It began with deceit. But instead of turning my head in disgust, I decided to investigate; this is, after all, a person on the line, I thought. In doing so, a whole New World opened up to me, a world full of mystery and intrigue a continent away. I had to think carefully about this. Do I paint a series of West African portraits, telling their stories or not? I knew it would be controversial. Topics like cultural misappropriation, inequity, economics, social injustice, discrimination and governance would be brought to the forefront. But I could not turn my head . . . it was too late. And thus I embarked on the most exciting and stressful project of my life!