GIVE HER A CROWN
LISTEN TO 'REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE':
Remember Who You Are
The #GiveHerACrown campaign is a female empowerment platform that aims to positively influence the narrative of South African women through the power of storytelling and the arts.
In 2019 I discovered the magic of giving myself a crown. I designed and had different styles of crowns made for me.
It changed the way I saw myself in a very fun and childlike way. When I was asked by the Change Collective to be the ambassador for the #GiveHerACrown campaign I felt immediate alignment.
As part of the campaign, 16 artists have created bespoke crowns in their choice of material. These crowns are being auctioned off during the 16 days of activism against #GBV in South Africa. Proceeds will go towards educational projects engendering gender equality in the coming generations.
" Give her a crown and watch them sing
Make her lord and make her King"
"Give him a crown
and watch them sing
Make him Queen
and bring him peace"
Remember Who You Are
The Song
The song is a message for myself primarily.
I too carry the legacy of abuse in my body and mind and at times it is hard to remember my wholeness.
Remember Who You Are invites us to make childhood sacred before a child chooses a story of victim / perpetrator. It calls for us to see each other as perfect reflections of Nature. What is there not to love?
The song and my upcoming album (March 2021 release) are produced by the genie Mr Sakitumi:
The Music Video!
Directed by the extraordinary visual artist, and director Inka Kendzia, the video is joyful and celebratory.
The video was shot in the tactile artist Mark Rautenbach's studio and features his extraordinary art from his current exhibition"World Worlding" to be shown mid December-January 2020 in Cape Town.
Please visit their sites for more info:
As ambassador for the campaign I was asked to write a song. I went out into a wide open natural landscape with my guitar and a flask of water. I considered myself as a part of the landscape … I considered the birds singing, the mountains in their majesty and later the splendour of the stars.
I considered how we are all made of matter and as such are connected with all living things. The question formed: if the stars, mountains and birds are perfect then is the case not the same with us as humans?
I thought of so many examples of hurtful flaws in our humanity where we reach out and hurt each other deeply… I thought about how wounded we have to be to wound another so.
I then wondered … if we could place a high premium on elevating the sanctity of the time of childhood so that every child feels themselves as perfect as the forests and the skies then perhaps we could prevent them from becoming victims and perpetrators later on in life.
I’m therefore really thrilled that the crowdfunding campaign attached to #GiveHerACrown will be geared towards creating a transformative educational programme to train and empower teachers to champion gender equality with their students using creativity and storytelling to drive empathy and behavioural change.