I've never felt so floaty before. Unfeeling. Air-like. Consistently meh. That depression burn out crept up on me, unlike the abruptness of lockdown. I was blissfully unaware of my lack of interest in life until the corporate overlords caught me napping on Zooms! Plural. My body was checking me out of that digital life. My body told me to leave, rest and find your people.
I found creative rest and my Black arts peoples! I was deeply disembodied when I produced Black diaspora dance festivals and theatre in Greenwich. And it didn't matter because I was good enough to bring people together with music, visual arts and song. We helped each other to be.
I am because I was held by so many, whilst I floated on drum, kora and ennanga harp rhythms.
3 years after making "Slow Down, Birungi", I live that ethos. Turning inwards easily to love myself through the legacy of trauma. My art practice guides me to a hopeful future, and this is why I'm sharing "Slow Down, Birungi" with you today.
×