This painting is based on an anonymous portrait of Sengbe Pieh (also known as Joseph Cinqué) dated from 1839. Joseph Cinqué became famous for his leading role in the Amistad mutiny, a slave rebellion that took place near Cuba aboard the Spanish slave ship Amistad on July 2, 1839. The mutiny, led by Cinqué, had im- portant political and legal repercussions in the American abolition movement, leading to a Supreme Court de- cision (United States v. Cinque, et al.) that ruled that Joseph Cinqué and his fellow captives mutinied to regain their freedom after being kidnapped and sold illegally. The work is part of a collection of characters through which Grafia examines notions of social mobility and agency, with the artist weaving references to the historical archive with his personal experiences and family history. In this series of works/performances, Grafia chal- lenges the way we envision travel as an act of independence and mobility in modern society.