Title: “Dua Fa” 2023
Medium: Digital Art
Dimensions: 36 x 48 inches
Artists: Femi Kayede and Anthony B. Adeaba
Description:
"Dua Fa"—translated from Akan as “Tree” and “Half”—is an electrifying digital tapestry that collapses time, space, and memory into a singular, potent tribute. Centering the late Ghanaian Dancehall pioneer Ebony Reigns, this work orbits around Half Way Tree, the bustling commercial and cultural heart of St. Andrew, Jamaica. By merging this iconic Jamaican landmark with the legacy of a daughter of Ghana’s Brong Ahafo region, the artists conjure a visual anthem for diasporic rebirth.
Ebony is portrayed not just as a singer, but as a spirit—a spectral echo of the millions who live between two worlds. Her form appears rooted like a tree and radiant like a flame, straddling the energy of Kingston’s chaos and the ancestral rhythms of the African savannah. Half Way Tree becomes more than a place; it’s a metaphor for cultural in-betweenness, a threshold between the remembered and the imagined.
The work's palette—rich in golds, oxblood reds, and indigo blues—evokes the visual languages of both African textile traditions and Caribbean street life. Abstract symbols and kinetic lines vibrate like basslines, creating a layered composition that invites viewers to feel, not just observe. “Dua Fa” ultimately becomes an altar to fusion: a meditation on Black womanhood, artistic legacy, and the indestructible threads tying Kingston to Kumasi.
