We are pleased to introduce our new logo for the Centre, which can be seen on the homepage and printed materials for the project. The logo has been designed by Stephanie Channer, a Jamaican graphic designer, to whom we are very grateful. More of her work can be seen here.
The logo’s design invokes different meanings of the legacies of the era of British slavery. The sealing wax motif calls to mind the quintessential iconography of authority common to official documents generated in the seat of empire. Documents bearing a seal carried legitimacy and power. Seals affixed to official statements not only illustrated dominance, when used to close an envelope, they ensured the security of the contents, like a secret kept away from public view. For this reason they were much used in documents in which property, including property in persons, was purchased or bequeathed. This image is contrasted with the central feature of the logo, the nineteenth century Adinkra symbol, Owia Kokroko, of West Africa. The symbol means vitality, renewal, and the greatness of the sun. African iconography was an important element of the culture of the enslaved in the British Caribbean and is today a visual feature recalled across the region. Adinkra symbols are used in jewellery, clothing, and carry their own power of connection between generations divided by time, history, and space. By merging these two disparate visuals from the opposing sides of the slavery business, the logo invites thought on the complexities of a difficult history of subjugation, control, endurance, resistance, blood, and survival that continues to shape relations in our world.
The previous logo the project used can be seen here.