The series draws inspiration from the Kenyan lesso—a fabric deeply embedded in Jordan Rita Seruya Awori’s (JRSA) personal and cultural memory. Worn, gifted, and repurposed across generations, the lesso embodies familiarity, resilience, and storytelling. Its bold patterns and signature Swahili proverbs have long served as vessels of public and private meaning. In this work, JRSA reimagines the fabric’s visual language by incorporating her mother tongue, Luhya—a language she was never taught to speak, write, or understand. Instead, she turned to her mother, for whom the language exists solely in spoken and oral form. Together, they translated key terms into written text, fully aware that the spellings might be imprecise or improvised. This act of translation became both collaborative and performative—reflecting not only the intimacy of familial knowledge, but also the slow dilution of traditional languages over generations, particularly for those raised in urban spaces like Nairobi.

The ‘In the Name of Africanness’ collection delves into the artist's ongoing reflection on her African identity, shaped by her roots in Kenya and her current experience in Germany. Through these works, the artist interrogates the complexities of what it means to be "African enough," exploring the nuances of cultural belonging and the multifaceted nature of Africanness. With each piece, she questions: What defines her connection to Kenya? What elements shape her understanding of being African? The collection invites viewers to contemplate the intricate layers of identity and the fluid boundaries that frame what it means to truly belong.