The
Bitter//Sweet
Project
Chapter One: /san//kofa/
"Blackness in Shades of Bittersweet."
It came to me at a time when I was trying to articulate for myself the joy and pride I feel as a Black person
these feelings exist in tandem with those of exhaustion, and in the darker moments, hopelessness.
to articulate this sensation, a single word continued to emerge and reemerge to color my thoughts: bittersweet.
Bitter like kola nuts, neem, and Allafia Bitters. Like thrice-mended sweaters, dirt roads, and hand-me-downs.
The bitter process of healing and the sacrifices that thread the fabric of love, inspiring moments of warmth and resourcefulness. Reminders that we often grow from discomfort.
And aching sweetness too.
Sweet like palm wine and hugs tight enough to squeeze the breath from your lungs.
Things to swell your stomach and heart like camel humps of joy; moon-drunk nights, towering tales, and belly laughs.
Both “bitter” and “sweet” are words that correctly shade my experience of blackness
together they create a new, paradoxical idea that is somehow more real than the singular dimensions their old forms represent.
reminding me how binaries create each other, representing connection rather than separation.