For centuries, England was one of the main participants in the "triangular trade", a colonial system based on the capture, forced transportation and enslavement of millions of people destined for what we now know as the Americas. While women, men and children were torn from their homelands, the wealth generated through their exploitation flowed back to Europe. Historical records speak of more than 12 million victims, but the impact of this atrocity left an indelible mark on the lives of hundreds of millions of people.

This mural is inspired by stories preserved within Afro-descendant communities, particularly in Colombia, Brazil, the Caribbean and other territories of the African diaspora. Braids were remembered as representations of paths to freedom, escape routes, and maroon territories. Seeds were also said to travel within them, allowing people to grow food again and maintain a bond with the land they had been forced to leave behind.

The idea for this mural was born through my encounter with Joana, who shared these stories with me and spoke about their importance within Afro-descendant memory. Here, those braids transform into paths, rivers, roots and life, but also into home, culture, music and traditions that managed to survive centuries of violence.

Today, braids and Afro hair continue to be symbols of identity, memory and cultural resistance. This mural is a tribute to those stories, forms of knowledge and ways of life that are more alive than ever.