4395KM BETWEEN HOMES

Bathealton, UK & Abéné, Senegal
December 2024 & January 2025

Exploring dual heritage and how it affects one’s connection to the places they hail from. This project follows Jutalla Coulibaly-Willis diving into her connection to her places of origin and their cultures.

Senegalese-British, Jutalla is from Bathealton, UK and Abéné, Senegal. Both places are villages, with tight-knit communities and long histories. Having grown up in Bathealton and taken frequent trips to Abéné, Jutalla is connected to these villages through her upbringing and parentage. Over a period of three weeks, I spent 5 days in each of these locales with Jutalla as she showed me around and shared her ties to and experiences of these locations with me.

Spending time with her and her family gave me insight into how she is connected to Bathealton and Abéné. Fluent in English, intermediate in French and learning Mandinka (the language which her family communicates in in Abéné) Jutalla’s identity has been shaped by both places as she works to remain connected to her family and the communities in these villages. Well versed in the physical paths, verbal stories and traditions of both places, Jutalla led me around trails through farmers fields in Bathealton and around the Bantan Woro (sacred tree) and beach in Abéné.