Afua Bonna

Welcome! My name is Afua Bonna and I am a Ghanaian-American currently in my second year studying Medicine, Science, and the Humanities with a visual arts minor at Johns Hopkins University. I come from a family of 4 girls and in my free time I love drawing and painting portraits to showcase the beauty of all people coming from various backgrounds. I believe that by taking this course, I will be exposed to non-conventional formats of telling a story. Being from a marginalized group in society, often I find that our voices are misheard and misrepresented. By taking this course, I expect to use my talents and voice effectively! In ways that can create impact and show people more about my or others' stories.

Blackstorytelling and the various approaches

By taking Blackstorytelling: Public Health in the Black World, I realized that stories come in different creative mediums like morals, music, plays, and books (etc.) and that in itself holds power. In storytelling, you are in control of the narrative. Therefore, you chose the medium that is most effective for you and the audience. If the people around you connect deeply to music and you have a talent in that area, use that as your medium to tell the story! By limiting yourself to the generic and less genuine approach of storytelling, you will experience that the audience is less receptive to hearing the story. Be creative and different! Don't confine yourself to what others generally do because you don't know how deeply a song, a spoken word, or a painting can hit close to home in someone's life impacting them for a lifetime.

Why Madam C.J Walker?

For this living biography storytelling, I was interested in spotlighting an individual who used non-conventional methods to bring health awareness or make health-related changes for the Black community. When you hear the individual's name, I do not want the first thing you think about is the fact that they were a doctor or a scientist but someone that you couldn't believe could impact people's health with their profession. This is to especially encompass and highlight the non-traditional methods of spreading awareness! I do not want people to feel like they have to be in a certain profession to facilitate change, but through their talents can do anything. I want my figure of choice to be resilient, in that they initially felt disqualified and had quite a setback on their journey. Who better is that than Madam C.J Walker?!

Why the book approach?

A book is versatile and can be altered to fit any format the performer best feels the story can be told. The book can be memorized to become a spoken word performance, be read to children, or be told in a memorized format where the illustrations are displayed. It can be incorporated into daily engaging activities while children can color the pictures but also read and gain information about the person they are learning about. The choices are endless!

Main goals and takeaways

"Power in your hair" is meant to be an interactive coloring book where children can read and listen to the story of Madam CJ Waler but also be actively engaged in the story. The book is meant to showcase how Madam CJ Walker undergo mental health struggles when she began losing her hair and how that not only affected how she was perceived but Black women in general. It shows her resiliency and how she changed the trajectory of Black women's mental health through her business! It shows that you do not have to be a doctor or nurse to make a health impact but by simply using your talents and skills you can create change.

First Time at NGBWM

When I initially entered the museum portion of the Great Blacks in Wax Museum, the air became very dense and solemn. My initial smile quickly faded, and the harsh realities Black people faced became vividly apparent. Nate, our tour guide, did not sugarcoat the facts one bit. I liked how direct and down-to-earth he was in his explanations. Because of that, the overall experience was more impactful and understandable to me. I was enraged and disheartened by the cotton stack, force-feeding statue, and public humiliation chamber. Though I’ve heard and learned about the Black struggle(s) in this country, seeing it in actuality (3-D as opposed to 2-D) with realistic elements attached made the experience unforgettable. The story didn’t get better as we saw the life (and lowkey experienced) conditions on the boat. The hot air (no AC) made me feel fatigued and nauseous. I honestly had trouble breathing and needed water and fresh air. I honestly felt like I was living the experience expressed by the people in the museum. Gladly, as the story progresses, I came across various Black figures (not only in the US!!) fighting for change. Though, the change did not come easily. I liked the progression of feelings I had throughout the guided tour. I was disheartened, angry, disgusted, hopeful, and optimistic throughout the entire tour. The unity and progression of Black rights over the world made me so happy and I'm glad that was the ending remark. I left feeling more powerful than I initially walked in.

Getting Context about NGBWM History

This time around, my heart and mind were ready to see the figures in the NGBWM. Unlike last time, I was more in awe of the behind-the-scenes efforts made by Dr. Martin than the actual figures themselves. Through Dr. Martin’s talk with us, I could see the impact the museum had; not only for the city of Baltimore but essentially for people all over the country. It was surprising to hear that these figures were always moving from one place to another for various events that wanted to utilize them. It made sense as to why some that were previously on display were not there currently. Not only so, but when Dr. Martin spoke of the need for a wax museum in Baltimore (considering her past experiences), it further highlighted why she saw the importance of preserving Black history. I truly appreciated using nontraditional methods to convey such information. Personally, this is the first wax museum I have been to my entire life, and Dr. Marin could have settled on doing the traditional format of a museum.

As I stated in the previous reflection, I am glad she used figures, as it felt more personalized and realistic. This time around, I felt great that I was adding to the museum but also felt a bit of pressure of ensuring that whatever I added to any figure in the museum is only meant for its betterment. Therefore, must be factual (no room for errors) and done to the best of quality.

First In-Class Performance

I have not been on stage for a while, and I realized that although I had a script to follow, my eyes became slightly blurred. Though I wanted to move and be more expressive, my arms remained stiff, and my left leg shook uncontrollably. My voice, however, did not exhibit those abnormal *negative* changes but was loud and clear (for the most part). But when I took my gaze (slightly) off of my laptop and glared at the audience, I ultimately realized where I was and what I doing and fear started to kick in. I could not comprehend how fearful I was at performing and especially since this was my first time, I lacked confidence. I was the first one to go after the professionals (Mama Janice and Dr. Blanks Jones), so I did feel a bit of pressure with my performance. Though my overall performance could’ve been more expressive, I was glad that I could formulate and write a decent spoken-word/ poem piece to portray Madam C.J. Walker but I wish the way I conveyed it was more expressive (utilize the stage and my emotions rather than my voice alone). Overall, I definitely got out of my comfort zone and I am happy that I got it done!

Being Madam C.J Walker

This is now my second time on stage and I thought I would feel a lot better but it was quite the opposite. I believe that I felt this way because this time around I had to come up with something on the spot and improvise based on the information I had previously researched about Madam CJ Walker (something that I am terrible at doing)! I realized that I was no longer ‘Afua ‘but ‘Madam C.J Walker’ and had to exhibit her whole being within a short amount of time of preparation. This made it very nerve-racking and I’m pretty sure that some questions I could’ve answered a lot better or I could have elaborated my answer because that is something Madam CJ Walker would’ve done. The comments received from the interview made me realize that I really do not know Madam CJ Walker like that (her deep, deep struggles, the era in which she grew in, and her relationship with Annie Malone) and I really need to! Thus, after class I reserved On Her Ground: The Life and times of Madam CJ Walker written by her family member to really understand who Madam CJ Walker really was.

After the interviews, we were instructed to go back on stage and practice putting emotion into one line from our interview. I was the second one to go. At first, I was very calm and stated the line that I need to say. I exhibited emotions but not the right ones. I talked about Madam CJ Walker’s past on how she was alone. For some odd reason, as Dr. Blanks Jones instructed me to be more emotional into the line I exhibited more sadness to the point of almost breaking into tears which is something I don't think Madam CJ Walker would've done because she had been through so much that I believed she almost became desensitized. So why was I on the verge of tears? Was it fear? I’m not sure but I really shocked myself today. I did not realize how uncomfortable I felt and the capabilities I had when put in such uncomfortable situations. Though I was not on stage for a long time, I felt quite drained and exhausted. I didn’t feel as relieved as I did when I first performed but I felt even more confused as to how I could improve and ‘be’ Madam CJ Walker before the big day next week.

The Big Day!

Today, at the NGBMW I performed “Power in My Hair”. Initially, when I practiced retelling the book's story, I thought I would convey the right amount of emotion and could act out more but as I began performing, I began to realize that the book format was very limiting. I definitely felt like my performance could need some work and would be better off as a spoken word or a memorized piece. I wish I could convey a more array of emotions naturally (not too much nor too little) and not simply project my voice. Initially, when I was drafting and determining which figure to portray, I remember the one thing I wanted the audience to get out of my performance was to be in awe that someone who was not necessarily in the medical field could still make an impact with the talent they had. I believe my performance missed that key expression and it definitely needs some work to get it where I want it to be. My main improvement is to change the performative aspect (not simply reading word for word from a book). Rewatching my performance was not as cringy as I thought it would be. I almost did not recognize myself because of how confident I looked. I was surprised by my abilities and didn't know I could ever do something like that.

Sneak Peak to Final Performance

Full Coloring Book

Book

Final Remarks

Through this course, I definitely got out of my comfort zone and realized the kind of potential I had. I also realized the significance, power, and impact of our voices, in our words and in telling someone's story. It is something I won't take for granted and something I plan to implement into my day-to-day life.

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