Review by Marinda Herukuti
I just received my deck and I actually like this
deck. The author writes that the deck is not intended to
reflect just one particular aspect of Africa because it is
so broad. He also acknowledges that Africa is the
mother of all civilization so he wanted to express a
broad range of Africa. The African American images of
jazz players, inventors, discovers, etc. are in the
background but seem to serve as a link to the meaning of the
card as well as a link to traditional African
mythologies and archetypes. The thought and depth put into it
is outstanding. The pictures are detailed,
expressive, and colorful. (I also have the African Tarot deck
which has childlike images that I did not like.)
The
African American tarot's images span a large variety of
images from the continent of Africa. Some of the cultural
influences are Zulu, Yoruba, Ibo, Akan, and places like
Benin, Togo, Congo, etc. I love that. The only issue that
I have with the deck is that it did not come with a
more detailed explanation of the people, Archetypes,
symbols, and mythologies. It would have been not only more
helpful to connect with the images, but also a fascinating
and informative read. I feel pretty informed about my
heritage as an African American and and African decendent.
I am pretty familiar with a broad range of African
Spiritual Traditions but I will now have to do even more
research on some of the images in order to draw out the
full meaning of the card. Nevertheless, I am pretty
happy with the deck.
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