TW: sexual assault.
Michelle Mountjoy‘s latest offering, titled “Hierdie Is Nie Liefde Nie” (‘This Is Not Love’), is a powerful call to action, shedding light on South Africa’s fight against gender-based violence.
Featuring Hunter Kennedy (Die Heuwels Fantasties, Fokofpolisiekar, aKING), and written in collaboration with Fred den Hartog, the track is a sensitively powerful pop offering hinged on rolling bass lines and space-age synthesisers.
The track has also received the backing of the TEARS Foundation, of whom Mountjoy is a proud ambassador herself. The organisation offers crisis intervention, counselling and prevention education services for those impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault, teaming up with Mountjoy in support of the United Nations campaign ’16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children’.
Using her platform to advocate for a safer South Africa, Mountjoy speaks from a place of sincerity–a survivor of domestic abuse herself, she means every word she sings, reminding us that true love is never violent.
Viewers may find the video unsettling, directed by Jacques Van Rensburg, with shots of Mountjoy and Kennedy’s bruised faces looking directly into the camera, never once averting their unapologetic gaze. It’s not a pretty picture, nor is it supposed to be, punctuated by abstract 16mm footage–a stormy sky; a man running amidst a lush field of green towards the horizon; the silhouette of a hand pressed up against glass–making for an intriguing and impactful offering that deserves all our attention.
Feature pic supplied by artist
