“Remember the earth whose skin you are; red earth, black earth, yellow earth, white earth, brown earth, we are earth,” so goes American poet Joy Harjo’s “Remember”. Across 16 pleas, we’re asked to reflect on and exult how we owe our existence to the world around us: our parents and the plants in the ground, the animals, the sky, the sea, and all those other solar systems out there. Girl Ultra – the R&B artist and a current Dazed 100er – recites this thriving, soul-affirming poem as part of the Dazed Text series.
Also known as Mariana de Miguel, Girl Ultra helps us celebrate Dazed’s partnership with the #TOGETHERBAND campaign raising awareness for the United Nations' vital global goals. Back in 2015, world leaders agreed to 17 goals for a better world by 2030, ranging from the fight to end poverty, to empowering young girls, and combating climate change. This Dazed Texts zones in on the ‘Life on Land’ goal – that means promoting more sustainable use of our ecosystems, fighting desertification, managing forests sustainably, and putting a stop to biodiversity loss.
De Miguel’s work provides a comforting, creative space against the backdrop of Mexico’s war on drugs and its residual trauma, her music caring deeply about the human experience, escapism, and beating, emotionally fraught hearts. Who better, then, to perform a poem that speaks to the sanctity of life on this earth? The 24-year old’s stunning debut album, Nuevos Aires, is set to drop later this year – a lush, sensual project tinged with Latin American sonics, which aims to redefine the outside view of Mexico and enforce positivity on the rich, generation-defining culture it has to offer to the world.
While this edition of Dazed Texts speaks to the wonders and wishes of life on land, next month we’ll delve into the ‘Life Below Water’ pledge, a goal that means working to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
Performed by Girl Ultra
Poem by Joy Harjo
Published by W.W. Norton & Company, Inc
Executive produced by Bec Evans