Terae Soumah

La resistencia represents a creative journey of reflection and healing following an immersive experience that was equal parts adventure, personal challenge, and pursuit of passion. For nearly two years I lived and worked in a small town in northwestern Congo near the border of Central African Republic. It was a time of contradiction. I stepped into new roles and identities that I both welcomed and resisted. Labels I had proudly adhered to became meaningless while those foisted upon me felt foreign and uncomfortable. It was a season of awe and wonder amidst intense isolation. I felt hopeful yet unsettled.

The paintings in this series are inspired by the mwana pwo masks of the Chokwe people in the Democratic Republic of Congo—a powerful symbol of feminine strength, beauty, and wisdom. Although the Chokwe people are from the southwestern area of DRC, I have long felt an affinity for the mwana po mask. It is not surprising she emerged as the primary motif for a series of paintings intended to explore / restore identity and promote well-being.

This work is part of the quiet labor of remembering, accepting, and becoming—all that we are and all that we have yet to be.

To understand the Congo is to understand the delicate balance of nature, power, and humanity. What happens there echoes across continents, touching our lives in ways we may not fully realize.