This is my story…
TIAFU is a simple action that I choose to inhabit in an effort to remind myself and others of our humanity. It stands for This is all for us. You might ask yourself, what is all for us and who is us? Well as a creative. I believe that art is one of the tools and avenues we as individuals can use to communicate, convey and express parts of ourselves to others. In turn, we can use art to connect with others and begin to understand ourselves and others. TIAFU is this. Art with an aim to change lives, make a difference and provide perspective.
Who is TIAFU for?
TIAFU is for anyone who cares to read, watch and listen. It was born in a hope and an effort to address the divide between many people while seeking to heal the wounds of an individual or set them on a path of healing.
It is for you, this one who doesn’t have a voice or doesn’t know how to use it. It is for you, who has time and doesn’t know what to do with it. It is for you, who is surrounded by people yet feels so alone. It is for you, who wants to make a difference but doesn’t know how. It is for you, who is larger than life and wants to share their light with others.
And it is for you, who doesn’t feel seen and is rarely heard. Of course, this excerpt doesn’t account for everyone but that is the hope of TIAFU. To become a home for those who need it.
What TIAFU aims to do…
Through artistic endeavours, TIAFU aims to tell stories that are real and impactful in an effort to give light to the lives lived with struggles and triumphs that aren’t often seen or told.
TIAFU aims to provide and opportunity for each of us to hold strong to our humanity because at the end of the day, we are all still human. We all experience pain, joy, anger, hatred, fear, anxiety and love.
Thus TIAFU seeks to merely open a door in your mind and in your heart, to remember and let in, what it means to be human.
Values of TIAFU
Learning & Understanding
I create work in an effort to learn about and understand not only myself but understand others, learn from others and for others to be understood.
Integrity
I seek to stay true to myself and my story just as much as I seek to stay true to the stories of others,
Hope & Peace
In the work I create, I seek to embody these values and inspire them in others through the personal sotries I tell and the stories of others I represent in my work.
The inspiration behind TIAFU…
TIAFU was inspired by Ubuntu. A South African ideology that states that “I am because you are.” Remembering ones humanity, the collective humanity and the togetherness that is embedded in being human. Thus in all I seek to do and all I accomplish with my work, I aim to remember that this, is all for us.
– Gabrielle PJ Chitamu
Johannebsurg, ZA
