to speak or not to speak

Title: To Speak Or Not To Speak

Year: 2019

Style: Impressions

Medium: Pastel

81.5cm X 91.5cm X 2cm

Weight: 2kgs

Unstretched and Unframed

In late 2018, the situation of my country went from bad to worse, and it seemed like we were headed backwards to an era of totalitarianism where we could only live as told without any objection.

There was a bill to be passed by the Senate on social media and how citizens should engage with it, which came about due to the past occurrences and outrage of my fellow countrymen about bad governance, funds mismanagement and insurgencies.

Social media remains the only platform we have to voice our dissatisfactions about the dehumanization that has been going on. Even our prominent media houses are owned by these perpetrators, so no one speaks the truth anymore.

This imagery was inspired by the several stories untold and unheard, issues of underage girls kidnapped and raped, ripped innocence, hopes and dreams shattered, homes broken, mothers scarred for life. Living in a time with no justice whatsoever, every man living in fear, they are about to take away the only voice we have. This piece functions as a reminder, for now and times to come, that freedom of speech is every human right and it is a right given to every entity and should not be taken away for any reason.