I imagined John Blanke as an enchanting figure who transcends history and the boundaries of reality and legend, situated at the nexus where myth and historical fact converge. In reimagining him, I saw not merely a musician in a royal procession but a mythical embodiment of Tudor England's grandeur. His presence—stalwart, dignified, and captivating—defined the aura of every parade and tournament, particularly the jousts, symbolising something far greater than the moment itself.
 
This act of reimagining speaks to the theoretical concept of mythopoeia, the creation of myth where the evidence of history is immaterial (Tolkien, 1965). Drawing from thinkers like Barthes, who posited that myth is a system of communication through which cultural narratives are constructed and sustained (Barthes, 1972, p. 107), I have embraced artistic liberty to conceive a heroic legend. This legend, like that of King Arthur or the deities of ancient Greece, emerges from the lacunae of recorded history, filling these voids with imagination, wonder, and speculative futures.
 
In this space where history recedes, myth rises to forge an identity not solely tethered to the past but forward-looking. The process of mythmaking becomes a means of cultural survival and evolution (Campbell, 1949). As understood through Jungian archetypes, myths tap into the collective unconscious, offering a shared narrative framework (Jung, 1964). Though veiled by time, figures such as John Blanke become touchstones for a broader reflection on Black identity, history, and the future, especially when considered through the lens of Afrofuturism (Eshun, 2003).
 
In this spirit, I conceived John Blanke as not merely a historical figure but as the "Sarkin Kakakin Sarauta" (Hausa: King of the Royal horn blowers), a being imbued with the strength, grace, and nobility often reserved for mythic heroes. Here, I invoke the centaur, an archetype embodying the balance between instinct and intellect, tradition and transformation, familiar in the works of Campbell on the hero’s journey. Yet, unlike the centaur’s archer, whose bow and arrow represent focus and attack, my John Blanke wields a kakaki horn —a symbol of resonance, power, and voice. The kakaki here does more than signify his historical role; it becomes a metaphor for amplifying marginalised voices, a tool of liberation, calling forth new futures where Black existence is no longer peripheral but central to the narrative.
 
This kakaki becomes a symbol in line with Afrofuturist theory, which reclaims Black history by projecting it into the future, as scholars like Eshun and Dery have suggested (Dery, 1994). Afrofuturism reconfigures myth and fantasy as vehicles for cultural reclamation, engaging the African diaspora in reimagining its past and future, free from the confines of colonial narratives. Through this lens, John Blanke is not simply a figure resurrected from history; he becomes an Afrofuturist icon, merging the ancestral with the speculative, the historical with the mythical. Like the sonic technologies of Afrofuturist imagination, his kakaki is a call to both remembrance and revolution.
 
In this artistic reimagining, John Blanke is not merely a passive relic of the past but a dynamic mythical figure whose legacy pulses with the energy of cultural resistance, resilience, and future possibility. Though obscured by the annals of time, his story now resonates as a symbol of heroism, wisdom, and the enduring human spirit, projected into a future where Blackness reclaims its place at the centre of history, myth, and cosmic possibility.

Barthes, R. (1972). Mythologies. New York: Hill and Wang.
Campbell, J. (1949). The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Dery, M. (1994). Flame Wars: The Discourse of Cyberculture. Durham: Duke University Press.
Eshun, K. (2003). More Brilliant than the Sun: Adventures in Sonic Fiction. London: Quartet Books.
Jung, C. G. (1964). Man and His Symbols. London: Aldus Books.
Tolkien, J. R. R. (1965). The Monster and the Critics and Other Essays. London: HarperCollins.

Hassan Aliyu FRSA, (DProf, Fine Art - UEL)
Artist/Curator