Stillness is growth

Your crown has been bought and paid for. All you must do is put it on. - James Baldwin 

Retreat. Resistance with resilience!

We sometimes attach fulfillment with movement and actions. Do we not seek to understand that it is the spiritual work that provides this enlightenment? We were called to redefine how we apply our faith. A face-off. Contextualizing through the Senegalese lens, we revisited our faiths where the majority meant Islam. What did it mean to be muslim above the pandemical walls. A “New Normal”. It’s a test of self. How do we now navigate that world through these restricted new norms? And how do we seize our crown and wear it with ease and pride? The journey of self and reflection. A non- physical journey but an inward journey. Embracing the kings and queens we remain amidst the chaos.

The Ndewendeul series captivates and accentuates the effet mer coming togetherness. 

Let’s exchange. Let’s check in. Let's express ourselves. Let us not hold back on our creativity: a brief moment in front of the camera while so much magic and growth is being shared behind the camera. In this space, that I am a product of, has no judgment in the realm and respect of Teranga. Because that is the Islam we are and we know to live by: acceptance of our neighbor. Living in harmony next to you: humanizing your existence through compassion. It is a time to remind each other we are human. A moment of black excellence and reinvention that was born through a moment of inertia swaying in search for self love and awareness. A time to stand out when standing in. Ornamenting your body with a look that gets immortalized to remind you how far you’ve come. An Exodus.

In the words of Emperor Hailee Selassie: An awareness of our past is essential to the establishment of our personality and our identity as Africans.

Curated and written by Filly Gueye