On Daughters of the Dust

What compels me the most to speak of the film is undoubtedly its narration style.  Because the film is told from the point of view of the unborn child, I feel as if this film actually ties together the whole class and the subject matters we most often discussed.  Indeed, as the film focuses on the traditions of the Gullah community in South Carolina, it made me think a lot of the topics we discussed regarding traditions and community in class, as well as the notion of otherness.  The Gullah community differs from the rest of the American community at that time, but not only that, their ways are also somewhat different from the ways of other African-American community in the United States.
As they live isolated on the islands, they have been somewhat sheltered from the 'American way of life,' and obviously developing their own ways, mostly based on the traditions of their West-African ancestors who came to America as enslaved people.  In that way, the film poses fascinating questions about the usual ways of depicting the lives and struggles of African-Americans.  

The notion of trauma is also often brought forward in the way every generation of Pezant have been influenced by their past, and now must choose between breaking with their traditions or staying as loyal to them as they can.  However, the narration style, as aforementioned, might be the most obvious way that Dash' conveys this idea, as the film is seen and told from the perspective of the unborn child, someone who, in a sense, can remember the events of life before her birth. The exploration of this concept, to me, seems inherently related to intergenerational trauma, linking most of the subjects discussed in class.