A Map to the Door of No Return

The door signifies the historical moment which colours all moments in the Diaspora.  It accounts for the ways we observe and are observed as people, whether it’s through the lens of social injustice or the lens of human accomplishments.  The door exists as an absence.  …  Where one stands in a society seems always related to this historical experience.  Where one can be observed is relative to that history.  All human effort seems to emanate from this door. (Dionne Brand. A Map to the Door of No Return, 25)