Sankofa is an African word from the Akan tribe in Ghana. The literal translation of the word and the symbol is “it is not taboo to fetch what is at risk of being left behind.”

~Berea College

The Body as Religion

Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson

We grieve the absence of youth savoring sacraments of nostalgic seconds. We spend the best parts of our life seeking Sankofa and reclaiming for the fragmented parts of our nature. We desire the nurture of our heart and soul to let our body language fluidly speak with zeal. Revealing a motif of movement suited to our sacred, yes our sacred.
That we may testify of it, a space, whether it:  sanctuary, synagogue, shrine or mosque, your flesh is simply a temple carved out of spirit and bones. A place enthroned with awe inspiring wonders from sharpened shoulder blades to thighs that thunder.  We should humbly exalt the vessel we've been given. 
We are no longer compelled and driven by outside force or coerced into relishing the resplendence of our form. We willingly perform the ceremony of self love daily. Holding space for the beauty bestowed in our bosoms. With rituals of rites day and night we fight to preserve, or let go of the things that no longer serve our inner majesty.
This is the physical place where the peace and pieces of God rest upon our skin, from the scalp of our crowning glory to the pedestal of our twinkling toes. For the freckles, birthmarks, and moles, for the wrinkles, scars of demarcation, and crows that flock in the folds of our face. Cherish the intricate altars built-up, burnt down, and replaced by the residual and individual seconds spreading across our skin. 
We need to see the gathered moments of our timeline as a blessing, not vexed. 
Dripping with oil. 
We face the turmoil of aging. 
We will reap the spoils for it is our keepsake at the highest stakes to divinely delight in at our discretion, the body as religion. 
~

Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson hails from San Antonio, TX. where she is the 5th Poet Laureate Emeritus 2020-2023. She has collaborated with artists from around the globe and her work is a fusion of poetry, hip-hop, and rhythm and blues vocalization. She is a teaching artist who facilitates workshops and features throughout the U.S. from Michigan State University, to DePauw University, to the University of Pennsylvania, to Rice University, and many others. Her debut collection of poems, She Lives in Music (FlowerSong Press, 2020), is said to be a temple of rhythm- Charles “Easy Lee” Peters. Andrea is an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow and was voted Best Local Poet 2023 and 2021 by The SA Current. Sanderson has had the distinct honor of opening up for Dr. Cornel West, Phylicia Rashad, and Nikki Giovanni. Her writings and teachings have been highlighted by The Nuyorican Poets Cafe, television stations PBS and KLRN, in documentaries, and at festivals worldwide. For more information visit her website: www.andreavocabsanderson.com

I strive to demonstrate the importance of shaping a culture that celebrates everyone.

Donna Lee Bolden

Donna-Lee Bolden holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Guelph, Canada and a Diploma in Drawing and Painting from OCAD University, Toronto, Canada. Her Creative activism is to promote African cultural and racial pride for the purpose of learning more about each other and elevating consciousness on the planet. 

Donna-Lee has positioned herself to be a creative change agent, in hopes that art-based education will look at the importance and need for greater diversity and inclusion in every aspect within the educational curriculum. View the original “Sankofa” image here.