GRIOTS REPUBLIC - AN URBAN BLACK TRAVEL MAG - OCTOBER 2016

there.
The kicks, which practically speak for
themselves, are bright, bold and evocative.
Definitely not for wallflowers. It is the antithesis
of the minimalist chic, monochromatic
look seen
on street corners,
rooftops
and other social
habitats
around the
country.
The muse behind the
shoes ... is a young
man - African born and
raised, who has left the
continent to make a
great life for himself.
The muse behind
the shoes,
according to
the 22-year-old
recent college
grad, is a young man - African born and
raised, who has left the continent to make
a great life for himself. He is unique in his
style choices, personally conscious and an
expert conversationalist.
Butsu, a derivative
of the word
butsudan, means
Buddhist altar or
shrine in Japanese.
Growing up in Africa, Chakauya had an
intimate look
into the bustling
world of
fashion due to
his mother, a
women’s clothing
designer.
His firsthand
look into the
industry as
a youngster -
which no doubt
influenced his
work today, included hanging around bustling
factory spaces and seeing his mother
design for beauty as well as practicality for
her mature female clientele. At age 16, he
was awarded a scholarship to complete his
high school coursework as part of an International
Baccalaureate program in Asia
for three years, another markedly influential
experience. There, he studied alongside
students from over 90 different countries.
He spent time in many of the continent’s
major metropolitan areas and completed
service projects in rural areas as well, all
the while soaking
in all that he could
while also learning
a valuable lesson
in cultural awareness.
“To be fair, from
their part - many
(Asians) have never
seen a Black
man before,” he
said. “I used to go
to the Great Wall of China, and that’s a
tourist attraction but I would be an attraction
as well. People I did not know would
stalk me and ask me to take family photos
with them. People would want to twirl
with your hair because they’ve never seen
hair like that before. Sometimes people
would be scared.
You would be sitting
next to them
on the train and
they would get up
and move because
they were clearly
afraid of you.”
Unfortunately, his
experiences are
not unique. Much
has been written
about the Black experience in Asia as being
at times very problematic. In a piece for
National Geographic, travel writer Heather
Greenwood Davis, describes her family’s
month-long stay as one of the “hardest”
visits they’ve ever made. She shared examples
of her husband’s brown skin being