Don’t take too much about Sudan Archives for face value. She’s not from Sudan. She’s not a model. And her violin isn’t always played with a bow.
Officially named Brittney Parks, the first half of her stage name was taken from a nickname given by her mother. The second half was a bit more kismet. After a couple years of formal training cut short before she could read music, Brittney largely taught herself to play violin, and that continuing education led to her discovery of, inspiration by, and desire to preserve Northeast African fiddling, hence “Archives.”
“I’m from Cincinnati, Ohio, not a strange alien from Africa,” she explains. “And I’m not just inspired by certain types of African styles, but like, my mind was blown when I made the connection between Irish jiggin’ and West African rhythms. It’s all the same.”
That connection opened a whole musical landscape to Sudan Archives, who in “Nont for Sale” blends Northeast African folk violin with looped beats, and over her willowy vocals and a few bars, the sound is entirely unique.
But the subject matter is not. Sudan Archives actually blends the song’s self-affirmation and personal boundaries with a video that casts a loving gaze on hallmarks of the ladies’ side of the hood like the strip mall hair salon and beauty supply. But the stars are for sure the dazzling cast of characters, all fit in wardrobes and accessories that mix African prints with high-end labels and hood couture. Altogether, “Nont for Sale” paints a bold statement of reclamation and autonomy for Black women and Black spaces too.
Sudan Archives says the song was inspired by a trip to Ghana and a hand-painted banner she saw there that read “THIS LAND IS NONT 4 SALE.” Whether the sign was specific to that piece of land, to Ghana as a whole, or as a political and historical protest is part of the mystery. Come thank an eccentric daughter of the diaspora for dropping a few clues our way and keeping our modern day connection to the motherland alive and well through the sound of music.
𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘:
“My strings propagate through space and time
Here and there at the same time”