A self-portrait piece that is a reclamation of visual authority. By placing myself as the centre, holding a paintbrush and palette, I position myself not as a passive subject but as an active author, signalling that my African narrative isn't finished but merely beginning. Beyond the central theme of ownership and historical reclamation, this painting tells a story of my lived experiences and historical records. Its composition is meant to stage a quiet confrontation with the viewer; I refuse the gaze of onlookers' curiosity and instead assume authority as a scholar, painter, and archivist of her own heritage. With every element used to declare that the power to define the past and shape the future belongs firmly in the hands of the artist holding the brush.