A Flower for Africa

A Flower for Africa by artist Salvador Gonzáles Escalona is located in the Brewerytown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This mural came about after the Director of Mural Arts Philadelphia, Jane Golden, invited Cuban muralist Salvador Gonzáles Escalona to paint a mural in Philadelphia. She had admired his work in Central Havana, and extended the invitation as part of Mural Arts expanding international exchange program. Blackberry Cultural Arts/Humanities, a non-profit organization dedicating to promoting inter-cultural awareness hosted Gonzáles during his stay. Blackberry has collaborated with the City to build bridges between the communities Black and Afro-Caribbean cultures. This mural is dedicated to the African ancestors who transplanted strong cultural values to the Americas and the Caribbean. Composed of and abstract rainbow filled with African symbols, masks and sculptures, Gonzáles using a flower took a step towards building a bridge between communities.