Rula Awwad-Rafferty

Rooted Everyday Cultural Practices of Being and Doing: Embodied Love and Courage for Radical Reckoning narrate authentic self and home. Whether it is the act of carrying on cultural heritage and place knowing through Palestinian Tatriz as my mother and grandmother taught me or keenly peering at the intricate skeletal structure of a cactus plant from my mother’s homeland; I find the power to connect the stories, ask the questions, metaphorically walk the labyrinth and know and find pathways for light and life. Every step, every thread, every breath, every story is deliberate and deeply felt; they all connect into the whole pattern; I owe it to myself and to you, my friend, to take this road.

This was both an intuitive and challenging project to work on. Intuitively, our lives are mired in puzzles of decisions taken without attention to one’s authentic self; it is routine, procedures, protocols, and many more… Yet, deep down, the heart and the mind call for a more profound reckoning that might put us at odds with many, especially with the convergence of many forces that silence, undermine, take away, marginalize, and silence. Our current time presents us with heightened situations that call for radical reckoning if we are to see better futures and if we are to come up with better visions for better futures. Art that allows freedom to explore, unscripted, and connect with one’s values and stories can be a powerful tool for this revelatory practice of reckoning, with an uplift in the spirit and renewed trust in one’s humanity and responsibility.