May Day Greetings
Much Respect to all workers on this Labour Day. As people of the African circle we understand that our relationship to the dominant global culture has historically and in the contemporaray era, been defined by the exploitation of the natural resources of the motherland and of our labor at home and abroad. The recognition of this dynamic as a critical axis in the ongoing oppression of Africans everywhere, is vital to us being clear about the universal scope of white supremacy and the multifaceted dimensions of imperialism.
That the militant violence, political manipulation by the West, has similar intent as the ongoing/institutionalized economic stranglehold via the many organs eg WTO, IMF et al. That intent is the total domination of the labour and resources of those people and their lands who fail to fit the profile of the ruling class, the global elite. If you are the other, the immigrant, the suspicious youth , then you are illegal and subject to the whimsical opinion of those who are or identify with the dominant culture. In this equation the position and prospect for those who labor is clear. The boss rules and the interests and human rights of labor has as much currency, as that of the enslaved of foregone days, the human dying while crossing the vile barriers called borders, or the African youth slain at the hands of the security forces or others with the pedigree of those historically licensed to use violence, licensed to kill.
The exploitation of the worker, the abuse of African, the dehumanization of the immigrant are inextricably linked to the greed, privilege and domination of the those who rule the empires . Workers, Africans you know which side are you on, where we must stand in the struggle for the rights of woman and man.
Justice, dignity and power to the workers, those who produce the wealth of the world.
Big Respect to the nations of the Southern Cone for liberating the working people of the Americas and yes to Bolivia for nationalizing the national grid.
Organize for the victory of workers everywhere, the only way to defeat imperialism.
Solidarity Forever
Sizwe
International solidarity is not an act of charity: It is an act of unity between allies fighting on different terrains toward the same objective. The foremost of these objectives is to aid the development of humanity to the highest level possible.
Samora Machel
Workers of the world awaken. Break your chains, demand your rights. All the wealth you make is taken, by exploiting parasites. Shall you kneel in deep submission from your cradle to your grave. Is the height of your ambition to be a good and willing slave?
Joe Hill
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Greetings Family
Wishing you and your family the very best on this 62nd commemoration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This Declaration is quite possibly one of the most important statements on the desire of humanity, to truly value the irreducible worth of all humanity. I was greatly inspired and heartened by the events here in Atlanta Georgia to mark this occasion and honor the work on so many of it's unsung champions dedicated to the cause of creating a much better world. I must mention the very ,artistic, commemorative production of RISE, presented at the Rialto downtown Atlanta, on Friday 10th Dec, 2010, Intl Human Rights Day.
Despite this, I note the tremendous contradictions and too pervasive denial of human rights of way too many sisters and brothers. We have much work to do and cannot rely on the dominant institutions of power, to give up their privileged positions for the benefit of the common people.
So I would like to salute Sister Alice Lovelace and all the members of the collective, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, who came together to mark this crucial anniversary and rededicate themselves and the city of Atlanta, to the cause of human rights and dignity for all. Much respect to the stirring and passionate performances of the brilliant artists who expressed in their work--dance, song, poetry-- the essence of the challenges to human rights and the beautiful tapestry, rhyme and rhythm of life, of a beautiful tomorrow, that is well within our grasp if we dare reach for that vision.
Much respect to all Mother Earth massive
Sizwe
Wishing you and your family the very best on this 62nd commemoration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This Declaration is quite possibly one of the most important statements on the desire of humanity, to truly value the irreducible worth of all humanity. I was greatly inspired and heartened by the events here in Atlanta Georgia to mark this occasion and honor the work on so many of it's unsung champions dedicated to the cause of creating a much better world. I must mention the very ,artistic, commemorative production of RISE, presented at the Rialto downtown Atlanta, on Friday 10th Dec, 2010, Intl Human Rights Day.
Despite this, I note the tremendous contradictions and too pervasive denial of human rights of way too many sisters and brothers. We have much work to do and cannot rely on the dominant institutions of power, to give up their privileged positions for the benefit of the common people.
So I would like to salute Sister Alice Lovelace and all the members of the collective, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, who came together to mark this crucial anniversary and rededicate themselves and the city of Atlanta, to the cause of human rights and dignity for all. Much respect to the stirring and passionate performances of the brilliant artists who expressed in their work--dance, song, poetry-- the essence of the challenges to human rights and the beautiful tapestry, rhyme and rhythm of life, of a beautiful tomorrow, that is well within our grasp if we dare reach for that vision.
Much respect to all Mother Earth massive
On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which appears in the following pages. Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories."
PREAMBLE
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,
Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,
Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,
Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.
Article 1.
- All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Article 2.
- Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Article 3.
- Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 4.
- No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5.
- No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 6.
- Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 7.
- All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
Article 8.
- Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
Article 9.
- No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Article 10.
- Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
Article 11.
- (1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
- (2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.
Article 12.
- No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
Article 13.
- (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
- (2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.
Article 14.
- (1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
- (2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 15.
- (1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.
- (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.
Article 16.
- (1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
- (2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
- (3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
Article 17.
- (1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
- (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Article 18.
- Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
Article 19.
- Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Article 20.
- (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
- (2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
Article 21.
- (1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
- (2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
- (3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
Article 22.
- Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.
Article 23.
- (1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
- (2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
- (3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
- (4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
Article 24.
- Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Article 25.
- (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
- (2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
Article 26.
- (1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
- (2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
- (3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
Article 27.
- (1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
- (2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.
Article 28.
- Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.
Article 29.
- (1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
- (2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
- (3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 30.
- Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
Sizwe
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Human Rights and the Congo
Greetings Family, Salutations
On the eve of this International Human Rights Day, I would like to again call your attention to the world's most devastating human rights crisis.....the ongoing slaughter, horrific acts of rape, displacement of whole communities, devastation of the natural environment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Indeed this war that seems to express itself as internecine, is at it's root, feed by an insatiable demand by the global economy for the vital resources of the Congo. This horror that in scope, approximates the suffering of WWII, and is a tragic continuum of the nightmare of obscene creation of Leoplold's so called Congo Free State, is the blood sacrifice of African people, payment for the flourishing of the dominant global order. No excuse for those on the ground , (FDLR- ex Interhamwe, FPLC,Mai Mai and FRF amongst others), corrupt politicians in the DRC , Great Lakes states and beyond. But surely those who benefit most,who have historically fueled and funded the slaughter, organized the endless supplies of arms and equipment needed to keep the bandits in the field must bear ultimate responsibility for the violation of the human rights of the people of the DRC. So on this International Human Rights Day it is incumbent upon those of us who care, have a conscience or just horrified that our consumption of the high tech items of modern life, come at the expense of the lifeblood of our brothers and sisters, to speak up and act.The slaughter must stop and Lumumba's dream, the human rights and dignity of our people must be restored.
The Congo is not poor, but impoverished by the greed of Western predators.
These sisters and brothers are not terrorists, but savagely abused in their own homeland, now by our own children for the benefit of the invader.
The DRC is not the heart of darkness, but the shining light, the pulsating heart of Africa that is alive and striding into a better tomorrow in the beautiful promise of our children .
Peace, justice and sovereignty for the Congolese people. Onward to victory for all African people.
Join with and help build the Pan African movement for the liberation, sovereignty and dignity of the Congolese people.
Demand that the Pan African world fulfill it's sacred duty to our struggling sisters and brothers.
Challenge the AU to honorably discharge it's constitutional duty
Demand accountability from the international community... bring the robbers of Africa to justice, demand respect from the MONUSCO peacekeeping mission.
Call on your local community to stand up for Human Rights in the DRC and everywhere.
Request media coverage commensurate with the magnitude of this human tragedy.
Visit the Friends of the Congo website and join the "Break the Silence Campaign"
We will not forget the suffering in Rwanda or the MAAFA
JANUARY 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
50th Anniversary of the Assassination of Patrice Emery Lumumba
Films, Forums, Teach-ins, Rallies
Click here to find out about Patrice Lumumba
Contact: info@friendsofthecongo.org in order to participate.
Sizwe
View below study on Friends of the Congo website
Sexual Violence Against Women and Girls During
the War in the Democratic Republic of Congo
South Kivu (1996-2003)
“They have destroyed our bodies and stripped us of our possessions.”
(M.C., KASHEKE, KALEHE, SOUTH KIVU, DRC)
“The use of rape in conflict reflects the inequalities women face in
their everyday lives in peacetime. Until governments live up to their
obligations to ensure equality, and end discrimination against women,
rape will continue to be a favourite weapon of the aggressor.”
(AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: HUMAN RIGHTS ARE WOMEN’S RIGHTS, LONDON, 1995
Women's Bodies as a Battleground: Sexual Violence Against Women and Girls During the War in the Democratic Republic of Congo (PDF)
By Marie Claire Omanyondo Ohambe, Jean Berckmans Bahananga Muhigwa, Barnabe Mulyuumba Wa Mamba, Martine Rene Galloy, Ndeya Sow, and Catherine Hall
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Reflections on Thanksgiving Day
Been a long long time.but here we are, another Thanksgiving, a promise of hope, appreciation and love for all we cherish, love for family. I am thankful for all who share this wonderful journey.
Yet I would be remiss if I fail to reflect on the historic meaning and implications for our lives and our indigenous sisters and brothers. For many Thanksgiving is a bitter irony, the proverbial "twisting of the knife in the wound". Even as I appreciate the sincerity and devotion so evident in the celebration of many of our homes, today I stand in solidarity with the first peoples of this land, for whom the meaning of this day could only lead to mourning. Yet even as they mourn, the people still stand, bent but not conquered.
The European Invasion and continued occupation of this land has ushered in one of the most complete and devastating holocausts in history. A history of genocide and broken treaties, of crimes against humanity that continues even today. Some of us will not forget, for as Bro Malcom offered "We didn't land on Plymouth Rock,..... Plymouth Rock landed on us.".
So celebrate yes, but with integrity and awareness of the MAAFA, wrought on those who like us paid and continue to pay a mortal price, for the what the oppressor is really celebrating....the power and privilege of the empire. Some of us seek a different dream and know the difference from the nightmare.
It is time for justice, liberation and self-determination for the first people for all people.
Just in case this message triggers too much sadness be renewed, by the words of the people themselves, "We are still here, still strong"
Salute and be uplifted by the work, the long walk of Ojibwa Warrior..Dennis Banks", Leonard Peltier, Chief Joseph, Joanne Shenandoah, Crazy Horse, Vernon Bellecourt and so many others
Humbly offering solidarity and much love, I am Sizwe
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Imani
Habarigani
Imani.....Faith.....
Belief in our elders, family, friends, leaders, our community.
Yeabo
For those honored to carry this name, I salute you, for this is a mesmerizing responsibility a promise to never say never.
Imani is an absolute affirmation of "A Luta Continua".
For us who wage righteous struggle, there is no defeat, there can be no retreat.
This conviction, as it has come forth, in this journey of humanity that our people started, has been an ever present inspiration.
In the joy of victory, or even when it has illuded us. Our people have kept
the faith, and with heads held, high integrity intact, even in apparent finality of demise, we have been able to embrace that offering with grace, knowing that the circle is unbroken, there is no end.
Imani: Affirming Victory
It was Auset, affirming Imani
Gathering dismembered personage of her beloved Ausar Aset
Believing that, it is not over, not the end
Convinced that we today
Would continue this most tender love story
Of gathering together
Reuniting the dismembered parts of our circle
Our African family
It was in the cry of the children of Soweto
As the rose against the obscenity of settler colonialism
"They can't kill us all"
Something inside was so strong (Labi Sifre)
And Bob chant, "it's the fyah that's burning down everything"
Imani
In the hearts of our beloved
Stranded in the onslaught of Katrina
And the filth of/abuse neglect by rulers
But reaching through slimy waters
Believing that hands, our hands would be there
And youth were among those that came
Came to the rescue
It was Imani
in the hearts of ancestors
Facing the MAAFA of slavery
Heads bent, but hearts still defiant
Daring to believe in deliverance
Some day, through us
It was the audacity of faith,
Here in the belly of the beast
Here in the USA
Our people faced down
White supremacy
Exposing vile entrails, contradictions
Derailing oppressor's agenda
Self determination
Equal Rights and Justice
It is faith in
Resilience of our people in Congo
Sisters beaten, raped, brutalized
Rise and recover bringing forth the dawn
Aching, but unstoppable in conviction
We can
We must create better tomorrows
It was faith
Certain of victory
Our ancestors rose in Haiti
To rebel against the military/industrial might
Rebel against empire
Threw off the shackles of oppression
Broke it's back
It was Imani
In hearts of Women of Liberia
As they prayed the devil back to hell
Belief and Conviction
The standard,peace and justice held aloft
Commanded the world
"End the carnage"
No morbid obsession
This is promise to the future.
The captive, enslaved ancestor, daring to resist
Knowing only, if death found them, trying to be free
Their bleached bones would signal the path
The path to liberty
For us following in their wake
Demise...never in vain as long as we struggle
It is faith
Principle, Imani
Facing certain death, our people rallied
They, always carried on
In Grenada still we remember Julian Fedon
.."The hour will strike again"
But if the end came,
Claude McKay's words came, too:
If we must die, let us die
''Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack,
Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!''
Imani
Lives on forever in the promise to carry on
It is in the pledge we make
To the ancestors, to each other now and to those on their way
A Luta Continua
I suggest Labi Sifre's "Something Inside So Strong" as a wonderful complement to
the Principle of Imani.
Respect and apreciation
Imani.....Faith.....
Belief in our elders, family, friends, leaders, our community.
Yeabo
For those honored to carry this name, I salute you, for this is a mesmerizing responsibility a promise to never say never.
Imani is an absolute affirmation of "A Luta Continua".
For us who wage righteous struggle, there is no defeat, there can be no retreat.
This conviction, as it has come forth, in this journey of humanity that our people started, has been an ever present inspiration.
In the joy of victory, or even when it has illuded us. Our people have kept
the faith, and with heads held, high integrity intact, even in apparent finality of demise, we have been able to embrace that offering with grace, knowing that the circle is unbroken, there is no end.
Imani: Affirming Victory
It was Auset, affirming Imani
Gathering dismembered personage of her beloved Ausar Aset
Believing that, it is not over, not the end
Convinced that we today
Would continue this most tender love story
Of gathering together
Reuniting the dismembered parts of our circle
Our African family
It was in the cry of the children of Soweto
As the rose against the obscenity of settler colonialism
"They can't kill us all"
Something inside was so strong (Labi Sifre)
And Bob chant, "it's the fyah that's burning down everything"
Imani
In the hearts of our beloved
Stranded in the onslaught of Katrina
And the filth of/abuse neglect by rulers
But reaching through slimy waters
Believing that hands, our hands would be there
And youth were among those that came
Came to the rescue
It was Imani
in the hearts of ancestors
Facing the MAAFA of slavery
Heads bent, but hearts still defiant
Daring to believe in deliverance
Some day, through us
It was the audacity of faith,
Here in the belly of the beast
Here in the USA
Our people faced down
White supremacy
Exposing vile entrails, contradictions
Derailing oppressor's agenda
Self determination
Equal Rights and Justice
It is faith in
Resilience of our people in Congo
Sisters beaten, raped, brutalized
Rise and recover bringing forth the dawn
Aching, but unstoppable in conviction
We can
We must create better tomorrows
It was faith
Certain of victory
Our ancestors rose in Haiti
To rebel against the military/industrial might
Rebel against empire
Threw off the shackles of oppression
Broke it's back
It was Imani
In hearts of Women of Liberia
As they prayed the devil back to hell
Belief and Conviction
The standard,peace and justice held aloft
Commanded the world
"End the carnage"
No morbid obsession
This is promise to the future.
The captive, enslaved ancestor, daring to resist
Knowing only, if death found them, trying to be free
Their bleached bones would signal the path
The path to liberty
For us following in their wake
Demise...never in vain as long as we struggle
It is faith
Principle, Imani
Facing certain death, our people rallied
They, always carried on
In Grenada still we remember Julian Fedon
.."The hour will strike again"
But if the end came,
Claude McKay's words came, too:
If we must die, let us die
''Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack,
Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!''
Imani
Lives on forever in the promise to carry on
It is in the pledge we make
To the ancestors, to each other now and to those on their way
A Luta Continua
I suggest Labi Sifre's "Something Inside So Strong" as a wonderful complement to
the Principle of Imani.
Respect and apreciation
Kuumba
Habarigani
Kuumba.....Creativity
Well this is what it's all about isn't it. The fact is that we have the potential, the gift and indeed the responsibility to be creative and we are, just look around.
Despite the contradictions and the seemingly overwhelming challenges we still rise.
However one problem, is that others often seem to benefit more from our creativity more than we do. Our talents regularly, going to those who would exploit us.
So the principle of creativity, being used to uplift our community is a fundamental requirement for our liberation, restoration and transcendence.
The system of global domination, needs us, we don't need it. If we would only trust and dare to reconnect with our true identity.
Try this, envision what possibilities obtain when our humanity is unbound.
We would define for ourselves what purpose is and mobilize our creativity to bring forth a vision rooted in our essence.
As the brother, Bunny Wailer noted in an interview on WRFG in the ATL, " We who are the original man, have no business copying anyone".
Or Dr Martin Luther King Jnr., (paraphrasing) observing that if all we will do is be a carbon copy of oppression, we may as well stop fighting against it.
I take that to mean that we have to create our own world...Kujichagulia.
No one will teach us, it is not in their curriculum, the system has no clue and really, our self-knowledge is our responsibility.
Take a serious look at our history and observe, how against overwhelming odds we bent but were never broken and still we rose.
So goes the flight of the Phoenix.
In summary, I would like to appreciate two precious forces in our lives, that which conceives us, and that which nourishes us into fruition. In my opinion, reproduction, sex, is potentially, the most sacred encounter between humans, and the bringing forth and nourishing of life, is the ultimate expression of our being and becoming...our creativity.
Western culture and some from the east, have turned this sacred duty, into an obscenity, characterized the creative act of love as a sin, then used it to oppress us, commercialized it and now sells sex back to us.
In the era of the crime, the terror of slavery, imagine how debase a system, supposedly commissioned by the white man's god, or others ( according to their own pronouncements), a system that violated the womb of the African woman, used it as playground for their depravity.
But ultimately to use the children produced as chattel for a machine with one singular aim...profit over all. Then like today, greed rules.
The essential purpose of our creativity, to bring forth the future, with love and integrity was thus subverted, during the MAAFA and it's legacy.
Some now look with scorn on the very process that created us all.
The sordid legacy lingers in obscenities, so freely hurled around, defiling motherhood and is a violent affront to our humanity.
I believe that in expressions of our creativity, we must with deep appreciation honor our sisters, women who permit us to share in this divine creative process.
Not only do they stand at the gateway of our entrance to the world, they are the gateway through which our tomorrows enter.
The scope of our human capacity will be in full effect, only when we affirm, the value of this offering, as we all entered through this loving expression of creativity, that is the African woman.
Kuumba
Kuumba.....Creativity
Well this is what it's all about isn't it. The fact is that we have the potential, the gift and indeed the responsibility to be creative and we are, just look around.
Despite the contradictions and the seemingly overwhelming challenges we still rise.
However one problem, is that others often seem to benefit more from our creativity more than we do. Our talents regularly, going to those who would exploit us.
So the principle of creativity, being used to uplift our community is a fundamental requirement for our liberation, restoration and transcendence.
The system of global domination, needs us, we don't need it. If we would only trust and dare to reconnect with our true identity.
Try this, envision what possibilities obtain when our humanity is unbound.
We would define for ourselves what purpose is and mobilize our creativity to bring forth a vision rooted in our essence.
As the brother, Bunny Wailer noted in an interview on WRFG in the ATL, " We who are the original man, have no business copying anyone".
Or Dr Martin Luther King Jnr., (paraphrasing) observing that if all we will do is be a carbon copy of oppression, we may as well stop fighting against it.
I take that to mean that we have to create our own world...Kujichagulia.
No one will teach us, it is not in their curriculum, the system has no clue and really, our self-knowledge is our responsibility.
Take a serious look at our history and observe, how against overwhelming odds we bent but were never broken and still we rose.
So goes the flight of the Phoenix.
In summary, I would like to appreciate two precious forces in our lives, that which conceives us, and that which nourishes us into fruition. In my opinion, reproduction, sex, is potentially, the most sacred encounter between humans, and the bringing forth and nourishing of life, is the ultimate expression of our being and becoming...our creativity.
Western culture and some from the east, have turned this sacred duty, into an obscenity, characterized the creative act of love as a sin, then used it to oppress us, commercialized it and now sells sex back to us.
In the era of the crime, the terror of slavery, imagine how debase a system, supposedly commissioned by the white man's god, or others ( according to their own pronouncements), a system that violated the womb of the African woman, used it as playground for their depravity.
But ultimately to use the children produced as chattel for a machine with one singular aim...profit over all. Then like today, greed rules.
The essential purpose of our creativity, to bring forth the future, with love and integrity was thus subverted, during the MAAFA and it's legacy.
Some now look with scorn on the very process that created us all.
The sordid legacy lingers in obscenities, so freely hurled around, defiling motherhood and is a violent affront to our humanity.
I believe that in expressions of our creativity, we must with deep appreciation honor our sisters, women who permit us to share in this divine creative process.
Not only do they stand at the gateway of our entrance to the world, they are the gateway through which our tomorrows enter.
The scope of our human capacity will be in full effect, only when we affirm, the value of this offering, as we all entered through this loving expression of creativity, that is the African woman.
Kuumba
Nia
Habarigani
It occurs to me that the lifting up of a purposeful life, one of meaning, mission and I assume
dedicated to serving the vital needs of our community by fulfilling our creative potential,
is what Nia is intended to solicit.
Well in my humble opinion, few put it better than Frantz Fanon in his refrain that,
"Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it"
( Sounds like self-determination)
In order for us to answer the command of this principle, crystal clarity of the relationships
that inform our essential experience and therefore functional identity, is key.
After all, how can I know or discover what my purpose is, if I don't first deal with the question
of identity. In identity, I am not just referring to those organic physical or emotional characteristics
that determine personality. But to the elements that inform our relationships, to other humans,
nature etc. I speak of power...the capacity to impact our environment and related elements.
With a crisp appreciation of ourselves, and yes the wisdom of self love, clarity
about our identity and the integrity of our relationships will become clear. It is then that we
can answer Fanon's challenge.
Well if you agree, what is our essential purpose, what is the most defining aspect of our
relationship to the dominant culture. Although there is some variation, for the most part we
do not define our reality, but are defined by that culture. Essentially a captive, freedom
becomes an illusion, even for those who climb the heralded heights of Western Culture.
Yes to our credit, our valiant people, have sought to fulfill the sacred mission liberation,
of restoration, our natural impulse to experience the world and each other,in ways true
to our essential humanity. But neither house or field slave, even if we run the big house,has
attained this prize of self dertermination. both remain captive.
The choices now with us, as before with our noble ancestors remain consistent. The sacred
mission of the captive is to escape form the bonds that bind him, or at least break the chains
in the process. Yes, we have marron communities as one model...Palamres, Quilombo etc.
I am not advising any action, but concluding that one way to embrace the principle of Nia,
is to rise to the challenge to "discover that historic mission and fulfill it" .
For the integrity our progeny, their human rights and dignity to be secured, we must fulfill
the mission of breaking the chains that would deny that irreducible validation of our
humanity. We would have to be about the very sacred and vital mission, of always trying
to break out of the perverse clutches of this Babylon system
Nia
It occurs to me that the lifting up of a purposeful life, one of meaning, mission and I assume
dedicated to serving the vital needs of our community by fulfilling our creative potential,
is what Nia is intended to solicit.
Well in my humble opinion, few put it better than Frantz Fanon in his refrain that,
"Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it"
( Sounds like self-determination)
In order for us to answer the command of this principle, crystal clarity of the relationships
that inform our essential experience and therefore functional identity, is key.
After all, how can I know or discover what my purpose is, if I don't first deal with the question
of identity. In identity, I am not just referring to those organic physical or emotional characteristics
that determine personality. But to the elements that inform our relationships, to other humans,
nature etc. I speak of power...the capacity to impact our environment and related elements.
With a crisp appreciation of ourselves, and yes the wisdom of self love, clarity
about our identity and the integrity of our relationships will become clear. It is then that we
can answer Fanon's challenge.
Well if you agree, what is our essential purpose, what is the most defining aspect of our
relationship to the dominant culture. Although there is some variation, for the most part we
do not define our reality, but are defined by that culture. Essentially a captive, freedom
becomes an illusion, even for those who climb the heralded heights of Western Culture.
Yes to our credit, our valiant people, have sought to fulfill the sacred mission liberation,
of restoration, our natural impulse to experience the world and each other,in ways true
to our essential humanity. But neither house or field slave, even if we run the big house,has
attained this prize of self dertermination. both remain captive.
The choices now with us, as before with our noble ancestors remain consistent. The sacred
mission of the captive is to escape form the bonds that bind him, or at least break the chains
in the process. Yes, we have marron communities as one model...Palamres, Quilombo etc.
I am not advising any action, but concluding that one way to embrace the principle of Nia,
is to rise to the challenge to "discover that historic mission and fulfill it" .
For the integrity our progeny, their human rights and dignity to be secured, we must fulfill
the mission of breaking the chains that would deny that irreducible validation of our
humanity. We would have to be about the very sacred and vital mission, of always trying
to break out of the perverse clutches of this Babylon system
Nia
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