Jamaican healers & plant warriors | In conversation with Charmaine Watkiss | Entangled histories

Warrior women, indigenous knowledge and the legacies of colonialism - Charmaine Watkiss and Alicia Hughes discuss The warrior’s way: safeguarding the natural history of Jamaica, Charmaine’s new piece responding to the work of naturalist, physician and slave owner Sir Hans Sloane, whose collections provided the foundation of The British Museum.
Tell us what you thought of this video: www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/NFCZ3JG

[@BrianAndrews73]

Well done with this video. I'm glad you showed how the information was appropriated and then misrepresented. People should feel uncomfortable about this. Part of art is about asking difficult questions and making statements that make us uncomfortable and having to sit with it to inform your point of view. Art isn't about making history neat and tidy.What this also shows is that art often needs to be explained and the emotional input of the artist needs to be expressed along side the art.

[@dinahfromkabalor]

Very much enjoyed getting to learn from this eloquent artist. Thank you.

[@GailReidArtist]

It gives me great hope for the future to learn about this commission, and hear such a thoughtful measure conversation. Charmaine's work is fantastic in real life, she is the perfect artist to respond to the material Soane left. I learned on a recent trip to the Caribbean that local people know which plants (such as breadfruit) were introduced by the enslaved people from Africa. It is good to contextualise and supplement the records here in the UK with the other side of the story.

[@pablolarraguibel]

Devuelvan el Moái 🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱

[@MikusMusik]

Beautiful drawings by Charmaine. It would be great to make some prints available for sale.

[@mercedesrun6643]

Ok, but return the Moai 🗿, Regresen el Moai 🗿

[@phoenixgods1]

both sides of it are history to be retained in regards to knowledge, although as an introspective person I will accept how it feels awkward- there is no way to lightly step around such a topic, so it is instead better to approach it head on regardless of people in the comment sections being needlessly antagonistic and not properly critical of specific issues they might have.

[@mut8inG]

Thank You.🌸

[@happybat1977]

Fascinating drawing, and what an interesting response to the botanical drawings. I think the way they lit and shot it was just abominable. In a few close ups, you could see the subtlely of the thing, but most of the time it was just washed out by the lighting or even not in focus at all. What a pity!

[@lourdesevaristo1428]

DEVUELVAN EL MOAI. 🗿🗿🗿🗿🗿

[@haumakaa]

Get back the Moai to Rapa Nui, pompous thieves!🗿

[@luluduhalde1408]

devuelvan el Moai 🗿🗿🗿 LADRONES

[@chattykathie7129]

WhT has happened to the desire to heal the body from the natural world, instead of pushes a few drugs, that don’t heal.

[@meh3247]

"Plant warriors" made me think of The Daisy Militia, The Rhododendron Separatists and the Pansy Junta. Such an absurd term to use.

[@BlueBaron3339]

Although the word, history, is etymologically gender neutral, I can see where folks could see it as his-story. And while the sheer atrocity, committed over centuries to African and indigious American people, remains the most appalling legacy of so-called western civilization, it's a grevious moral failure shared by nearly all civilizations over most of human history. It does not make the art featured here important. Personally, I did not find it compelling. But it was never meant to speak to me.

[@WilliamGilbert-mj9rg]

[@imnotconvinced4833]

It’s because it’s shite

[@Annie-ij7ym]

I was expecting better from a channel that should promote arts and culture . Stop promoting hatred and racism .

[@julius9055]

you seem misinformed

[@dannyfriar5653]

I'm pretty sure art comes under the banner of 'art and culture' but please go ahead and explain how it comes under 'hatred and racism'. I'll wait....

[@Sareaesque]

so people should just forget that these parts of our history exist?

[@glendaduncan7089]

How is she Promoting Racism? So people is not allowed to speak the Truth anymore. They can take out what happen out of the History Books in the Schools, But they cannot take it out of Black people's Minds. So talking about what Hitler did to the Jewish Population is that Promoting Racism too? Or is it the Truth? Talking about what the Europeans did to the Native Indians that were here when they came, Is that Promoting Racism ?? Or is it the Truth? YOU CANNOT TAKE AWAY PEOPLE'S HISTORY. HISTORY IS NOT RACISM. HISTORY IS HIS-STORY HISTORY IS OUR STORY.

[@justaperson1812]

your comment is complete brain rot