland Avenue, was the spark that ignited a symposium held at ACANA last weekend.
All Bridging the Gap Symposium discussions centered around the mural’s concept, with focuses on creative arts and cultural development, employment and education and social development. The insightful painting by Willis Humphrey that created such at stir is called “Bridging the Gap.” Done by the Mural Arts Program (MAP), it shows the transition Africans made from Africa to America.
Dialogues at the symposium that were initiated by the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health-sponsored mural answered questions such as why the MAP was asked to do the mural in the first place, what is the role of art in bringing communities together and how will it help people see each other from a different perspective.
The Mural Arts Program’s Cheryl Durgans was the project manager for the mural and the symposium. The MAP has agreed to look at painting 30 murals on Woodland Avenue between University City and Island Avenue, to usher people into the Woodland Avenue Business Corridor. That project, called the Southwest Globe Initiative, was developed by Paul Miller.
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