‘The advocacy of ‘cowboy’ culture is flawed and problematic. However, the aspects worth celebrating; the sounds, community stories and bold style, exceeds the white South of America and can be found on a little island in the middle of the Atlantic.’
The Old Bank Vault is proud to present ‘Ahzun’ by Layla Andrews. Deriving its name from a poignant mispronunciation of the word ‘our’s’, ‘Ahzun’ refers to the moment her nan and grandfather first lovingly stared at their new, and first, home in England after he moved from the Island of St. Helena. Since then, the word has been passed around her family, a secret language honouring their journey and heritage. ‘Ahzun’ in many ways informed Layla’s identity as one intrinsically connected to a sense of place, time, and importantly, people.
At the heart of ‘Ahzun’ beats a rich cultural tale explored through the faint pulses of memory Layla projects into abstraction. Drawing on her family’s origins from the tropical and volcanic island of St. Helena, she deconstructs the influence of Western music and culture that has spread throughout this small land. Situated in the South Atlantic Ocean, measuring roughly 10 by 5 miles, St. Helena, until very recently, had been one of the most challenging and remote places to access in the world. Yet, the assimilation of ‘cowboy’ culture has somehow infiltrated the islander’s way of life. Layla challenges the dominance of white masculinity surrounding this subject:
‘The advocacy of ‘cowboy’ culture is flawed and problematic. However, the aspects worth celebrating; the sounds, community stories and bold style, exceeds the white South of America and can be found on a little island in the middle of the Atlantic.’
