Vinnie Bagwellʼs vision for the Enslaved Africansʼ Rain Garden is focused on remembering the lives, the feelings, and the legacy of men, women, and children who were imbruted, and stripped of their human rights. The viewer is invited to wonder about enslaved Africans: their origins and families, their languages, their daily routine of life, their religious beliefs, their music, the songs they sang, and their thoughts. These candid images of daily life, rendered in the vernacular of bronze sculpture, are a testament to the resounding triumph of the human spirit.

IʼSatta – Liberian name pronounced “I-Sat-tie” The first sculpture was designed as an icon and a canvas upon which to tell a story. See more »

 

 

Bibi — Swahili for “Grandmother” The second sculpture was designed to represent the elder group of enslaved Africans. See more »

 

 

Themba – Zulu name means “faith, hope, trust.” There was a small group of Africans defined more by their participation in maritime activities than by their enslavement experience. See more »

 

 

Sola — Pronounced “Sho-lah.” Yoruba abbreviation of Olusola, which means “God made grace.” The majority of the people captured and enslaved were very young.
Olumide –  Pronounced “O-lu-me-day” Yoruba means “God has arrived. ” “Olumide” was a friend of Sola's See more »