“Two Truths Can Exist at Once”, acrylic on handstitched viscose fabric, installation, 2025.

When I first adopted the Dera/Dirac in my work in 2022, I was amused at the contrasting (oftentimes unsolicited) feedback I’d receive in response to the dress. Majority of the femmes loved it as much as I do, but there were also substantial “dera-haters” and with them “anti-dera” opinions served. It is this feedback received that planted seeds for me to consider expanding my exploration of rest. Because it was clear that the Dera/Dirac/Baahti dress was so much more than a “lazy girl” dress ☺. 

But it was not until 2024, while working on the first “Ode To Somalia..” paintings, that I figured out what tools I could best utilize for this new trajectory of the work. I had started off by collecting and noting down all the dera-related commentary and feedback I had received in the last few years, and compiled them into a Pro- and Anti- list of sorts. I built on this list of commentary through my reading and research on the dress and its origins via archival newspaper articles, blog posts, and local lore. It is this list that then birthed the installation, “Two Truths Can Exist at Once”. I’d like to thank Marion Kithi and Crystal Akusa for allowing me to incorporate parts of their articles in this work.

Consisting of plain viscose fabric, that I handstitched into the dresses (my Grade 4 Home Science teacher would be so proud of my uniform backstitch ☺), I then stenciled on the quotes (with my nieces help, as we worked to buzzer beat the exhibition install and opening) in acrylic. 

Image credits: James Wasswa

References:

1. “Drop That Dera!!”, by Crystal Okusa, 2018, Eve Woman, The Standard;https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/evewoman/fashion-tips/article/2001242084/drop-that-dera

2. “Kanzu Ama Dera? The Evolution of the Sensual Garment Women Love and Men Drool Over”, by Marion Kithi, 2022, The Standard;https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/sports/capital-feature/2001447091/dera-the-sensual-dress-taking-over-closets#google_vignette