SPOTLIGHT 2 #GESKEVA

Name The Word

Geskeva explores the meaning of a name in this spoken word piece about her heritage, culture and ancestry. The piece was previously performed as part of the spoken word element for the Nocturnal x Midsumma nights at the Melbourne Museum curated by the powerhouse creative, Candy Bowers in February 2019.

Geskeva has now teamed up with Mo Komba (Diafrix, Alt. Music Group) to produce a representation of self and creativity.

The Nguni people of Tanzania my ancestors, fled from South Africa in the 1800’s. My name was given to me by my father, it was also the name of my great aunt. It’s origins derive from one of the language groups of the Nguni people surrounding Lake Nyasa, a region in Southern Tanzania. Just like two sides of a coin my name also has two sides to what it means.

Geskeva

Meaning:
You can’t weed out your orphanage

That feeling of being lonely
Being on your own even though you’re surrounded by so many people Isolated thoughts not connected to anyone else’s mind but your own
Abandoned in a cell, within a cell
Your voice echoes against the walls and bounce right back to you
The scratching of your pen fills the room and it’s the only thing you hear
Your thoughts fill your head and become so loud that you start feel like you’re not alone
No reflection to remind you of what you look like
And no other voice but yours to remind you that you are alone
Silence forced onto you without you being able to exercise it at your own free will
Anxiety creeps into your body and it makes you feel so small
Cold air fills your lungs and as you shudder it makes you remember that your black skin is the only blanket you have to keep you warm
Being deprived of connecting to those who make you who you are
And holding on tight to the memories of family, love and community to keep you sane
So you don’t fade away

Geskeva

Meaning:
Removing the suffrage of being alone

I am because you are
A reality that is stronger than any dream we could ever have
Because you are an affinity so strong it’s in the world so deep
Because you are one of the foundations for the vision of us standing together for radical change

You are because I am
Able to find peace amongst others who have the same vision
Because I am the reflection you had dreamed of for you had faith
Because I am the child of a nation of beasts that aren’t weak
Because I am the future you saw grow with hope for a better tomorrow
Because I am continuing that long walk to freedom side by side with kin
Because I am part of a generation who will always speak
Because I am one of the single bursts of liberation that you saw when you were alone
Because I am empowered by your grace and the courage of our people
Because I am one of thousands of beacons that’ll bring all that havoc that you could not reap
I am because you are and you are because I am

My father giving me the name Geskeva was a way for him to name his reality of being alone in Australia, the reality of his father and of his grandfather, and of navigating their culture alone. They couldn’t weed out their orphanage.

My name was given according to events, given to me as a person who made a change into someone else’s life by removing the suffrage of being alone.

My birth was a gift, given as a way to say thanks, that they are no longer alone as they began to build new families so they could continue their culture.

By naming the word, my father named his world.