another way

it's a wet t-shirt.
it's red.
it sticks to the skin of a three year old boy.
face down
a camera clicks
still (a)life?
it's a wet t-shirt.
share it.
it's a red wet t-shirt.
tweet tweet tweet
it sticks to the skin of a three year old boy.
an unnamed child washed ashore?
#KıyıyaVuranİnsanlık*
shocking.
15 likes
MeLikeThatYouShareNotThatItHappened
10 comments
MeSoSad! in various versions
2 shares
MeWillCheckBackLaterMaybeThereWillBeMore
scroll down.
cute puppies!
scroll down - a
nother poke from my friend - an
other party invitation ano
ther request to play Farmville -
a not he
a not here
keep scrolling
keep scrolling
keep scrolling
like your life depends on it for
if the image didn't stop you
nothing will.


Rest in Perfect Peace Aylan Kurdi
We are working on another way.




(*humanity washed ashore)

Kwaheri Nzitu...

Nzitu Mawakha 1973-2014

The best piece of advice I ever heard Nzitu giving someone was to “pay attention to the small details…”

„Achte auf die kleinen Dinge!“ hat sie gesagt, und lächelte geheimnisvoll dabei.

My friend Nzitu Mawakha is extremely good at paying attention to the small details.

She’s the one, for example, who introduced me to sparkling wine with pomegranate seeds – Sekt mit Granatapfelkernen schlürfen - believe me, it’s the only way to drink it.

Es gab auch nie einen Roadtrip oder Sleepover ohne Wärmflaschen, Schlabberhosen, dicke Socken und Schokolade. Nzitu versteht viel von der heilenden Kraft von Schokolade, weil sie gerne Harry Potter gelesen hat.

Hadija has already mentioned Nzitu’s ability to listen to the silences, the pauses, the information between the words. In this way she often knows better than you know yourself, how you are really feeling.

Dirk and I once gave her the nickname “Oracle” because of her infinite wisdom, her calm aura, her welcoming manner, her deep insight. We had a beautiful welcoming ceremony for our – at the time – unborn baby. Vielen Dank nochmal liebe Mirjam, dass du uns dieses wunderschöne doch intime Fest im kleinen Kreis am Tag vor Elijahs Geburt organisiert hast! Das gehört zu meinen schönsten Erinnerungen…

We sat in a small circle and told each other our wishes for the baby.Wamilika, du hast gehofft, dass Elijah ein Mädchen wird, bist aber von Yosime and Nayan überstimmt worden, wisst ihr noch? The adults wished very worthy wishes: health, happiness, love, peace, safety, Geborgenheit, Liebe, eine starke Community um sich… until the round reached Nzitu and she said: “I wish that the baby will be cheeky. Frech soll das Baby sein. Your wishes are boring. Wenn das Kind so wird, wie ihr euch wünscht, werden wir gar keinen Spaß haben…”

Yeah Nzitu. Thanks for that.

Manchmal saßen Nzitu und ich in ihrer von Tina schon so wunderbar beschriebenen Küche bis tief in die Nacht, und haben – sage ich diplomatisch - das Verhalten von bestimmten Menschen kritisch kommentiert. Nzitu lachte dann immer von Herzen und sagte: „Oh Sharon, wir kommen nicht in den Himmel!“

Dear Nzitu,

You sometimes laughed and told me “oh Sharon, we are not going to heaven!” when we were alone and sharing our – let’s say – observations on relationships, family and life in Germany.

But I think if heaven is a place in our hearts, then you have been there the whole time.

In Dankbarkeit & Liebe...Daima
Sharon

(a gentle nudge)*

But of course I would have come!

I even think I could have come if…

Well the point is that I tried, right?

No, really! I did.

Because I thought about trying and while I thought about it

I imagined how pleased you would have been, and

That made me feel incredibly warm inside.

Special and important too. For just a few minutes:

I stood right there - my feet immovable -

I stood right there - my one hand held yours
I stood right there - my other hand, a fist in the sky
I stood right there - my head bowed down 
in celebration and commemoration

- and I would have stood right there, of course!

I would have held your hand, no doubt!

I would have if

I would have come.

But you know that already, right?

/…/

You would know that, you say?

Ah, I suppose you would be right if I was

the kind of person who never came

but I would have come. So that’s different.

It really is.

*(dedicated to those who will at some point in the future say, they were going to visit their local sites of non-citizen resistance but sadly didn't make it before the protests ended - victoriously or otherwise)