Dust Prayer by Khairani Barokka

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Dust Prayer

Khairani Barokka

Artist Bio

Khairani Barokka is Editor of Modern Poetry in Translation, and a writer and artist from Jakarta. Her work has been presented widely internationally, and centres disability justice as anticolonial praxis and environmental justice. Among her honours, she has been Modern Poetry in Translation's Inaugural Poet-in-Residence, a UNFPA Indonesian Young Leader Driving Social Change, an Artforum Must-See, UK Associate Artist at Delfina Foundation, and Associate Artist at the National Centre for Writing (UK). Okka's work includes being author-illustrator of Indigenous Species (Tilted Axis), author of Rope (Nine Arches), and co-editor of Stairs and Whispers: D/deaf and Disabled Poets Write Back (Nine Arches). Her latest book is Ultimatum Orangutan (Nine Arches), shortlisted for the Barbellion Prize.

http://khairanibarokka.com

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Position yourself ready for prayer – whatever that means for you.

Close your eyes.

We’ll begin with a breathing exercise.

Take a deep breath in, for four seconds.

Hold your breath for five seconds.

Exhale for six seconds.

We will repeat these breathing instructions.

Take a deep breath in, for four seconds.

Hold your breath for five seconds.

Exhale for six seconds.

You can come back to this breathing rhythm throughout the video.

Now imagine you are going to perform a dust prayer.

Imagine the dust in your mind.

Imagine cleansing as much of your body with dust as possible, performing dust ablutions, wiping your face and arms with it.

Imagine it cleansing you.

Now, imagine you are facilitating other people’s dust prayers.

Imagine bringing dust to people who need it for prayers, especially (other) ill and/or disabled people whose mobility may necessitate dust ablutions rather than water ablutions. Imagine bringing their wishes to them.

Open your eyes.