“I became aware of how much of my life, whether we are in a pandemic or not, was already socially distant.”
In this excerpt, activist and writer Olave Nduwanje speaks about her experiences of labour during this current pandemic. She highlights how, as a black trans-femme in this society, she has always felt the discomfort of being disconnected from conventional social conditions. Her feeling of discomfort contrasts with the perception most of society has developed due to the restrictive measures as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic. Olave emphasizes how dissociating it feels to suddenly see so many people speak about feelings of isolation, uncertainty and unsafety so freely; even though she has been experiencing similar feelings for most of her existence.
“Who stole the right to be lazy?”
Olave offers insight into her home office and how labour and the domestic are informed through colonialism and reshaped through our contemporary use of technology. The ambiguous (dis↔)comfort of turning your home into a workspace may mean that rest is never allowed. The thin boundary between work and home slowly but surely dissolves, merging one into the other, forming a constant sense of pressure to be productive at home.
This sonic memory of a black trans-femme navigating her day-to-day existence during a global pandemic is one of many indispensable/impactful/valuable narratives told in the upcoming mixtape 𝐼𝑡'𝑠 𝐴 𝑄𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑂𝑓 𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟, 𝐼𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝐼𝑡 curated, assembled and composed by Amal Alhaag and Em’kal Eyongakpa. The mixtape will be released on 01-02-2021; so be sure to listen in on our Instagram/social media channels and be ready for a sonic voyage through intimate storytelling.