“MAPS”, our cover story by Xavier Scott Marshall (@xavierscottmarshall)🇹🇹 and Shameekia Shantel Johnson 🇯🇲 (@shameekia.shameekia.shameekia), consists of one hundred images of various African braiding styles on the heads of Black people. Within the ten rows and the ten columns are images of meticulously ingenious hair patterns the artist sourced from different corners of the internet: barber websites, blogs, ads, along with a cameo of the artist himself. Every .jpeg is evenly panned out to fit a perfect square like the photographs of braided hairstyles seen in Black barbershops and beauty salons worldwide. “Maps” provides us with an example of Caribbean fugitivity represented through each braided pattern. What was once a way to identify someone by their tribe, age, power, or religion, became a way for captive Africans to hide seeds and grains to plant familiar crops on fertile land. Then, braiding patterns were part of a secret messaging system for the enslaved to share messages without being caught. Most importantly, braids were used as maps to escape bondage. Link in bio to order Volume 04 📚⬆️ _____________________________________________________ #XavierMarshall #XavierScottMarshall #ShameekiaShantelJohnson #Maps #ForgottenLands #Volume04 #Volume4 #CurrentsofAfrica #Trinidad #Jamaica #Photography #Caribbean #WestIndies