In our moments of utter despondency we are always comforted
by reflections of the past, that others, or ourselves have endured
and ultimately triumphed. That is the definitive shared history
and as the saying goes, our greatest glory is not in never falling,
but in rising every time we fall.
In history we learn many lessons and as we all know history is a
relentless teacher. If we fail to learn the many lessons of history
or we fail to share the knowledge that we have all created, then
we stand for reprove as we find ourselves inadequate in the
wisdom of the present. This is the shared history of humanity.
A Shared History we have with the diaspora- those unbreakable
sinews encasing memories, dreams, nightmares, traumas and
secrets of the DNA of feeling passed through limbos and rooted
in the trajectories of a shared essentialism.
A Shared History we have with the African continent- the
imagined community based on filial relations dipped not only in
our colonial past but in our ethno-linguistic wholeness.
A Shared history we have with our nation, where we appear as a
small body of determined spirits ablaze with the voracious faith
of a mission and a desire to take actions that make a difference
and maybe change the course of history.
It is at ZIFF 2013 that we celebrate A Shared History.