Remembrance of Our Divinity
We are living in times that dictate to us that we aren’t who we have always believed ourselves to be. The media, our communities and even family have fallen for a collective violence that is ruining our sense of identity. We often find ourselves living blindly and making decisions and choices through the lens of our defense mechanisms and forget our divinity.
In this current climate, racism and gender based violence has taken a toll on people because every time we hear that another one of us has been killed or grossly violated, we understand that there is a message being sent to us and this message is, “You are less than. You are not important. I have the power to do anything I want with you and I will not be punished because no one will protect you.”
“Desiderata” by Max Erhmann is a timeless piece of writing that offers ways in which one can enrich their lives through self-awareness. It is a reminder of one’s importance in the world and even though a white man wrote it in 1927, it provides all people, a beautiful guide on how to deal with the fundamentals of life’s occurrences. The bits pulled from “Desiderata” are a reminder that with all of the scary things that happen to us and to others, we can still find and create peace and happiness within ourselves.
When creating this work, the team felt the need to realign our thoughts and remind people of their divinity; to remind them of their importance – not just to their communities and homes, but their importance to themselves. It seeks to highlight that when we love ourselves and choose to live in our light, a process of change is created from within and can be shared with others. This body of work serves as a piece of light for all in these dark and precarious times.
Art Direction: @pierre.tography, @tebogo_ribane, @thandobkhumalo
Photography: @pierre.tography
Styling and Costume Design: @tebogo_ribane
Producer and Model: @thandobkhumalo
Make Up: @swirlstylist
Assistant: @tsakane_smiles
Cinematography: @thulanisejo, @kaykayribane
Video Editing: @kaykayribane, @thulanisejo
Music: @layzee_da_pharoah
Voice over: Excerpt from Desiderata by Max Errhman.