Zadde

Zadde by Yiga Joshua is an exploration of the symbol of the banana fibre doll, the materiality of it, and how that constructs imaginaries of parenthood, childhood, and intersections between the two states. The materiality is important because, through wholly organic processes, the doll is created — this is one of the first acts of procreation and propagation by the child. The doll embodies this organic element even in abstraction; it has no fixed state embodied in it, its persona is dynamic and fluid, just as the imaginary of the child is.

The materiality of this work is also a potent symbol of entropy and how stopping it is causing climate change; this material decays and ages, while materials that refuse to adhere to this — like plastic — are fixed longer in time while they move through space. Organic materials shift positions in time to certain preset periods (due to entropy); freezing entropy freezes life. The work, however, is presented in the context of play-acting.

Worldwide, no child or adult can say that their playtime, if any, was the same as the next person’s. In Uganda specifically, it is often determined by familial surroundings and, if at all, there are any other children in the vicinity.

Yiga Joshua, in this solo exhibition, revisits play and asserts that it is critical to shaping and forming who we become as adults. ZADDE connects us to a childhood in Uganda and what it means to utilize materials we know in order to make playtime enjoyable. The delicate and bold utilization of the banana fibre dolls, locally known as BYAYI, is a point of connection to responsibility and an exploration of the transition between childhood and adulthood.

As Yiga asserts, the notion of parenthood is ingrained in us from a young age, as children were, and still are, taught to treat and respect these dolls as though they are their own children. The artist states, “We were all once dolls to someone, until we came onto the earth.” This means that legacy is a concept introduced to us from a young age — a responsibility we are raised into and one we must safeguard in community with others.