ARRAY / A SMALL PRAYER

This piece is deeply personal for me. When creating it, I wanted to capture the complex realities I've observed and felt—both the pain and the hope. The map of Africa, constructed from global currencies, represents how deeply financial systems and global powers influence the continent's story. Each banknote, from the U.S. dollar to the Kenyan shilling, carries a weight, a history, and a hand in shaping both struggle and progress.

At the heart of the collage are children. Their faces tell stories we often overlook: joy, innocence, and resilience despite harsh realities. The laughing child with the red heart represents the spirit of hope I refuse to let go of, even when surrounded by scenes of hardship. The image of a young child in prayer, surrounded by words like peace, stability, and strength, reflects not just a wish but a plea—one I've seen echoed in communities where the basics of safety and prosperity remain a distant dream.

I included the symbols of war, labour, and resource extraction intentionally. The soldiers, the skulls beneath the truck, and the child carrying heavy bricks are reminders of the cycles of exploitation that continue to weigh on the continent. Yet, the message "Better Days for Us All" is more than just a hopeful statement—it's my belief in the power of change, the need for collective action, and the right for all people, especially children, to experience joy without fear.

This work is a reflection of my experiences, observations, and hopes. I want it to start conversations about the systems we often take for granted and the lives they affect. I believe in a future where children can laugh freely, where resources uplift rather than oppress, and where justice replaces exploitation.

Below is a detailed explanation of this piece. I invite you to take your time exploring the layers of meaning as I decode the artwork.

この作品は、私にとって非常に個人的で深い想いが込められています。制作するにあたり、私が見て、感じてきた複雑な現実――痛みと希望の両方を表現したいと考えました。アフリカ大陸の形に重ねられた世界各国の通貨は、国際的な金融システムや大国の影響力が、この大陸の歴史や現状にどれほど深く関わっているかを象徴しています。アメリカドルからケニアシリングまで、それぞれの紙幣が過去の重みを持ち、闘争と前進の両面を映し出しています。

この作品の中心には子どもたちがいます。彼らの表情には、しばしば見過ごされがちな物語が刻まれています。喜び、純粋さ、そして厳しい現実の中でも消えないたくましさ。その中でも、胸に赤いハートをつけた笑顔の子どもは、どんな状況でも失われるべきでない「希望の象徴」として描きました。一方で、祈りを捧げる子どもの周囲に並べた「平和」「安定」「強さ」といった言葉は、単なる願望ではなく、私が現地で目にしてきた、切実な願いそのものです。

兵士、頭蓋骨の下を走る大型トラック、レンガを頭に積んで運ぶ子どもの姿――これらはすべて、紛争、労働搾取、資源の略奪といった問題を意図的に表現しています。しかし、「Better Days for Us All（すべての人にとってより良い日々）」というメッセージは、単なる理想論ではありません。変革の力、共に行動する必要性、そしてすべての人々――特に子どもたちが恐れなく笑顔で過ごせる未来への強い信念を込めています。

この作品は、私の経験、観察、そして希望の集大成です。私たちが無意識に受け入れてしまっている構造が、どのように人々の生活に影響を与えているのかを考え、対話のきっかけになればと願っています。私は、子どもたちが自由に笑い、資源が搾取ではなく人々を支える未来、正義が搾取に取って代わる世界を信じています。

以下に、この作品の詳細な解説を記載しています。作品の持つ多層的な意味を紐解きながら、じっくりとご覧いただければ幸いです。

1. Irony and Contradiction:

The phrase "In God We Trust" is a declaration of faith, often interpreted as the moral foundation of American society. However, juxtaposed with soldiers and the image of a praying child in desperate circumstances, it highlights a stark contradiction:

How can we trust in God while engaging in war, exploitation, and systemic inequality?
The child’s prayer, perhaps more earnest and rooted in real suffering, underscores the hollow application of this principle when greed and violence dominate global priorities.

2. Faith Weaponized for Greed:

The phrase becomes symbolic of the ways religion and faith are sometimes co-opted to justify economic exploitation and militarization. While the girl prays for peace, the dollar's proclamation of trust in God reflects the commodification of faith within a system that prioritizes profit over human dignity and life. Amidst these forces, the human cost must never be forgotten.

1. Surveillance and Power:

The All-Seeing Eye (Eye of Providence), placed above the pyramid on the dollar bill, symbolizes divine oversight but has also come to represent systemic power and control. In the artwork:

It evokes the presence of an omnipresent force overseeing the constant and never-ending suffering and inequality.
However, instead of providing justice or fairness, this "eye" becomes symbolic of a world order that benefits the few at the expense of the many, especially in Africa.

2. Exploitation Under Watchful Eyes:

The eye is also a metaphor for the global systems of surveillance and control that perpetuate inequality. Resource-rich countries like those in Africa are under constant observation—not for their well-being, but for opportunities to exploit their wealth.
The girl’s prayer beneath this symbol suggests an awareness of this scrutiny but also her refusal to succumb to it, embodying a plea for divine justice.

1. Selective Approval:

The Latin phrase Annuit Cœptis, meaning "He [God] approves our undertakings," carries a sense of divine endorsement of actions. When placed alongside images of war and exploitation, this approval seems misplaced, calling into question:

Whose actions are truly approved? The actions of soldiers? Corporations profiting from resource exploitation? Or the innocent resilience of the girl in prayer?
The phrase creates tension, suggesting that divine approval has been misinterpreted or misapplied in the context of global power struggles.

2. A Critique of Colonialism and Imperialism:

Historically, phrases like "Annuit Cœptis" have been tied to colonial and imperial pursuits, where religious and divine justifications were used to legitimize the exploitation of lands and people. The inclusion here critiques the long-standing misuse of faith as a shield for greed and domination.

False Promises and Exploitation:

The dollar is a global symbol of economic power but also of the systems that extract wealth from places like Africa while leaving behind poverty and strife. The juxtaposition of this currency with the child and soldiers critiques how wealth is built on the backs of the vulnerable.

Contrasts of Faith and Materialism:

Are global powers truly guided by faith and moral principles, or are they guided by profit and power? What does trust in God mean for those who bear the brunt of systemic greed?

A Universal Plea:

The girl's prayer transforms the dollar into a site of confrontation between faith, power, and hope. Her prayer challenges viewers to think about whether these systems serve humanity or exploit it and whether trust in divine justice is enough in a world where the vulnerable are so often overlooked.

Authentic Joy: The joyful child, captured in black and white, radiates pure happiness and freedom. The wide smile and playful posture evoke a sense of unburdened innocence, reminding the viewer of what childhood should represent—carefree moments filled with laughter and joy.

The Red Heart: The red heart on the child’s chest stands out in color, symbolizing love, empathy, and the emotional core of the artwork. It also signifies the heart's resilience, showing how hope and love can persist even in difficult conditions.

The Dump Truck: The large industrial vehicle beneath the child suggests heavy labor and resource extraction, a reference to the exploitation of natural wealth often linked to Africa's economic struggles. It symbolizes how regions rich in resources are often burdened with extractive industries that benefit outside powers while leaving local populations vulnerable and desolate.

The Skulls Under the Truck: The presence of skulls near the wheels of the truck adds a chilling undertone. They symbolize the human cost of resource exploitation, conflict, and environmental destruction. Wealth extraction often comes at the expense of human life and suffering.

Better Days for us All: This handwritten message, placed in warm yellow, is personal and hopeful. It serves as a direct statement from me, a call for a future where the joy seen in the child's face is not rare but universal.

Joy vs. Exploitation: The child's laughter sits above symbols of labour and death, emphasizing the tension between youthful hope and the realities of exploitation.

Wealth vs. Humanity: The currencies represent power and control, while the heart and the child's joy symbolize emotional richness and human dignity, contrasting material wealth with deeper values.

Hope vs. Loss: While the skulls represent loss, the smiling child and the red heart push against that narrative, suggesting that hope and love persist even in difficult environments.

The Child Carrying Bricks: The young child balancing a heavy load of bricks on their head reflects child labor and the physical burden placed on the vulnerable. It highlights the reality that many children, instead of experiencing carefree childhoods, are forced into labor under difficult conditions.

The Red Heart: Like in other sections, the red heart on the child’s chest is a symbol of humanity, hope, and emotional resilience despite the oppressive circumstances. It emphasizes the child's vulnerability and dignity, contrasting with the hardship they endure.

External Forces: The presence of global currencies reinforces how external financial and political forces influence these cycles of exploitation, with profit often prioritized over human welfare.

The heavily armed soldier, clad in combat gear, symbolizes militarization, conflict, and the use of force in regions often rich in resources but plagued by instability and conflict.

The positioning next to the child suggests how violence and systemic oppression are interconnected, with armed conflict often linked to economic interests and control over resources.

Power Dynamics: The soldier's presence, in contrast with the unarmed child, reflects the imbalance of power. While the soldier is protected and holds authority, the child carries the weight of labor and vulnerability, lacking both protection and agency.

The young child holding a basket filled with cacao represents child labour, a stark reality in many regions where poverty forces children into work.

The Red Heart: The red heart placed on the child’s chest symbolizes innocence, compassion, and the emotional burden often carried by children working under such conditions. It serves as a reminder of their humanity, despite being caught in systemic hardship.

A Heavy Burden: The carrying of the heavy loads reinforces the generational cycle of labour and hardship. The boy's straight-face emphasizes how labourers are often rendered invisible despite being central to economic systems.

Chinese Yuan: This suggests modern foreign investments and economic control, particularly China’s growing financial presence in Africa.

The Euro: Associated with European colonial legacies and ongoing financial influence, it also reflects global wealth distribution centered in the Global North.

U.S. Dollar: The persistent appearance of the dollar underscores how global economic powerhouses maintain influence over African economies.

Fragmented Map of Europe: The map integrated into the euro note serves as a visual reminder of historical colonialism and modern financial structures that continue to affect Africa’s sovereignty.

The collage prominently features global currencies, emphasizing the presence and influence of international financial power on the African continent.

The fragmentation and layering of these currencies within the shape of Africa point to how wealth is often extracted from the continent while those contributing to the economy—represented by the laboring children and adults—receive little benefit.

The presence of industries, such as the dump truck and heavy manual labor, further symbolizes resource extraction and economic imbalance where wealth generated from African resources benefits foreign powers more than local communities.

The repeated use of red hearts on the children symbolizes hope, compassion, and the dignity of life despite systemic oppression.

This artwork is deeply personal to me. I created it as a reflection of the complex realities I've witnessed—how wealth, power, and violence often collide in ways that overshadow human dignity. But at its core, this piece is about more than hardship; it’s about resilience. The red hearts, the laughter of the children, and the words of hope scattered throughout remind me that even in the face of systemic injustice, there is still love, strength, and the possibility of change. I believe in a world where joy isn't a privilege but a right, where the burdens placed on vulnerable communities can be lifted. This piece is my way of asking you to see beyond the surface—to reflect, question, and believe with me that better days for us all are not just possible but necessary.

LEBO TLADI

A SMALL PRAYER

A Small Prayer

A Visual Reflection on Hope, Struggle, and the Power of Change

小さな祈り

― 希望、闘い、そして変革の力を描いた視覚的表現

Usability for the sections below

In God We Trust

The All-Seeing Eye

Annuit Cœptis

The Praying Girl

The Laughing Child

The Dump Truck and Skulls

The Juxtaposition of Elements

A Heavy Load

The Soldier Holding a Weapon

The Child Carrying a Basket

Economic Influence

Key Themes of the Artwork

Key Takeaway

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