Witness

I’ve been thinking about social media a lot recently, how we all are constantly seeing horrific images, from not just Gaza but all around the world – from Ukraine, Congo, Sudan, the riots in Bangladesh, school shootings in the USA, and closer to home the treatment of First Nations People in incarceration – and that though our gut reaction might be to look away, to hide from it for the sake of our individual mental health, we cannot afford to.

A friend of mine recently said that they were trying to mentally reframe “doomscrolling” as “bearing witness”, and that really resonates with me. At a minimum, it is each of our responsibility to bear witness, and to not forget. Hopefully this little action might ripple outwards in our lives and become waves of positive change. 

dedicated to the journalists of Gaza

released August 27, 2024

This is A Guide To Saints edition

Credits:

Composed by Connor D’Netto

Performed by Jayson Gillham (piano)

Recorded at Phaedra Studios

Engineered and Mixed by Pat Telfer

Mastering by Lawrence English at Negative Space

Album Art by Connor D’Netto

Source Photography by Francis Frith: Palestine circa 1862 (accessed from the Library of Congress public domain archives)

A special thank you to Pat Telfer and Lawrence English for donating your time and skills recording/mixing/mastering this track.

Acknowledgements:

I acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation, Traditional Custodians of the lands where I live, work, and create – lands on which First Nations communities have been creating and sharing music, art and culture for thousands of generations. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present, and I recognise the vital ongoing contributions First Nations communities continue to make on our music and arts scenes. This always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.

I also acknowledge all Indigenous Peoples worldwide, their continued fight for freedom from settler-colonialism and occupation, and recognise the interconnectedness of these, all struggles for justice and works towards a world free from oppression for everyone.