My African Aesthetic
This podcast is part of My African Aesthetic.
On this Podcast, we shed light on the central and important roles Africans themselves have had, have and will have in creating sustainable neighborhoods and communities around the globe.
Our work centers African Aesthetics, African design philosophy and placemaking. We do this through dialogue, project work, research, documentation and education.
This podcast features thoughtful, constructive and reflective conversations with architects, artists, curators, designers, creatives, activists, innovators, community leaders and African design enthusiasts.
We hope this podcast helps you expand and deepen your knowledge on African aesthetics, African design philosophy and placemaking and its role in creating inclusive and sustainable communities in Africa and beyond.
https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/
My African Aesthetic
5.4. Angelica Castillo Balanta: Colombia. Norway
Angelica Maria Castillo Balanta, founder of Miss Balanta Turbans & Headwear, takes us through her life across continents, shedding light on the challenges and triumphs of adapting to new cultures. From the lively salsa capital of Cali in Colombia, Panama, Barcelona, and finally to Norway, her journey highlights the essence of community ties that transcend borders. She underscores the significance of building a supportive network and maintaining connections with the Colombian community and other Black friends as this has been pivotal in preserving her cultural identity and authentic self-expression.
Angelica also reflects on the symbolism of turbans, not just as a fashion statement but as a cultural and political emblem uniting the African diaspora and allowing them to trace their ancestry- an exploration of African aesthetics that led to recognition at the Smithsonian's African History Museum.
Instagram: @missbalanata
Miss Balanta was featured in the “In Slavery’s Wake” exhibition at the Smithsonian's African History Museum. https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/in-slaverys-wake
Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/
Welcome to my African Aesthetic. On this podcast, we shed light on the central and important roles Africans themselves have had, have and will have in creating sustainable neighborhoods and communities in Africa and around the globe African design philosophy and African placemaking. We do this through dialogue, project work, research, documentation and education. This podcast features thoughtful, constructive and reflective conversations with architects, artists, curators, designers, creatives, activists, innovators, community leaders and African design enthusiasts. I hope this podcast helps you expand and deepen your knowledge on African aesthetics, African design philosophy and placemaking, and its role in creating inclusive and sustainable communities in Africa and beyond.
Speaker 2:Thank you for tuning in. Welcome to yet another episode of the my African Aesthetic podcast. Today I am very honoured, very glad to have Angelica Castillo-Balanta. I love her energy, I love her drive, but I also love her authenticity. Born and raised in Cali, colombia, the capital of salsa music, she is a salsa DJ and sommelier in the making. She's a founder, she's a storyteller, she's a keynote speaker, barista, designer, entrepreneur, digital creator. To sum it all up, she loves life. So today she joins us on the podcast to talk about, among other things, miss Palanta Turbans, a company that she'd started with the intention of sharing the fascinating history of turbans, strengthening Afro-Colombian identity and providing insight into Afro-Colombian history and the significance it holds for the African diaspora. We will also talk about race, place and belonging. So, angelica, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much for the invitation. I'm really glad, you know, you know we have to continue with this sisterhood between black women. You know, black women power. The community is really important and that's why I'm so happy, glad, and it's a pleasure to be with you here in this interview today.
Speaker 2:Thank you, thank you so very much. So who are you?
Speaker 3:thank you so very much. So who are you? Angelica is identified itself as an Afro-Colombian woman and.
Speaker 3:Latina, as I, as you just say, I'm so like, grateful and also proud to, born and raised in Cali. It's the capital of the salsa music. As you also say, it's a city placed in the southwest of Colombia. I'm so happy that I grew up among black people, so that helped me to build my identity among black people, that this is really important when you, when your soul, carry a black body. Angelica is body, if we can say that. Angelica is, um, really energetic person, introvert. But I don't have any problem with social skills, of course, when people look at me, it's like I love people, I love to be among people you know, and you know since I'm now 40, so the people who surround me is people that you know fill up my energy with good things. So, but since I discovered that I can like put boundaries where I need, so I'm so happy with that I stopped saying that I am a graphic designer. I am a children's designer, because you know my career or my profession don't define who I am you know, but I studied graphic design.
Speaker 3:I found Miss Balanta, the brand specializing in turbans and headwear. You know we are strengthening identity throughout turban history. Angelica has two kids, is married and we have been together 21 years. So I live in love in long term and I'm happy to be a mom. My two kids they are 5 and 11 and actually they are part of this journey to self-awareness, to teaching me what is my place in this earth or in this place, in this city, in this world right now. And Angelica.
Speaker 3:Angelica is a good friend, I consider myself to be a good friend, but also I can be distance. You know the good thing that my friends knows me, so and since they know that I am introvert, that I love to be with people, but I also really enjoy to be myself, to fill up my energy so I can get out to the world again. And you know, with my, with my work, I have to be with people all the time around. But to learn, you know, just to understand who I am, how is my personality, what kind of situation I want to experience, the people who I want to have around me, yeah, this is basically me?
Speaker 2:uh, your name. Can you trace it to family or was it just a beautiful name that you got by your parents?
Speaker 3:how did they put together this fantastic name, angelica maria castillo yeah, but you know what, when my mom was pregnant, she had this like this anteception device. I don't know how to call that. That is called in spanish that is t, the t because it's it's like a letter shape. So my mom was, she got pregnant while she had that and she said her name is going to be Teresa Because she had the T while she was pregnant. And then my dad, he was saying no, no, no, no, no, no. Her name is going to be Angelica. Her name is going to be Angelica.
Speaker 3:And her name is going to be Angelica Maria, Because in Colombia we love, you know, to use two names. I know in many African countries you don't have just two names, you have like five, six.
Speaker 2:You have a sentence of a name.
Speaker 3:To have two names is like a bad thing. So it was a discussion between my mom and my dad, because my name's supposed to be Teresa, but they, they, they decide at the end to put me on the head. I don't know, I really like my name, but I'm not really. I'm not an angel you're always.
Speaker 2:You're always your parents' angel, I guess. Yeah. I think on this podcast I have also made it a point now to find out. There's always a story to a name. Sometimes it's nothing, but sometimes it might mean more than just a name.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know, because I have been living in many places and then when I meet people who have had these really special names and have this deep, deep meaning, I say, no, I haven't been easy. My parents just make me my life easy. You know, my life could be really difficult Depends where I am, but with my name it life easy. You know, my life could be really difficult depends where I am, but with my name is easy. And then with my kids it also was like that because we think it to have names that my parents and my family in Colombia could pronounce, properly, manage and my family in Norway could also pronounce and say properly in Norwegian. So Oliver and Tobias, really international names and you know it's something like Oliver and Tobias have a meaning. I'm not religious, but I had a beautiful meaning that is good the good son of God.
Speaker 2:I think we've got a little bit about how you ended up in Oslo, norway. Unless you would like to tell us more, then I'm guessing it's for love that you ended up here, or is there more to that story?
Speaker 3:Well, I met my husband in Bogota, colombia, in 2003. We were partying and then, you know, we live in Colombia for a while and then we move a little bit around the globe.
Speaker 3:You know, we live in London and then we went back to Cali and we met, we got married before to move to London like two years after dating. And then we went back to Columbia and then from Columbia, he was working in Gaza and I was living in Tel Aviv. And then we moved to Panama and then in Panama I got pregnant my first child, tobias and, and in Panama then we decided to go back to Colombia and then in Colombia, I started my business. I was born in Barcelona. I have to do something in. It was a homework for my master's degrees to do something about marketing 2.0, this is in 2010, 2011 and then I said, okay, let's do a blog. So Miss Valanta actually started a fashion blog. From Panama, I won a scholarship, I moved to Barcelona. Christian stay in Panama oh, I forgot this part many places.
Speaker 3:And then we went back to Colombia and after seven years I got pregnant, until six years ago, pregnant my second child. And then we said, probably, why not? We just think about to move to Norway, because you know my husband, he was in the humanitarian world in that time. He was working for Norwegian Refugee Council. And then, you know, in this kind of job, normally you move around the globe quite often. So we could manage to stay seven years in Colombia and then, when his contract was ended, we could continue with our expat lifestyle, but with two kids.
Speaker 3:He said probably not, let's try to move to Norway. And then and he's from Bergen, and I said, yeah, if you want to move to Norway, we're not going to live in Bergen. I love Bergen, it's a beautiful city, but you know, it's not like I work in fashion, I'm a entrepreneur. I said no, no, let, let's move to the capital city. So that's why we ended in Oslo, you know. So I feel like actually it was for the. It was the first time that also Christian living in Oslo, both of us was new. So now we are here. I always say that I'm a COVID invanderer because we came just before the pandemic. You know my first two years when I moved here. You know that I have a baby who didn't have a kindergarten. I have to experience COVID time, my first two years to settle in this city with no community of your own, but also his family far away in Bergen.
Speaker 3:Not that physical help that you could, even kind of I have you know, because before we moved here we met some Norwegians. They were living in bogota and they they moved back here.
Speaker 2:So that makes a big difference.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but you know, but I I all, before I move here, is I have to build my own network because I don't have. I don't have to. No, I should not give the responsibility to my friends to build my own network so I could move around. You know the city quite easily and the first year it was like it was really social, was really exhausted. And then, after that year that when I discovered that I was, that I'm introvert, and then, because I was like tired, I was deeply depressed with the cold, with the darkness, with you know, all the things that you cannot control and no one telling you until you start experience and someone said, oh yeah, all the darkness that keep. You know you can't get depressed because you got the vision of vitamin D to navigate much better in the darkness of winter. So I have the fortune to find like the right. You know, like I could get into the Colombian community really easy. The Colombian community here, I have to say, is just beautiful.
Speaker 3:I would love to be. You know, because I know there is people when they move abroad they want to be like this distance with their own people, and I'm in the other way around. I love it, you know. It's something like, and actually right now, with my new you know, now I'm navigating in a new journey and we are trying to diversify Latino culture parties in Oslo and I'm so happy, you know, because of my Colombian community, I could, you know, I have achieved many things here and also I could manage to also join like her space and also her space. I could, because you know most of my Colombian community. They are like mixed race or white people and I need to be. You know, I need to just have black friends. I don't know if people think that is weird. What is a need? No, because I need to.
Speaker 3:You know, I read actually an article the other day that when you speak a language that is not your own language, your personality change and, on top of that, when you are, when you are black and you are speaking with a non-black person, you also your personality changes. Something changed on you, you know, and this is the thing that I'm trying every single day, working in myself, to keep who I am all the time you know, I speak loud, I I laugh loud, I can.
Speaker 3:You know sometimes things can go off from my mouth, that, and you know it's something like there. I saw a video I sent to a friend of mine, gabrielle. I don't know if you have met her. She's from England, also living here. A message is like when black people is laughing about something, you know we do something difficult, we touch each other, we run. You know we laugh so hard, you push, push so much. Yeah, you know, and this is natural for us. You know and I do understand I can do that with my friends, my Black friends in Colombia and also my Black friends that are no Latinos here in Norway or other places. So there's something unique when you are, you know, with other, you know around Black people that you don't have to, you don't need to justify your existence, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Or your way of expression, like you said, like no one is going to look at you in a weird way if you're laughing and even walk away and then come back, because that is a very normal thing in generally almost all African or African-related cultures or communities. It is just normal. I really love this and I love that you've touched a bit on creating your own community and how important that has been for you to go back to yourself. Uh, miss balanza, you started it as a blog. A turban in the context of of beauty, an african beauty, I think. For me, focusing on turbans has had this like beautiful thing about it where I I see how versatile it can be, I see the history in it, but I also see how, how it's a fashion statement and then sometimes a political statement.
Speaker 2:So I'm wondering what? Sometimes, no, it's a fashion statement and then sometimes a political statement. So I'm wondering what?
Speaker 3:Sometimes? No, it is a political statement.
Speaker 2:So that's where you catch me. So my question is what inspires your turbans and what is the story behind, why and how you choose turbans to share and celebrate your Colombian heritage. Why turbans?
Speaker 3:You know, I really like to start with that. This is a question that people I have in an interview in a conversation is why turbans? And I start saying why not? This is the easy answer. I grew up seeing my mom using turbans. You know, for me it was something that I grew up seeing my mom, using turrets.
Speaker 3:You know, for me it was something that I grew up, you know. First of all, you know it's like it was part of my everyday life when I didn't want to do you know something in my hair braids or whatever I just wrap my hair with something, you know, like a piece of fabric, whatever. But I started modeling when I was 14. So I've been in the fashion industry for now like, yeah, 25 years so, and when you are in the fashion industry, there is you always try to, you know, to be unique or something like that. The tour was like I didn't feel that it was like something unique because it was my everyday life. You know, like great, and you know, you know, sometimes people that think that is something exotic for you is like whatever is, you know. But when, when I start with my, you know, it was something really anecdotal. That's really nice, because my, my Balanta, is my surname, my mom's surname. And.
Speaker 3:Balanta is one of the few surnames that survived in Colombia after the colonization. So that's why you know my university I have, I did some projects and all my projects called balanta, something, balanta, balanta. You know, I just can explode my surname. But I met this guy in a bar in Paris and he said his name and no, my name is balanta. I said, ah, where are you from? I'm from Guinea Bissau. And I said I am also balanta. I say, ah, where are you from? I'm from Guinea-Bissau. And they say I am also Balanta, but I'm from Colombia. So since that I started doing some research. Balanta is not just a surname, an ethnic group from Guinea-Bissau and the north of Senegal. And Balanta is not just a surname, it's a language Ethnic group. You know it's a language ethnic group. You know it's like oh my gosh. And balanta means it's common in Spanish los que resisten.
Speaker 2:Yeah, say it in Spanish, then at least I'll be-. Los que resisten who?
Speaker 3:resistance, oh yeah.
Speaker 3:I forgot to say it in English. You know, we live in three languages languages. You know, it's like who? You know the people who resisted and I say, oh my god, now I understand a lot of thing about my family. You know because, because, for example, my mom, who is a person that I really admire and she's my role model. That's why, you know, this is like a tribute to her, which is still alive. You know, actually I have a collection that I have her name because, it's true, the tribute. You have to do it when people is alive. And it was so nice because I did the launch in a national news and I asked to my dad saying I turn, turn on the tv and then my mom have to see what I'm gonna say at 12, 30.
Speaker 3:Hey, mom, this is Angelica, but I wasn't sure this collection is for you. And then, you know, when I was living in Barcelona, I decided to start this blog, but my blog because you know I'm in the fashion industry. I said, okay, let's do something that is on trend at that time due to us, and 10, 11 blocks, fashion blocks and blocks in general wasn't. So I said, okay, let's start to write about street style. And then I started taking pictures of people in fashion events and everything so on. And then, you know, I started, just I thought that there is no much like Balak people in the street style in Spain. And I say, okay, you know what I'm going to focus, just in black people.
Speaker 3:I'm just going to do that Because since I was in my teenage age, I started to realize that representation matters, that to see someone in the TV, you know, in the news presenting a black person, it was important, but I didn't see any representation and I said what? No, my blog could be like a platform to start getting that representation. And then the turbans became an statement. I always said that my turbans became not just my masterpiece for my outfits, but also my, not just comfort, but because a turban depends where you are. I love to talk about geography when I talk about turbans, because it depends where you place it, how people use some meanings. For example, in Colombia, the tribunes. We don't use it in the same way that it was in Brazil or in many places in Africa. You know, for example, my mom to be like really specific, my grandma and my my mom. They used to use it for a practical use, you know, like cover for the sun. Um, you know, move heavy stuff from one place to other. I also feel that where a turban give me a lot of security, because it's like you're condensed, not just your hair but also your soul. You know you keep it inside your. It's also something really beautiful that I learned about african fabrics is most of them have these different, like a like patterns. Because bad energies, bad energies, like they fly straight. I try to put inside the turban because it has to be Angelica, a person who you are talking about, and then Miss Valanta that is the brand Because the turban, when I stop using it, when you know sometimes, when I didn't use it, I start having like headaches and people don't recognize me.
Speaker 3:Yeah, people is like who are you? And he said, oh my God, I don't know if this is good or bad. Actually, I started using it as a strategy when I want to go to some places and I didn't want to say hello to everyone, but I said no, no, no, no, people have to recognize Angelica with a turban, without a turban. But you know, in this journey, because it's been quite long, almost 12 years, through turban, I was straining my own identity, I was recognizing myself and placing myself in a place, you know, in a physical place of history.
Speaker 3:To understand that Balanta or to know that Balanta is an ethnic group, is a language in Africa, that to say, okay, now I can start, you know, building my own history because African descendants who raise, who are raising in America. We have to recreate our past, you know, because with the slavery period, you know, this period just take everything from us, not just our culture, our language, our religions, everything, but also, you know, know, slavery period broke our soul. So that's why, through different, like artists, like path, we can say that we could recreate our past to connect with the modern land. Africa, you know.
Speaker 3:Music art, you know. Music culture. Fashion turbans you know this is the way to. Turban is like a thread that connects Africa diaspora. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:But I don't think people understand what headgear means for us.
Speaker 2:Before slavery, yeah, and then after slavery and during slavery.
Speaker 2:Because if we were not allowed to wear our hair in its full glory during slavery, because if we were not allowed to wear our hair in its full glory during slavery, we had to find ways to feel beautiful in that time.
Speaker 2:So when you say it's a political statement, it's a cultural statement, it's an evolution statement, I don't think people who have not dug deep into what headgear in general, including the turban, what they mean for African culture and tracing back that lineage. I am so glad that you took time to break this down for me, and what I find super interesting is when you say you placed yourself. You found a way to place yourself in this whole universe of information that you have got about the turban through your mom, through history, through this I've just learned something about the need for us to place ourselves in all this information that we discover about our heritage, about who we are and speaking especially for diasporans, and that being a route or one of the ways you can find closure if you're struggling with identity, or a way you can fall in love with yeah, yeah, actually, identity is something really important that we have to.
Speaker 3:You know, just to remember the time, because when you, I actually found myself losing my identity since I moved here, you know, because I stopped using turbans because during the winter time was so difficult with the hats, with the hair, you know it was so complicated just to use turbans during the winter time winter time here is six months, and then you know I'm.
Speaker 3:You know how, the way, how you know my, the, the clothes that I wear is like. You know, people think that sometimes I go to the party every day, but no, my mom always say you're never gonna be overdressed. And then so I started using these patterns and started to use less color. You know, like try to fit in a culture who don't understand me and who don't accept me how I am, and you know when I and I found myself with that and you start to lose your sense of belonging and you get depressed.
Speaker 3:You know this is real it's not just theory that you write in a paper. This is real. You get depressed, you get lost, you don't know where to start. You know your imposter syndrome just comes to you. No, you are not enough. This is not the way. Your Norwegian is not enough, your English is not enough, your study is not enough. What? What happened to you?
Speaker 3:And then you go in this black hole, you know, and you get deeper and deeper and deeper. And I was, you know, in this black hole for a long time and I just tried to. You know, I have the fortune to have, like you know, community people around me. I have the could manage to have, you know, to pay a therapy in Colombia, because here is so complicated to get therapies and it's so expensive. So I have the tools to navigate that and take me out myself from this black hole.
Speaker 3:And I said, you know what? I think? I'm having an identity crisis. Right now I'm start talking about and I have started talking about that in my social media Many people say, yeah, I'm actually experiencing the same. And then, and actually I was part of the HerTech HerTech this program for entrepreneurs, female entrepreneurs from HerSpace, and it was so interesting because the first time that I pitched my company actually in HerSpace, like three years ago, I got blocked because I didn't feel comfortable with my English. And then I did my pitch and I renovated my business model. And you know, when you have a business, you're supposed to resolve a problem, the thing that identifies that we have a global identity crisis and more when you are like immigrant dark skin and you know, and you are in minority groups. I don't like to say that because we are a lot if we can, but this is the way to say so.
Speaker 3:I mean this research. Actually, something that I've been like learning is many entrepreneurs are healing their own pains through their companies. My ancestor like pain, if you can say like that and and just say that I was straining my own identity and also helping people to find itself that probably you are having an identity crisis. You are being actually that also in a middle age crisis. There is a lot of things that when you move to a place like norway, can just combine together and just take you to the can. I say this to the shit.
Speaker 3:And you know, the first time that I pitched my, my, my company, you know, miss valanta, I get blocked and I couldn't continue. But people, you know, the audience was really kind with me, so they started asking me questions and then you know, at the end I could manage to do it, but it was difficult, painful, embarrassing. You know my self-esteem just go down. I said I cannot do this in language that's Spanish because it's so difficult. You know at that time I didn't think about it that no, english was my second language, norwegian, my third language. Now it's my. I feel more comfortable, confident with my, with my English, I'm comfortable with my Norwegian. I know it's it's not perfect, but I don't care.
Speaker 3:So in the HerTech, you know, I start talking about training our identity through urban history. And why to urban history? Because the turban is, as I told you before it is the third, you know, the thread that connects the diaspora around the globe. So, and if, as African descendants, we continued, you know, even if we are not living in, you know, in our back home, you know, now my home is Colombia, we can continue to be visible and gaze up with our identity.
Speaker 3:You know, and then it was so nice because the day that I have to pitch my company again, we have a pitch competition and in this process that I could place myself, that I feel so proud all day, you know, just to look back and see the journey, and I was. I know I'm using my children as a canvas to talk about African heritage, about my African you know, my Afro-Colombian history and the place of black women in Colombia, to showcase the positive thing and all the contribution that African heritage has given to Colombia, but also the negative things. So I decided to create my own patterns. So in my patterns I just tell a story about how music is important, how tourists are important, but also all the struggle that we Black community have to navigate in societies that are racist.
Speaker 3:We have struggled with discrimination. Why Colombian? And not just Colombia, but in Latin America, the black community is the one who has less opportunities for education, for health, for everything. And you know like just in US, people is dying by police because they are black.
Speaker 3:And many places, not just in US, many places around the world. Now this is the conversation that we have to put on the table. So just look at, you know, just look to the past and see the journey. Just give me the like concept, you know, because to why people want to use turban, why do people gonna buy turban you know it's so it wasn't that easy to find, to find and the why. You know even that I've been selling and started with my business in 2013, because I'm not just teaching people how to use turbans, but also I try to embrace and try to share really difficult situation for myself my own experience as a black woman, the experience of the black communities in Colombia. But I'm not just, you know, I'm just not teaching people how to use Twitter, but also kind of that's something that I just stop saying that I don't want to educate people why they should not be racist.
Speaker 3:You know why, people should not say this or that, because the communication and the way that we talk, for example in Colombia, is the way to perpetrate the discrimination and racism. And actually I have a collection really special, that it's called Yo no soy tu negrita that I'm not your little black girl because in Colombia it's quite common that people say to people who is not black saying to a black person hey negro, hey black, hey negro.
Speaker 3:This is really common. And also they say my, my negritos, my black, and I said, and I'm really uncomfortable with that, this is quite common, you know, because we used to use like you know, people just try to be nice they don't say negro, but negrita.
Speaker 3:To sweeten it yeah, yeah, yeah. And then I start feeling really uncomfortable with that. That's why I decide to do a collection that is called Yo no Soy Tu Negrita, because I'm not from your position. And during the slavery period, africans who were taken to America they just take out their names and because they were like you know they're supposed to be, you know they were like products, not persons, and they used to call it like Negro uno, negro dos, negro tres. Like black one, black two, black three. You know, just go to number. Yeah, there's a number. So I started feeling really uncomfortable. So I launched this collection and actually was really controversial, because many people say say no. But I just say that because just you know, just to be nice don't take it personal, have some humor.
Speaker 3:And I said no, it's fine, it's fine. You can say, but not to me, not to me, because I'm not from your position, I'm not your little black girl anymore, you know. And then you know, with this collection I just try to. You know, I share this history. You know this time of our history it was painful, so people could understand. The way that you you talk with people is important, yeah, the way you address people, yeah. And then you know, I remember the day of the pitch when I finished, I felt so comfortable, confident, so happy. I feel really happy with the thing that I did.
Speaker 3:But at the end when they say, okay, the winner is Angelica Castillo-Balanta, from Miss Balanta, I was like, oh, my god, I think to push yourself, even if it's hard, to push yourself, even if it's hard, but push yourself to achieve what you want, always is nice. The most important thing is that I want this competition selling children and children that actually in America start like an oppression. You know a peace. You know like accessorize Women, black women, just to. They have to wear, they forced to wear, like a Black. You know shape, no Black, no white To cover their hair, their beauty, to be specific, because you know Afro hair, even in that time, the spouses of the master. They just look at them that it was so sexy so they want to cover their beauty.
Speaker 3:So white trimmans in the plantations mean used to mean slave you know, and also, you know something really special that happened in Colombia African, who were slaves, women. They used to design, map roads, you know, and they used to build, like scenes, goals, you know. So when they finally get the freedom, they can start their life, and that's why braids are also really important for we as a black community. And then, you know, not all the women was like, you know, in the time that women start being free, they just transform this important peace that came with us, you know, to America. You just mentioned that, and we also say that Black history doesn't start with slavery.
Speaker 3:A lot of things happened before and the turban is part of the African heritage. They transform this white fabric to a piece of master of turban, you know, and they just start to. Oh my God, now the Norwegian come to my hand to decorate the turban you know, to do it bigger, to do it visible.
Speaker 3:So that's why, when I talk about turban, I also talk about the power of the turban, you know, because turban gives to women at that period a lot of power, because, even though we will say no, beauty is not that important.
Speaker 2:Yes, it's important, beauty is important. Thank you very much for that insight. I'd like us to pivot back into race place identity and safety, and you've touched on that in your story in different ways. I didn't know that you actually wanted to live in Oslo. You chose Oslo. You chose Oslo over Bergen. Do you feel a sense of community in Oslo? Do you feel a sense of community in your neighborhood? And if you do, what are those qualities, both physical or social or whatever it is? What are those qualities that you can easily point that you say, oh, I love this neighborhood because you know one, two, three.
Speaker 3:You know my building and the log that I live in is I am the only black person.
Speaker 2:How many blocks to the next black brown person?
Speaker 3:I don't know.
Speaker 2:You're not supposed to know, but I'm just trying to get a picture.
Speaker 3:No, actually, actually there I have crossed the same two black girls. How we do eye contact, it's like, yeah, the look you know it's like I recognize you, to recognize me.
Speaker 3:Of course I really like my neighborhood, even though it's really white. Because why I like it First? I love my apartment, my lady hat, I love it. The position is really nice. I have like bus stops, supermarket, you know, really close to everything you know in the practical way and perfect, you know um, but sense of community, I have to get out from my neighborhood. You know something that I do me alone or with my kids. As an exercise, I need to go to grunland.
Speaker 2:Many times to get the physical experience?
Speaker 3:yeah, and then my kids also. They look around even that. You know in, you know in at school. It's quite mixed.
Speaker 4:Why are we still in norway. You know, are you going to be like?
Speaker 3:50 black and 50 white.
Speaker 3:I have to accept it like it is, you know. But you know just that they understand that it's more than white people. My husband is white and you know my kids are the future to have like these two words in their sign. You know the way that I connect my kids with my culture is through food, through music. You know it's something like we do, like video call quite often with my family. I speak Spanish, just with them. You know it's something like I'm really. I try to introduce my culture in a way that I enjoy it and they look forward.
Speaker 3:So when my parents came here for the first time, it's like, you know, the digital life connection just helped us a lot, that the relationship are different. They just feel like home, you know, with my parents. They didn't feel that my parents were strange people, because for me it's really important that also they surround with black people because something that happened also they can't just stop look at me as a black person to just look at their mom, but I have to remind them that their mom is black and black people have some struggles. You know when happened the situation with George Floyd? At that time that was two years ago. It was two years ago. Yeah, tobias, who is the big one. He asked me what happened and it was so clear.
Speaker 3:You know, at that point I start talking about racism. I said this is the time. So that happened Because they said you are not black like me, you are not white like your dad, you look really mixed race. So you're going to face that in one point of your life. So that's important to give them the tools not to defend or fight, but the tools that can help them how to stand in this kind of situation if they have some like they are like, have some discrimination or something like that.
Speaker 3:But for me, you know, racism comes with generations. Racism come with generations and there is a lot of like old people, norwegian, white people. They are around and you feel you can see and you can feel that people look at you quite weird. One day I took the bus and I sit down next to a white, norwegian old man and he started just kicking me with his elbow, just like move. And he said I'm not going to move If he's uncomfortable with my presence. Move, I'm not comfortable with you. But if someone is going to be uncomfortable, it's both of us, because I'm stopped, I'm stopped trying to be uncomfortable.
Speaker 3:It's both of us, because I'm stop trying to be nice, because we have to keep being nice. Normally, the black person is the one who feel uncomfortable and I said you know what? I am this kind of black person who try to keep it positive. I am this kind of black person who tries to keep it positive. I am this kind of person the black person who is even talking about really difficult things try to keep it positive. I'm this kind of black person who tries to not just come with a problem, but also with a solution.
Speaker 4:To be the solution to not just come with a problem, but also with a solution To be the solution.
Speaker 3:You know, and I am this kind of black person who's trying to find themselves in a white country, who's trying to build a network, who help to healing, you know, as a community, and now it's something like to be immigrant in a European country. It's quite a challenge when you are women, when you are Latina, when you are black. There is a lot of labels that I just want to remove from my body because it's really heavy to carry. Miss Valanta character helped me a lot to open, you know, a lot of doors and open the path, but the person who is carrying Miss Valanta is Angelica. And Miss.
Speaker 3:Valanta.
Speaker 3:Get tired Angelica, get tired Angelica get depressed Angelica sometimes want to shout like up sometimes, you know, many times feel uncomfortable with how people look her or how people you know talk to her. It's like so and I said to you know, I have this conversation with my ego, with me, I feel so grateful with all the things that you are giving to me or the the things that you are teaching me. But it's my turn, you know. It's my turn to not just be myself, because I'm being myself all the time, you know. But now I have another voice. I don't want to be nice, because I have to be nice, because I know that the social punishment is going to be heavier because you are black. Let's keep it, you know, let's keep the rules.
Speaker 3:Before I found myself being too polite. I was like 16 norwegians to other place abroad and one of them asked me how, how are you? He said, well, I'm fine, but, oof, it's exhausting to be with so many norwegian in another place that is not norway. And he said, yeah, you can be honest, it's fine. I understand what you mean because, you know, I'm the only black person, the only person who don't speak like perfect norwegian, but I'm trying to push myself to speak norwegian all the time.
Speaker 3:You know now I that I, that I don't need to be surround people all the time to feel safe. That for me, community is really important. Actually, my community now, my Colombian communities. You know we do a lot of like culture events and we also talk about the internal conflict that we have in Colombia. We talk about peace, we talk about joy, we talk about traditions, we just hang out. We have this group that we just hang out and just be as a Colombian, and also a lot of Latino people. There is other immigrants that join this group because the energy is really nice. But when I go out from this group that is my safe space I still feel in self because, oh my god, I'm saying that. I know that I'm fine with myself.
Speaker 3:You know I can fight a, I can defend myself of this kind of situation and many times you know you need someone to support you, but I should manage you know, just for me, but also for my kids to get the right tools to face the life that they're going to have to be a mixed race kids, even if they don't have dark skin like me. So yeah, and I can move all over the city without any problem. I have I have the privilege to have friends to live in Greenland and Thuyen and, you know, in the places that just walk around.
Speaker 3:It's so nice you know People look at you and smile and sometimes they talk to you. It's nice, you know, and you know just learning to live in Norway After five years. I continued to learn it but since I understood who I am and I'm still learning who I am, which is my place in this, you know, in this, in this life, right now and.
Speaker 3:I'm claiming now on on the mission, because you know human beings, everyone have a mission in this world. You know I just building that, you know, and just building that, you know, and still spreading my identity, you know, just with children's history, you know African heritage, but also music, salsa, that is part of my, it's like a really strong part of my identity and you know I want to just to share all the things that I want to share through music, through art, through fashion, sometimes through wine. You know I have a lot of personal histories to share and make people you know around me feel comfortable, because you know there is a lot of people that I want to make us feel comfortable, because there is a lot of people that I want to make awesome feel uncomfortable.
Speaker 2:You've really taken us through the journey of Miss Balanta and Turbans and a very deep dive into that world and how it has tied in into your identity. But also I'm very fascinated by the fact that you have also managed to differentiate Miss Balanta from Angelica and also see where these two are meeting and to plug in and plug out. But then, on that same note of plugging in and plugging out, you begin to talk about prioritizing yourself. I wonder if right now is a way of going back to doing things that are not only meaningful in terms of depth and heritage, but also things that just make you happy.
Speaker 3:Yeah, this is a really, really good question, because even that nowhere is being quite difficult, I think, is the best place to experience all the things you know, because I love Colombia, I love my country, I think Colombia is. You know, I have a really happy life. I left Colombia when I was 21 the first time. I'm 40 now, but you know a lot of things was happening around the last seven years I was living in Colombia. I became a mom of two, three that my company, you know close to my family, that I love my family.
Speaker 3:But also, when you are in a country like Colombia, you have to be worried about a lot of things. You know I'm being, you know I'm this kind of person who know how to join life. But in Colombia you also have to take care about security, the internal conflict that we have been struggling for so long in Colombia. It's also take you energy and space in your mind. You have to fix a lot of things about. You know. Um, now, actually, I found here in norway, but the expectations are different. It's like you have to work so, so hard to find yourself but also to get you know to achieve your economic goals. There is a lot of opportunities, but also there is a lot of people with huge talents. You know, there is people who is capable to do a lot of things, so the competition is high. I worked in a fashion industry as a model for so long and that means that I was taking care of all the things that more my body than my mental health and you know, and also this kind of things come with age.
Speaker 3:Okay, maybe it's not just how I look, it's also how I think, how I behave, what are my relationships, how I talk, what I do, what I think I'm doing, what I'm doing, this why I ended up doing this. It's like I'm happy.
Speaker 3:I'm not happy. A lot of questions that start having you know before I moved here. But as soon as I came here I always say to my friends it's like if we are talking about just weather it's because everything is fine. You know what I mean and I have been finding many times talking about weather. And I have been finding many times talking about weather.
Speaker 3:Also, the thing that I don't need to think about security, that I can go out at the street alone without thinking about anything, that nothing is going to happen to me, any dangers, and then that my kids have education, health care, you know, you don't need to think about it, and that's less stress In a country that you, as an individual, have your safe space around you. Oh, this feels so nice because I don't need to worry about a lot of things that I used to work in Colombia, that I can go out, you know, to see to it or go, you know, like ski cross country by my own in the forest I have the time to do like a stop in the middle of nowhere. But I love to do things alone. I never have the room for that because actually, culturally this is not well seen. That if you are alone, if you do things alone, there's something wrong.
Speaker 3:Well seen that if you are alone, if you do things alone it's going to be. There's something wrong? Yeah well, and I think in many African countries it's probably the same, you know. Yeah, Because we are really, community is really important and we have to do everything together and then now. I'm here, I go to party by my own, I go to ski by my own, I go to the cinema by my own, and I just really appreciate it to be with Angelica for a day.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it allows you to show up for the people that you care about, I think, in better ways. And as we conclude, we usually ask our guests a question what does the African aesthetic mean to you personally or in the context of your work? Or the same question could mean what comes up in your head when you think of Africanness or African aesthetic.
Speaker 3:If, you ask me that I should say.
Speaker 2:I want to say there could be more, if you know what I mean.
Speaker 3:You know I'm going to conclude this, because it's going to be quite long, with something really important that happened for Miss Valanta Angelica. I have been invited to the African History Museum of Smithsonian in Washington to be part of an exhibition that is called Slavery Awake. And because they are, they want to showcase, like all the you know, what happened after the slavery and one of my pieces is going to be in this exhibition just to be an important meaning of the Turban for Africa diaspora. So that's why Turbans, without doubt, but also, you know, because the museum gave me, you know, sent me an interview, and also, you know, art, african heritage is print in every, most of the more the artist's expression, you know, but also something that we cannot see and touch but we can feel, and it's music. For african people or african descendants, music means everything, just the sound of the drum. It doesn't matter where you come from.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you find yourself shaking a bit.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it doesn't matter If you don't dance. Something happens in your heart, something happens in your soul, something happens in you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, wow, I'm looking forward. I'm really, really looking forward to the next chapter and congratulations on one of your pieces being placed in a a museum soon. I'm looking forward to that too, and, tellica, I am so honored.
Speaker 3:this was a very beautiful conversation, very authentic, so thank you very much for your time and have a lovely day thank you so much and I love to share my personal stories, good or bad, because just to accept and share that things are and I like it is, but we we have the tools to navigate much better. Always someone is reading or listening to you that I, that's happened to me and you don't feel alone. You don't feel lonely in this good or bad journey that you are struggling or you know so. That's why it's really important, and also to have this kind of conversation is really important because you can.
Speaker 1:This is kind of healing, you know. Remember to subscribe, leave a review, reach out to us or share this podcast with other people that might be interested in this content. Thank you for joining us today.