our faces and our masks. their faces and their masks.

international | arts and media | opinion/analysis

Saturday October 04, 2003 15:40

by not one of these.

we are not the beautiful. nor cute. is there then place for us in this brave new world?

"Those in authority fear the mask for their power partly resides in identifying, stamping and cataloguing: in knowing who you are...our masks are not to conceal our identity but to reveal it...Today we shall give this resistance a face; for by putting on our masks we reveal our unity; and by raising our voices in the street together, we speak our anger at the facelessness of power..."
whether we cover our face or not our evolving revolution shall never have a face.

lelia khalid 1970 still alive

The young woman in the photograph hijacked a TWA plane in 1970 en route to Damascus.
She didn't wear a mask.
She wore a scarf.
She carried a gun.
She carried her beauty.
She carried her hope.
She carried her innocence.
She carried her guilt.

Then she had plastic surgery so she could do it again without being recognised.

Her cause became a pin up of her beauty her face masked the agony she had hoped to fight.

Or maybe she really want to lose her beauty?

Che Guevara.
something else.
forty years ago.

Marcus.
I couldn't find a photograph.

Mammy Teresa.
too religious.

Black block kids.
they dont like the publicity.

Nelson in jail.
old fashioned.

Mumia.
we shall never forget.

go on.