Holy by Jamilia Woods is what you play when you’re tired of the idea of being lonely when you are alone.
THE PLAY LIST
Holy by Jamila Woods. I don’t know when this started, but for a while now relationships have been set up as a mark of success. It was one of those things I simply accepted. Then one day I thought: “Nah, who decided that having a boo thing takes me up a level?” Relationships are a choice, not an achievement. And because I always back up an epiphany with a jam, I went on a hunt through my music collection and found Holy. The song isn’t a jab at relationships; it’s what you play when you’re tired of this idea of being lonely when you are alone. It’s a happy song. (ZH)
The Essential by TKZee. I’m back in 1999 and it’s as lit as it was when this music poured into me from bad speakers during high school parties that I was not allowed to attend. Kwaito is an experience. (MB)
THE READING LIST
I Am That by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. This book was a gift from my brother, who has always encouraged spirituality outside the religious constraints we were raised with. Before reading this book a few years ago, he thought he had capped his capacity of awareness and found it encouraged him to expand his understanding of being. The book uses conversational dialogue, between the spiritual teacher and those who seek his guidance, to delve into a consciousness that surpasses worldliness. If I had to put the teachings into a box, I’d have to use the word cosmic. (ZH)
Essays on Black Theology, edited by Mokgethi Motlhabi. This is a rare collection of essays that put black consciousness, its definitions and historical applications at its centre, around which pivots the ideas of spiritual and religious practice that takes into account the experiences of black people in the world’s racial history. It was originally published in 1972 and includes essays by Steve Biko, Adam Small, Reverend Bonganjalo Goba, Dr Akin Omoyajowo and Motlhabi, among others. It’s a guiding light in the week where Biko’s spirit is entering the afternoon of its legacy. (MB)
The Lists were compiled by Friday editor Milisuthando Bongela and Friday intern Zaza Hlalethwa