Submitted by Abubakarr Bah on the 2022 winter session program in Hawaii sponsored by the Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics…
This is me at Doris Dukes’ Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture, and Design. I was amazed and incredibly grateful to go. I traveled far from home to see a place entirely dedicated to my culture. I saw things that relate to me specifically and that I could never see in my own neighborhood. The museum opened in 2002 and is still the only place in the United States solely dedicated to Islamic Art. I saw and learned things that were new to me and explained the origins of some cultural things that I do. It was a beautiful space that gave an honest view of history and the privilege needed to acquire the materials. They explained how even though it was obtained as a private collection, by opening the museum to the public, it allowed a little bit of a remedy for sharing the art with the world rather then taking from a people and keeping their work to yourself. It was nice to see others learning and appreciating something dear and relative to me. It was amazing to be surrounded by all the beautiful art and history.