Kika Tote in “Island Harvest”

Growing up in Princes Town and having multiple generations of family rooted in Princes Town, San Fernando, Moruga, La Brea and Vessigny, I know about being immersed in the riches of the South Trinidad. Through multiple ancestors who made a life from cultivating the land and living off of bountiful harvests, I learnt about the first line of life God gave to us mankind. Seeing plaintain, banana, plums, cherries, sapodilla, fig, mango, zaboca, coconut, paw paw, pomerac, sapodilla and pommecythere in all their glory made me delighted as a child and healthy in my growing years! Then, growing up in the Anglican Church meant annual harvest and thankgiving services where we'd all bring fruits of our land as thanks to God Almighty for his grace and mercies. This artwork pays homage to these various experiences, memories and blessings. The Caribbean experience is often tied to agriculture and our crops have been tied to livelihood, health and sustenance for centuries. I wanted to have this artwork reflected in different aspects of life because put homes, clothes, travels, lifestyle activities and the like evolved from harvesting some natural resources. The beginnings of my heritage in farming allowed for a path in creativity that can now honour this noble past.