ANAIIS: THE OASIS

I met Anaiis in 2017, in Pico, Los Angeles —
a meeting that felt less like introduction
and more like recognition.

She was walking beside Azekel and Luigi —
one shaping breath into song,
the other bending strings into prayer —
yet she was already aligned with her own horizon.

Some souls carry their axis within.

Years later, when Darkness at Play was ready to take form,
she chose “Cheikh” from my ndewendeul series.
An image of return.
Of dignity upright.
Of memory refusing erasure.

It became the cover in 2018.
But more than a cover,
it was alignment —
art meeting intention.

Since then, our paths have crossed
between Senegal and London,
as if distance were only rehearsal.

December 3rd.
Islington Assembly Hall.

But days after the stage lights faded,
there was Crystal Palace —

laughter with Youri,
stillness beside Yimi,
the quiet architecture of family.

Because the truest stage
is not elevation,
but foundation.

Then the performance.

She entered in red —
not spectacle,
but offering.

Her movements were measured.
Her voice carried depth without excess.
Nothing forced.
Nothing borrowed.

The audience responded.
Fragrance moved through the room.
Peace settled, almost imperceptibly.

She was not reaching for light.
She was inhabiting it.

An oasis does not announce itself.
It endures.
It serves.
It restores.