SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2026 · ISSUE 113
By A. Jerry Simon
Creative Expressions of Colour by A. Jerry Simon
Today we are looking at a painting that depicts the African Heritage of the Caribbean; it is called “Black Pearl of the Antilles”. The focus is a dark, deeply textured face of a girl, serving as a direct reclamation of Haiti’s historical colonial moniker, “La Perle des Antilles”. It not only references the wealth extracted via forced labour; the title and imagery reposition the “pearl” as the intrinsic beauty, value and sovereignty of the Haitian people. However, while the Pearl of the Antilles referred to Haiti in particular, I am making it an extension to all peoples of African descent in the Caribbean. It offers a visual exploration of the historical resilience and ongoing demand for reparatory justice for the transatlantic slave trade.
The large eyes of the subject carry a calm yet unyielding intensity. The gaze confronts the viewer directly, acting as visual demand for recognition and accountability regarding historical injustices.
The figure is enveloped in swirling, vibrant and multi-tonal patterns that evoke a sense of continuous motion, energy, and spiritual presence. This is a representation of Afro Caribbean cultural ties and also the resources, including labour, agricultural and mineral, that were forcibly taken from our islands and territories. Additionally, it includes our intellectual resources such as our languages, music, art and indeed our ancestral heritage.
A red tone contours the subject’s head like a halo, echoing the colours of resistance and blood spilled during the fight for emancipation, anchoring the artwork in a legacy of liberation. Every picture has a message; and this picture is urging us to continue the fight for reparatory justice for people of African descent that still bear the material and psychological scars left by the inflicted wounds of the transatlantic slave trade.
Artist: A. Jerry Simon. Media: Photography / digital painting.
Tel / WhatsApp: (268) 779 2175. Email: jerrysimon.art@gmail.com.