A part documentary, part experimental exploration of a spirituality that binds us to each other, our environment and our ancestors. Guided by a variety of voices, the necessity for global black liberation becomes all the more urgent.
The idea for this film came from my own fascination with different spiritual practices around the world, specifically ideas of seeing oneself as part of a collective; connected to all beings, our ancestors and the environment we live in. Another thing that fascinated me was the various ways different cultures honour their ancestors and maintain a connection with their deceased family by accepting their continued existence and presence in the spiritual realm. In addition to this, ideas of black radicalism and liberation had been heavily circling my mind, and I knew that I wanted to express this through moving image. These two thought processes merged upon reading a quote by writer Kehinde Andrews, in his book, 'Back to Black', “There is a deep spiritual connection that runs through the history of black radicalism… it is based on moving away from the individual to the collective, to understanding that we can never feel joy when the masses are suffering, because they are an extension of ourselves”.
With this project, I aimed to express and gain a deeper insight into how the strive for black liberation intersects with spiritual ideas in touch with the belief systems of our ancestors from the African continent and the idea of seeing ourselves as part of the bigger picture and connected to each other - rather than individuals separate from any struggle or goal not personal to ourselves.
Below is a short clip from the film. Please get in contact if you are interested in viewing the full film.
