#WeAreUnprotected

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:Obsidian
Country:Liberia

Artwork rationale:

For almost two years now, the colour black has been prevalent in Liberian streets. Instead of reserving it for funerals, women have been using black to draw attention to a rape epidemic that is ravaging the country, even as COVID-19 subsides here.
Sexual and gender-based violence has always been a problem in post-war Liberia, but this year rape cases have been rising exponentially. Several unbelievable cases have served to increase public anger about rapes, pushing for government action. Three weeks ago, a three-year-old was raped by a 15-year-old. The perpetrator had apparently used a razor blade to cut the vagina of the child before forcing his way in. Cases like this pushed many women to group together to demand that the government declare rape a national emergency. The unifying umbrella of the protests? Black.
The women I spoke to say they use the colour black because they’re mourning the loss and damage caused to so many lives – just under 1,000 raped since the start of the year.
The campaign originally began in 2018 in a more civil manner. Styled #WeAreUnprotected, it demanded an end to injustice and all forms of violence against women and girls. It arose as a response to a damning report ProPublica and TIME Magazine released on October 11 2020 revealing sexual abuse of underage girls and widespread negligence by an educational charity operating in Liberia.
Since then, every Thursday, women in Liberia have worn black to draw attention to the call for more to be done to reduce sexual and gender-based violence. The calls had been largely peaceful. However, during the August 25-27 2020 protests, the anger was out. Many of the signs were vulgar. Some called for castration as a penalty for rape, while others called for the death penalty. On the third day of the protest, police attacked protesters, beating them and attempting to prevent them from gathering, even drawing condemnation from Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowee.
In a way, it’s ironic that the country that produced Africa’s first elected female president struggles with such a key issue that predominantly affects women, as over 90 percent of victims are females. For now, the protests have helped to push the dark issue of a rape epidemic to the forefront of discussions in social circles.

What it means to be African

Being African means being accustomed to unrequited love. We’re asked to extend so much love to our respective countries but often these very countries abuse us in return, over and over.

Biography

Jefferson Krua earned his BS in civil engineering from Cornell University and an MS in transportation systems engineering from Virginia Tech before working as a systems analyst with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Krua runs an award-winning high-quality news outlet in Liberia, The Bush Chicken, which sets the standard for quality journalism in Liberia. In addition to a few other investments in Liberia, Krua sits on the board of directors of Pinkberry Liberia. He was directly responsible for bringing the first American food franchise to post-war Liberia.