There is a creole saying, “nou led, nou la” which translates to “we’re ugly, we’re here”, that is rich in culturally nuanced meaning and shows a serious persistence and insistence on showing up, being here, being present, as has been evident in Haiti with the recent riots to protest the Petrocaribe corruption. Structural violence is rife and regionwide. At least we are here, even if we may be ugly.

In Bahamian artist Blue Curry’s “The New Riviera” (2014), we are not even here. This erasure of us from the scene is yet another form of unperceived structural violence, as we can also see in Curry’s “Nassau From Above” (2010). The deep silence of being silenced is ominous, and as we do as we are told, we are cradled into death, rocked into oblivion.

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