Ra-eesha Smith is an undergraduate Psychology student with a strong interest in understanding human behaviour and promoting mental well-being. Outside of academics, she is passionate about creating awareness about and addressing social injustices and inequalities. With this aim in mind, she is a youth mobiliser at BottomUp where she assists in facilitating social justice oriented events and workshops. Ra-eesha also uses her social platforms, especially TikTok, to create content that creates awareness on critical social issues, advocating for justice and equality. She is also a freelance photographer and aspiring writer, especially poetry. She enjoys singing, learning languages and exploring new hobbies.

Taahirah Hoosain is a visual artist based in Cape Town, South Africa, specialising in alternative style photography. Taahirah has completed her diploma in Photography at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, her work explores the intersection of identity, culture, and self-expression as well as challenging conventional beauty standards and the structures that uphold them. Outside of her studies, Taahirah volunteers as a youth mobiliser at BottomUp, facilitating social justice events and workshops aimed at youth development. She also enjoys painting, music/singing, and creative makeup. Through her art and activism, she is committed to empowering marginalised voices and fostering an inclusive community.

This episode explores themes of identity, heritage and revolutionary love. Ra-eesha and Taahirah speak about their experiences living on the cape flats in Cape Town. They grapple with what shapes their identity and how to reclaim it. We also briefly tackle how mental health issues are seen and dealt with in communities made up predominantly by people of colour. And of course we tell some hair stories. We hear a beautiful untitled original poem by the two of them:

“As a child it is only natural to look at the world

And let it surround you

You allow the world roll down your face

You let it sink deeper into your skin

As it consumes your entire being.

Stuck between who i was and who i am yet to be

I walk a journey of uncertainty,

Unaware of the destination,

Or the path’s direction,

I hope that I am not lost.

As you continue to watch the world

filled with destruction and disruption

It feels easier to be compressed into nothing

I don't want to occupy any space, I'm fragile, & I perform stability.

Who am I beyond time?

My values? My goals? My achievements?

A soul, body or mind?

I wander restlessly

as I grapple with my identity.

I look into the world for some form of guidance,

But I am met with an unfair reality.

The world constantly brings me to my knees

It brings everyone and everything to its breaking point.

But that is not the narrative I want.

I'm depleted but not defeated

I'm ready to fight, to love radically

To revolt, to change.

To rewrite-

To make a difference in my own capacity.

To love, To give freely,

To be compassionate, to be the change I want to see.

And while I don’t know where I am headed,

I know what I can do now,

So I continue, despite the confusion,

To serve selflessly."

You can view original photography by Ra-eesha and Taahirah on our substack.

Follow Taahirah’s photography on her instagram page.

The music in this episode is composed and arranged by Rashid Epstein Adams / Arkenstone, and Pursuit.

#yeet