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Breaking Out My Shell

Last week was the New Moon In Leo and I’ve never felt more like myself than I do here and now. Breaking out of my shell meant going through a deep tumultuous awakening in which I’ve talked about in this Awakening series since April now. It’s time, now more than ever, for me to step into the spotlight without fear. I’ve entered the third decade of my life with grace and poise. Now it’s time to really show my ass.

I’ve been trapped in a world of all the things that I couldn’t do for so long, I am a little nervous about what I am open to doing now that I can. I no longer conform to the heteronormativity of monogamy that has held me captive from my own passions and desires. I don’t subscribe to a religion where my deities love for me limits me from life. I am no longer drawn to relationships and friendships that drain me rather than reciprocating the love they receive. Breaking out of my shell has truly been about finally being okay with being perceived, correctly or incorrectly.

In life, the hardest thing to overcome is the fear of perception. We choose certain jobs because they look good to the world, not because that’s what we REALLY want to do. We stay in relationships that are superficial and unfulfilling because society teaches us it’s better to be with someone than to be alone. We dress and groom ourselves based on what society deems is fashionable and if you aren’t aligned with it, you’re deemed unfashionable publicly. Those who are able to break free of these stigmas and thought patterns are the ones who are able to reach for everything they dream of and achieve it. It’s because they can dance without fear of being seen, write without fear of what to say, and sing without fear of being heard.

How can we truly achieve our dreams if the ones we actually have are suppressed out of fear, rejection, and/or doubt? Personally writing, in many different forms, has always been a major part of my innate design. It’s been a guaranteed facet of my life that probably would’ve enhanced my life earlier had I felt the freedom to explore it more wholly sooner.

A great example of this right now is Beyonce. She recently (last night 7/26/2025) completed her Cowboy Carter Tour, the second installment of her 3 act album tour for Renaissance. Although to many of us, it seems as though Beyonce has always carried the confidence that we see her rock on stage, this era showed us a different perspective. Her country album was, in her own words via Instagram, “born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed.” In 2016, Beyonce was invited to the Country Music Awards to perform her first country crossover track “Daddy Lessons” from her 2016 album Lemonade. Beyonce took that uncomfortable moment where she was made to feel unwelcome in a place where she and others knew she belonged and turned that ill will into her first AOTY Grammy win for Cowboy Carter.

As it applies to my own life, and maybe to yours too, the lesson here is that in order to be your most authentic self, its important to understand and be okay with knowing that someone else’s perception of you doesn’t make you who you are. We make ourselves who we are… and if we spent our whole life living for what others deemed appropriate, we’d never truly be happy. So in this next era of my own, after breaking out my shell, that’s my ultimate destination… Authentically Happy.

Ebony Queen

References

Beyoncé on Instagram: “act II cowboy Carter 3.29 today marks the 10-day countdown until the release of act II. (n.d.). Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/C4s6Zr7rlwA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Beyoncé brings out destiny’s child for surprise reunion during final cowboy Carter show in Las Vegas. (2025, July 27). People.com. https://people.com/destinys-child-reunites-beyonce-final-show-las-vegas-11779800

Nytimes.com. (2016, November 4). The New York Times – Breaking News, US News, World News and Videos. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/04/arts/music/beyonce-cma-awards-backlash.html

The Ancient Kingdom of Benin

Ebony M

Honors Humanities

Cultural Experience and Critical Analysis Essay

February 18^th, 2024

The Ancient Kingdom of Benin

( “Benin Heads” )

Nestled in the southern region of the modern-day country known as Nigeria is a city known as Benin. In history, it was known as The Benin Kingdom aka the Edo Kingdom. Benin came to be established by way of Edo people seeking liberation from their rulers, The Ogisos. The remnants of this culture are approx. 5,246 ancient artifacts housed in museums across the world, on display for admiration by the very cultures that looted the items from their land of origination. (“Benin Bronzes Online Database Goes Live with Details of Thousands of Looted Artefacts”). The most cumulative significant artifacts of this culture are “a group of sculptures which include elaborately decorated cast plaques, commemorative heads, animal and human figures, items of royal regalia, and personal ornaments” known as the “Benin Bronzes.” (“Benin Bronzes”)

The Benin Bronze casters began creating the figures before the 13^th century but were not acquired for distribution to the museums until The Benin Expedition of 1897 by a British force, also known as “The Benin Massacre”. Per the British Royal Collection Trust, “The Oba (king) of Benin held great influence and prevented the Company from forming a monopoly in the region. In 1896, the Company decided to mount an expedition to depose the Oba and replace him with a council appointed by British officials.” (“Alan Boisragon (1860-1922) – The Benin Massacre / by Captain Alan Boisragon”) In February of 1897, the “Raid of Benin” commenced, resulting in the burning destruction of the Oba’s palace and ultimately, his exile from the land. The monarchs most precious artifacts were looted to destabilize the power of the King, thus, resulting in foreign museums being full of stolen ancient African artifacts. The exhibit selected holds most of these artifacts, in addition to the looted ones of many other cultures. They are put on display, in no specific order on the online exhibit, for admiration by those who are interested in seeing the cultures of the African people.

The Benin Bronzes boast a plethora of distinct artifacts. However, the most frequently discovered were known as the Benin Heads. These busts were created from carved elephant tusks, brass, and bronze. They were perched upon Benin Altars to symbolize the transference of power from late kings to the new king. The material used to create the bust was directly dependent upon the stature of the King it was created for. This ranged from the previously mentioned brass and bronze, to wood, and terracotta. (“11 Facts You Need to Know About Benin Art”) The Oba was tasked with forming and commissioning bronze casters and ivory carvers to create the art for the royal court.

Within the exhibit the masks are amongst other artwork that represent different things within the Benin culture. It also includes the artifacts of other African cultures which gives the artwork distinct significance and puts the differences between each culture and its artwork on display. As previously mentioned, other distinct notable artwork exclusive to the Benin culture are cast plaques with elaborate scenes of how the Benin perceived their trade partners, the Portuguese. According to the “Khan Academy,” the plaques depicted them with “their pointed noses, thin faces and beards and strange clothes.” (“Benin Plaques at the British Museum”) The artwork from the Benin culture tells specific stories, depending on which art you are ingesting. Seeing the the artwork in its entirety in an exhibit brings the Benin history to life and provides tangible evidence to support the vast, factual cultural significance of the Benin Empire.

Works Cited

“11 Facts You Need to Know About Benin Art.” Google Arts & Culture, artsandculture.google.com/story/11-facts-you-need-to-know-about-benin-art-yemisi-shyllon-museum-of-art/iAXxMDvz38PV8Q?hl=en.

“Alan Boisragon (1860-1922) – The Benin Massacre / by Captain Alan Boisragon.” Royal Collection Trust, http://www.rct.uk/collection/1121484/the-benin-massacre-by-captain-alan-boisragon. 

“Benin Bronzes Online Database Goes Live with Details of Thousands of Looted Artefacts.” The Art Newspaper – International Art News and Events, 8 Nov. 2022, http://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/11/07/benin-bronzes-online-database-goes-live-with-details-of-thousands-of-looted-artefacts. 

“Benin Bronzes.” The British Museum, http://www.britishmuseum.org/about-us/british-museum-story/contested-objects-collection/benin-bronzes. 

Benin Heads. Photograph. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. https://www.randafricanart.com/images/Metropolitan_Museum_of_art_African_collection111.jpg, 

“Benin Plaques at the British Museum.” Khan Academy, http://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-africa/west-africa/nigeria/a/benin-plaques. 

“Metropolitan Museum of Art – African Art Collection – Virtual Tour Page 4.” RAND AFRICAN ART, http://www.randafricanart.com/Met_Museum_virtual_tour_4.html. 