ALJOHARA JEJE

This series represents a silent story told, a statement, a performance. To lessen misunderstandings in this sensitive subject, let's invoke the book of words, for, beyond words' immediate denotations, they have connotative powers.

THE PROCESS:

Performance (Oxford Dictionary Online): 1. 'An act of presenting a play, concert, or other forms of entertainment; performances are with physical movements but also with spoken words, sounds, noise, this in stark contrast with the contemplative silence of a photograph. Interesting to visualize this tension.

SILENCED:

In general, we women are educated, we learn not to speak our minds ODO 2.1 'A task or operation seen in terms of how successfully it is performed.' But, if we do speak our minds, it is often classified as ODO 1.2 ' A display of exaggerated behavior or a process involving a great deal of unnecessary time and effort; a fuss.'

SILENCED TWICE:

For people with vaginas, orgasms commonly come from the clitoris. Female Genital Mutilation: the most severe — infibulation — is the removal of the clitoris and parts of the external genitalia followed by stitching together of what remains.

Words are like pearls, rolling formed, developed and cultivated over time, treasured, colorful, shiny, lustrous pearls of wisdom.

Pearls, as pure and innocent, symbolizing the clitoris, have an imaginary value. The value of a word, of a clitoris, is what we designate for it.

The title, which is the English pronunciation of the word 'performance' put in writing, is as intelligible when silence(d).

ODO 2.4 'An individual's use of a language, i.e., what a speaker actually says, including hesitations, false starts, and errors. Often contrasted with competence.'