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the peak-a-boo lashes, 1960s

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Scenes similar with the vibe of the Nacerima article and their obsession with purifying the human body through daily rituals of affliction, such as styling hair.

Dippity-Do Hair Gel (1970)

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The idea of surgery and organ donation was foreign and forbidden in Layla’s religion, calling into question her ability to balance her career with her beliefs, particularly when her father falls ill.

وَخُلِقَ الْإِنسَانُ ضَعِيفًا

“..and mankind was created weak.” — Sūrat an-Nisāʼ (4:28)

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“Allâh’a tevekkül edene, Allah kâfîdir !..” Hayırlı Cumalar…

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Quotes from the Qur’an.

The Qur’an and its teachings on the sacredness of the human body dictated immense amount of Layla’s family’s health journey. In particular, it prevented her father from having surgery.

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Yesterday, when visiting a traditional healer, saw a reliance on old practices and herbs or other naturally occurring substances, as compared to the forms and sterile instruments she saw in the bio-medicine doctors office.

cinemagraph artist on instagram

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A sangoma (traditional healer) - somewhere in the mountains, Lesotho

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Images that reflect the nature of traditional healers, as seen in Yesterday. The reliance on traditional healers in many African communities, as compared to the faith in medical doctors, is strong, lending to itself the idea of a cross between tradition and bio medicine influencing patients.

Witch Doctor aesthetic

requested by at least 5 people, surprisingly

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They also believe that a strong relationship exists between oral and moral characteristics.

Horace Miner, Body Rituals Among the Nacerima

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The isolated walks Yesterday took reflected her beginning journey into an isolated lifestyle, as society saw her and dirty, immoral, and unworthy due to her illness. Her narrative deeply showed how much society emphasizes health as a determinant of a person’s worth.

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The universal phenomenon of mothers trying to rid their children of dirt and uncleanliness, in order to reflect a positive social skin on them, and increase their likelihood of acceptance into society.

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Standard body rituals of the Nacerima.

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Societal idealization of a social skin and the pull for women to achieve this standard in order to have a healthy body.

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The social circles among all groups of persons is closed knit. For Yesterday, the desire to be accepted by her peers drove her to great lengths in order to protect her husband and herself when they fell ill. The rejection they felt for being HIV positive was a reflection of the culture’s value of health as a determinant of social character.

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The focus of this activity is the human body, the appearance and health of which loom as a dominant concern in the ethos of the people.

Horace Miner, Body Rituals Among the Nacerima

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A visual representation of the cross cultural emphasis that Layla felt as she began balancing her religion and her exploration into the medical field.

Female surgeons operate in Al-Jalla hospital, Libya