Discovering São Tomé in colours: The Forest

Africa is known for its bold, unapologetic use of colour. Stories are told in pigments, tones and hues; a kaleidoscope as diverse as the cultures and peoples of the continent. For the initiative Colours of Africa, a collaborative project with Google Arts & Culture, we asked 60 African creatives to capture the unique spirit of their country in a colour which represents home to them.

The projects they have created are personal and distinct stories of Africa, put into images, videos, texts and illustrations. Each artist has also attempted to articulate what being African means to their identity and view of the world.

Colour:Horizon
Country:São Tomé and Príncipe

Artwork Rationale:

The colours that come to life in my creative work are blue and green. When you live on a tropical island on the equator, it's almost impossible for these colours not to become part of us.

The blue of the sky and the sea almost merge with the dense green of the tropical forest. Any other colours during this process are small dots or blots in an inhospitable environment, similar to a festival of neon lights where everything becomes bicoloured.

I studied art in Europe where the chromatic pattern had nothing to do with the density that I carried within me.
It's at this moment that I begin to realise that all this vibrant multicolour life that was inside me was a sensation of an almost radioactive explosion. A refusal to accept other colour palettes.

My aesthetic vision was totally distorted by where I came from: Africa. Signs and codes that were kept unconsciously during my journey have now assumed the main role in a permanent search for my identity.

What it means to be African

For me being African has a unique meaning: it's being connected to all the rituals and customs that only those who are born African can understand. It isn't something that is accepted because it is imposed on us.

For centuries they tried to take our identity away from us – introducing other cultures and customs – but we are still here and we remain solid because being African does not mean being a person, but a continent.

Africa lives in every bit of me.
This is one of my biggest sources of pride.

Biography

Kwame Sousa was born in São Tomé and Príncipe, in April 1980. He is a truly multidisciplinary artist who explores a wide range of media, techniques and styles.

Influenced by colleagues, Kwame developed a taste for art at the end of pre-university education and he began drawing.