Witnesses of the Unreturned: Sto Dgo.

Witnesses of the Unreturned

“Where They Were Taken and Could Not Return” is a performative piece that pays homage to our ancestors who, after forcibly navigating the Atlantic, encountered the Door of Las Reales Atarazanas (Royal Shipyards) in Santo Domingo. In my interpretation, this doorway serves as a poignant symbol akin to the “door of no return” concept found in other parts of the world. This door was the first encounter for the enslaved people as they disembarked from the ships in which they were transported. This interpretation suggests that similar symbolic thresholds exist throughout Abya Yala (the American continent). Accompanied by research and an article focusing on this significant location, the piece aims to evolve into a series documenting the various thresholds our ancestors traversed. Through its performative aspect, the work explores, through an epigenetic lens, how our bodies, as witnesses to history, engage in cycles of connection, healing, and relating to the past that has shaped us as individuals of the African diaspora.

Participants | Collaborator

From left to right: Sebas @sebformance, Isis Yael @isisamaca, Adore @unagata.fractal, Josue Jimenez @jjimenezmasnada, Rene Cordero @corder_phd, Delisa Montan, Mitiko @mawonmitiko, Yael, Tery Sanmaray @sanmaray, Tary Hernandez @taryher, Sirelys Airam @sire.airam, Massiel Oganda @massielogandoo, Luis Eduardo Encarnación @lise423.