A conversation with Briah Gober
Comment tu t'appelles? Como se llamas?! What's your name?!
One of the first things we are asked upon engaging in a conversation is, "What's your name? "
This is also one of the most basic yet essential things one must learn when visiting a foreign country!
Comment tu t'appelles?
Moi, je m'appelle N'nako, N'nako Kande'.
Hi, my name is N'nako Kande'.
As you can tell by my name, it is not an American name, nor is it, thankfully, one borrowed from any of the countries that once colonized my birth continent, Africa.
I am African, but Africa is too big a continent and too rich in culture for this information to be enough. I could tell you more about my name, but that's not why we are here! You can learn more about me and my name by reading my book The Art of Rooting, which takes you on a superb and unique Nature, Art, and Culture experience.
So what are we here for?
We are here for you to join in my inquisitive journey of researching the significance of names and honoring, with empathy, the names of those I meet and make time to introduce to you.
I am very blessed to have met some phenomenal people and I want to share them with you.
Why? Because a name always has a story.
I am a descendant of a griot and niece of the late griot and world-renowned kora player Mory Kante'. Oral or written storytelling is a passion of mine that runs deep in traditions.
Whether we are talking about the name of a person, a pet, a brand, or even a boat, names tell a story, and the stories are just as interesting as the person or object itself because, of course, we identify by our names.
When you make the time to listen to and honor a person, their name and how they feel about their name tell an invaluable story. As someone who has lived on three continents, I have witnessed people's pride in saying their names and the spark of appreciation when one's name is said and pronounced correctly.
I am one of those people.
As a daughter of African parents born before the independence of colonized African nations, I have witnessed the impact of colonization and names on one's identity.
From countries that discarded the names given to them during colonization, like Zambia and Zimbabwe, once known as Rhodesia, to older Africans who dropped the names given to them as a requirement of the catholic education they were imposed during colonialism, names have grown to be a fascinating subject to me. A subject I am exploring in this Blog series and other projects ( stay tuned).
This blog series is about the people I meet, admire, or am curious about.
The first person I chose to kick off my series is a young lady who is as dope as she is talented and whose work graces the beautiful city I have been calling home for almost two decades.
Context: I live in Chattanooga, Tennessee, aka The Scenic City.
But I was born in the most hospitable and fabulous West African city. Of course, I am humbly referring to none other than Abidjan (read The Art of Rooting)
So let's talk to my dope friend!
1. What is your name?
Briah Gober
If you feel comfortable sharing, how did your parents come up with your name?
My mother heard the name Briah in a movie that she saw on TV once and never saw again; she doesn’t even remember the name of the movie!
2 How do you feel about your name?
I used to hate that it was unique or different. People always struggled with pronouncing it or spelling it wrongly or printing Brian Gober in yearbooks instead of Briah Gober. As I’ve grown, I’ve grown to love it because it is unique. Briah means strong, honorable, virtuous woman.
3. What do you do? (artistically)
I am a painter, a photographer, a screen printer, and more.
4. Do you have an artist or stage name?
Lovely intoxication - it’s an oxymoron that is all about intoxicating things with love. The idea is that if you were to look up “intoxication” in a dictionary, it would most likely have a bad connotation attached, and it would most likely mention drug or alcohol abuse. When I think of the word intoxication, I think of something much more than that. It pertains mostly to an overwhelming feeling or sensation, and I feel like it has less to do with the vice that is doing the intoxicating, and it doesn’t have to be something negative. I think you can be overwhelmed or intoxicated by an environment, a conversation, or a glass of water. Lastly, I know that love can be intoxicating.
5. How long ago have you chosen that name?
I’ve had this chosen name since late middle school/early high school.
6. How did you come up with your name and why?
I came up with it for Tumblr - a site that allows you to create your own site. I wanted to use something different other than my name, and I loved how the two words contradicted one another but brought a more profound meaning to myself.
7. Have you ever had other names? If yes, what led to the change?
No
8. What advice would you give anyone considering choosing and changing their names?
Whether you like your name or not, it carries meaning, and over time, it inevitably becomes a part of who you are, so I encourage embracing that. However, I also understand why some people would want to go by something else or to change their name legally.
I asked this question because there was once a time in my young adult life (bless my heart) when I considered changing my name. As a young immigrant, I used to get frustrated by how people continually mispronounced my name without making any effort to say it right. "It's just five letters and an apostrophe," I would think!
Thankfully, I have outgrown this ridiculous thought and am more patient. I must note that nowadays, people are also more considerate and would ask how to pronounce my name with a genuine interest in learning more about where I am from.
Knowing more about my roots and having an increased desire " to make my ancestors proud" have allowed me to embrace my heritage and identity with pride and maturity.
9. Please share how people can enjoy and support your work. @lovelyintoxication_ @insanityoverd0se @lovelyauraphotos www.lovelyintoxication.com
Briah's artistry is insane, and I am not even biased. I suspect it is in her genes because her mom, Sandra Gober, who may not even call herself an artist, is a unique ceramic artist who recently took pottery classes and started creating some of the most beautiful pieces I have seen.
What can I say? I have a crush on the mother-daughter duo.
I will share below some of the photos I recently took with Briah and her mom when my son also had his first exhibit hosted by ArtsBuild and curated by Jonathan Dean.
Lovely work, right?!
As I stated earlier, this blog series and post are a soft introduction to my upcoming project, a curriculum/ book called " What's in a Name," where we will explore the significance of names across various cultures.
"What's in a Name" is part of a collection of cultural lessons that I will be sharing under Kande Kulture*
This material will first be available as a digital file by the end of 2024, and the hard copy will be available between 2025 and 2026.
Because I love to illustrate my books with my art or photography, the physical book will only be released after I have committed more time to the visual content.
In the meantime, the digital book will be available for your enjoyment and educational purposes in a private, small group, or classroom setting.
You can book me to speak or perform (I am also a poet) for your group, classroom, organization, or any of your events.
Why is this series and subject vital to me:
As an immigrant and as an African, I have experienced how cultural and even ethnic differences can impact a person solely based on the origin of their name.
In my favorite quote by the poet, Maya Angelou states, "We are more alike than we are different."
So, in truth, this blog series is not solely about introducing you to my peers or to the inspiring people that I am fortunate to meet,
This series is about recognizing that regardless of one's name and origins, we are more alike than we are different, and should you ever meet someone whose culture is very different from your own, that person deserves respect, dignity, and empathy.
Political context:
We are on the brink of a political election preceded by a campaign that has stirred up a lot of recent drama on immigration. I don't know what to think of the timing of my launching this series, but I know that people of all origins and cultures deserve empathy, and everyone's identity should be respected.
Wars are raging around the world, and just the reference to one name may cause some to be stripped of their dignity; history has been repeating a lot of atrocities as if we were all that different, which we are not.
“This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.
“I know the world is bruised and bleeding, and though it is important not to ignore its pain, it is also critical to refuse to succumb to its malevolence. Like failure, chaos contains information that can lead to knowledge — even wisdom. Like art.”—Toni Morrison
What's in a name? What is in a name, first and foremost, is our humanity.
"Write down!
I am an (,,,)
I have a name without a title
patient in a country where people are enraged
My roots
were entrenched before the birth of time
(...)
Are you satisfied with my status?
I have a name without a title.
(...)
Write down!
I am an (...)
(...)
Therefore!
Write down on the top of the first page:
I do not hate people!"
Excerpt of Identity Card (1964) by Palestine National Poet, the late Mahmoud Darwish.
What's your name? And what's your identity card? I pray that you, too, do not hate people!
Identity Card and Maya Angelou's " we are more alike than we are different" remind me of South African value of Unbuntu and the Sossoo expression from Guinea /Mali
I want to hear from you! Does anything in this post resonate with you?
Have you ever had a time when you were challenged to embrace your name?
Have you heard of Mahmoud Darwish before? Are you familiar with how he used poetry and his language to make a difference ( at least he tried) during his lifetime?
Mahmoud Darwish is a name worth knowing as much as Nelson Mandela's name is.
And when you look at the work of artists like Briah Gober, especially self-portraits, you must remember that no matter what your name is and where you are from, we are all more alike than we are different!
"Write down on the top of the first page: I do not hate people."
(Identity Card by Mahmoud Darwish)
THANK YOU
Want to be featured in this blog series or any other ones? Please send a message to theartofrooting@gmail.com
Another good series to enjoy is The Art of Rooting Conservations
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