SPEAK[EZ]

Tracking the DRC conflict

2008-11-12T12:30:00.008Z

following site provided by Kofucius...

help spread the word about : http://drc.ushahidi.com/

Briefly:

- An estimated 4 million people have died in the DRC since fighting broke out in 1998, mainly over the country's immense mineral wealth (of which foreign multi-nationals have much interest in, thus largely influencing the conflict)- It has been the world’s deadliest conflict since World War II

- The five year war (termed "Africa's World War) involved Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Rwanda. It ended officially in 2003 although violence and unrest have continued since, especially in the Eastern part of the country

- General Nkunda's rebel forces began fighting again this past August (his rebel group did not join the ceasefire and integrate in to the congolose army). Nkunda has stated that he is fighting to protect the Tutsi community from Rwandan Hutu rebels in the DRC (many also claim he is fighting for political power that would also give him power over the DRC's mineral wealth)

- THe UN has its largest mission of 17,000 peacekeeping forces in the region. Their mandate is to help pacify the region, improve border security, and monitor an arms embargo. Some advocate for a more forceful UN mandate while many countries have failed to send more if any troops to the region.

- Although many have returned home as violence has slightly decreased, there are still some 1.5 million internally displaced or refugees

- As with most conflicts in Africa, the current situation has much to do with the legacy of colonialism ( From the violent 1885 Belgian imposition of colonial rule by King Leopold II to US and European support for their Cold War ally, Mobutu Sese Soko)

DRC:

- 3rd largest country in Africa

- fertile land

- 74% of the country is covered in rainforest (2nd largest in the world)

- rivers with abundant hydroelectric potential

- coltan (used to make mobile phones)

- Cobalt

-copper

- cadmium

- petroleum

- industrial and gem diamonds

- gold

- silver

- zinc

- manganese

- tin,

- germanium

- uranium

- radium,

- bauxite

- iron ore

- coal

........... and much much more

Hamilton Naki

2008-11-11T21:43:00.004Z

Sometimes one comes across extremely interesting pieces of information that completely alter one's perception of a certain historic moment in time- for the better. Christiaan Barnard was the cool cat who performed the very first heart transplant on December 3, 1967 in Cape Town, South Africa. As SA lived under the apartheid regime at the time, of course there were no black doctors.

Hamilton Naki worked as a gardener at the University of Capetown during that time. He became interested in medicine so he would sneak into the labs after work and during the night to read the textbooks on medicine as well as observe doctors while they were performing surgeries. He became a self-taught lab technician who gained much appraise from the doctors who worked on campus for his surgical research and performance. Despite his lack of education, formal medical training, or official credentials, doctors there began letting him assist in medical operations. He was such an acute learner that he was considered one of the best"doctors" at the university among those who kept Naki's practice covert. So much so that Christian Barnard requested that Naki secretly assist him in performing the first ever heart transplant (secretly because at the time it was illegal for a black person to touch a white patient). His contribution was kept secret for 3 decades. Naki retired in 1991 on a gardener’s pension, but in 2002 was awarded the Order of Mapungubwe for his contributions to medical science. In 2003 he received an honorary master’s degree in medicine from the University of Cape Town.

"It is not the existence of a race and ethnic group or anything of the kind that define the behaviours of a human aggregate. No, it is the social environment and the problems arising from the reactions to this environment and the reactions of the human beings in question. All this defines the behaviour of the human aggregate " - Amilcar Cabral

You Shall be Missed Miriam Makeba

2008-11-10T16:37:00.004Z

http://www.miriammakeba.co.za/

Hope and Progress :)

2008-11-07T12:16:00.009Z

Hey friends,

first and foremost, congratualtions America :)

I'm kinda really sick at the moment so I cannot go to work or be online much. I snuck on however, to post this so everybody can know that I am not avoiding your emails and i have definitely not forgotten about anyone, im just not really able to maneuver much. Ive been having these hella painful heachaches that basically take over my whole body...and fever, so i have to get all these tests done and take some meds that make me highly unproductive...

but i'm ok, so worry not ... and how could i not be all smiles about knowing that Bush is soon to be out of the White House and that he will be replaced with a Democrat (who is hot, by the way) who at least gives us a reason to have HOPE that things are gonna change for the better.

peace+balance :)

Me trying to find meaning in my current job occupation

2008-10-21T14:01:00.002+01:00

Ill-Literacy's Natural Electricity Tour

2008-10-21T13:20:00.004+01:00

My people,

so its been years since I last posted. Between my trip to S.Tomé, work. flowers and the elections (even though I am not in the states), life's been crazy. Believe it or not, many debates, lectures and information sesssions have been held here in Cape Verde about the 2008 U.S presidential elections. I do not think a presidential election has ever been so important to the world.

To kick off my return to blogging, I would like to bring to your attention spoken word collective Ill-Literacy and their fall NATURAL ELECTRICTY tour. I performed with Ill-Literacy in 2006 for an AIDS conference that a group of us had organized in Paris. They are an interesting bunch of artists whose hard work and efforts deserve the exposure. Being where I am, I cannot attend their gigs but I know some of you are within driving distance and/or are alums of some of the colleges they will be performing at.

Dahlak, a member of the ill-lit crew, just released a mixtape tribute to Kanye. Although I am not Kany'es biggest fan (but i do like him, kiiiinda), I am a fan of Nico, who features on Dahlak's first single off of the mixtape. Nico is oh so witty when he spits...you can get a free download of You Never Know here!

Oh No She DIDN'T (finger snap snap)

2008-09-12T12:28:00.006+01:00

No, you were definitely not imagining it. Sarah Palin DID say that she would consider going to war with Russia over Georgia. She DID NOT know what the Bush Doctrine referred to. She DID indeed say that the United States should not second guess anything Israel feels it needs to do to secure its nation. And YES, she does support oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska (GASP!!!)

Note: My mama is tough... but cool :)

2008-09-11T18:51:00.004+01:00

I am just about the worst blogger in the world yo.... but it is so hard to keep up everyday! I don't know how people do it, seriously!

But anyways, I just wanted to talk about my mom for a couple of minutes. My mom is the most overprotective mother you will come across in your lifetime, I can guarantee you that. I am 23 years old and I still cannot get her to realize that she cannot control my ever step. However, there are many things about my mama that I would not change for the world! Besides the fact that I love her more than any other human being alive, she really knows how to do her thing in the kitchen and keep the overall family in good healthy shape.

You see, when I am living on my own I have more freedom, no curfew and I do not make my bed every morning before I leave the house - and that's really nice to be able to do. However, when I am not living near Mama Tchida, I am sooooooooooo unhealthy. I do not even really eat that much, but when I eat its usually junk. When I'm with my mom, I eat so much that anyone watching would think that soon I will turn into a little piglet or a rolling ball. Funny thing is, when I'm home, i eat twice as much, but so much healthier...and the healthy food actually tastes good!!!!

For example, when I'm away, I usually eat cereal or a yogurt for breakfast if Iget up in time (and coffee is a given of course.)But check out my hmmmmmmmmmmmmm bf here at home,

im just sayin'

just thought i'd share :)

Thoughts on Brain Drain

2008-08-26T13:24:00.006+01:00

I came across an article, while reading Africa Unchained, which I found on Kofi's blogroll, saying that many experts are beginning to believe that Brain Drain has a positive impact on Africa.

The problem with Brain Drain however does not only lie in the worker, but also the country recruiting those workers. Generally, many of the skilled workers who go study abroad or choose to stay in the country where they received their education are given incentives by that country to stay there. In the Capeverdean case, it is rare that a student does not return after getting their diploma. Their lifestyle in Cape Verde is usually much better off than it would be in the United States or France with university credentials. After independence in 1975, countries such as Germany and Portugal, on the one hand, would try to recruit the capeverdean students who graduated top in their classes but not pay them the same salaries as nationals, of course. Cuba, Brazil and the former Soviet Union, on the other hand, made it their objective to send skilled workers back to newly independent African and Asian countries. Brain Drain is by definition the exodus of skilled workers from their home countries, but most of the time, that exodus is initiated by the receiving country. For example, Sarkozy is trying to restrict immigration into France but is also trying to include laws that facilitate immigration of people who have Master’s Degrees or higher.

While I understand where certain economists are coming from when they take on the concept of Brain Drain from a purely economic/financial/ statistical standpoint, I cannot help but to think of the social, psychological aspect of Brain Drain when looking at those who leave their home countries and go abroad. It is a lot harder to return than many think, even if you provide certain incentives and restrictions that would eventually convince or force them to return to their home countries. I fully agree that studying abroad gives non-Europeans/Americans an interesting perspective and a certain level of know-how and experience that they would not necessarily receive at home. However, instead of restricting the acquirement of such knowledge to the Occident, why not work towards establishing institutions with the proper materials and conditions to provide that same level of learning to students in their own countries, with the option of studying abroad. I just feel like we are automatically trying to find solutions that propogate the Dependance Theory by trying to find solutions that get skilled workers to go back to their countries instead of finding ways to provide the kind of education they need in their very own backyards so that they are not forced to leave in the first place.

Many of my friends who are second and third generation Africans and Asians (sorry to bunch you all up in two continents like that, heheee) dedicate their time and energy to achieving sustainable development in their home countries.... but most of them see going back home and working as out of the question. Many say they first want to be economically potent and established in order to "make a difference", which I completely understand and others love their parents’ home countries, but just not to actually live there, hahaaaa, and I completely understand that as well. After all, when you are born and raised in the states, as much as you hate to deny it, you are American. If you are not born and raised, at least for a while, in the country where your parents are from, I do not believe one has the obligation to work or live there, or even like it for that matter. Home is where your heart, memories, desires and ambitions are. It is one thing to be conscience of the problems that plague the African and Asian continent and quite another to try to tackle those problems in the field.

I am definitely not going to front. Because my interests have always been geared towards following a career in the area of sustainable development, I have always looked forward to one day working in Cabo Verde, but I never planned for it to be so soon, and when I came back, I was not expecting my assimilation into capeverdean society to be so difficult.

To conclude, because it is normal to want to live, work and start a family where you feel most comfortable, I think it is important to create the necessary conditions to educate Africans and Asians in African and Aisa, at levels beyond high school that can compete with the best institutions in Europe and the Americas, rather than continuing to rely on the few immigrants that actually choose to go back.

Ya dig?

peace + balance

p.s. picture taken from UNESCO site

OHHHHH DEEEAR: For Rosalie

2008-08-26T11:34:00.012+01:00

I know I am constantly complaining about how much I miss my friends and fam in the states…and I am always reminiscing about old times, blah ladi ladi da….i knoooow. But I can’t help it! Take Rosalie for instance. When I left the states she was about 10 years old and now she is about to start highschool! And she likes boys! And she knows the lyrics to Lupe Fiasco songs! She can do her own hair, she pays attention to how cute she looks and is voicing her opinion in complete coherent sentences…and I missed that whole transition part so it was crazy to spend part of this summer with a cousin who has turned into a mature young woman (not) before my eyes. I am so proud of her. She plays the violin and is going to try out for volleyball in highschool (after about 10 years of pressuring her to play football, heehee).

I did spend half of the summer yellin’ at her because she spends all her time on the net chatting to her little friends but I have to say that internet communications is going to help me a lot with though. She is entering a phase in life that I always wanted to be present for. I never had an older sibling to give me advice about highschool life or puberty so I went to G.S. with an automatic defense guard up that made me come off as mean or pretentious. I don’t want Rosalie to be as insecure as I was and even though I yelled at her for chatting with her buddies all the time, I am grateful for the advances in technology that are going to allow me to be there for her even though an ocean separates us….and that goes for all of you as well. Can you imagine if I could not chat with you online or read your blogs or look at the most up-to-date pics of u….I would know nothing of you guys. I love having that lil’ insight into what’s going on in everyone’s lives. Those 5 minute chats or just hellos in passing to go to work or a class really make my day yo….for real.

This summer, seeing Rose as a young woman has made me feel very very old and oh so proud of you. And don’t worry, I shall eat the last piece of your auntie’s delicious homemade lasagna that you love oh so much, with you in mind :)

So Rosalie, as you embarck on your new journey I want you always to remember this quote and ask yourself this question:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? "

(This quote is often attributed to the great Nelson Mandela, but I am pretty sure he did not originally say this.... i dig it though :) )

I really miss those days with u...

.......................... or maybe not actually

you are sooooo white yo. If u had come out with Auntie Rosa's hair and not that nappy ball on your head, that u have since permed, i would think u were french, hehehe. Ok Ok, I know i'm not the darkest one in our bunch, hehehehe. Note: CapeVerde = Mother Africa's melting pot

thank you + Nha Terra S.Nicolau+ pics

2008-08-14T17:44:00.011+01:00

Beautiful people,

First and foremost, thank you all for remembering me on my 23rd bday... it was soooo nice to receive all your messages :)

Instead of partying and doing all that was expected from me on that day, I stayed home instead. It was a day of reflection upon this past year of my life. I was able to reflect mainly because i couldn't move after stuffing my face with my mother's special lunch and my neighbor's special desserts :).

Mama's special lunch:

- octupus cooked on a traditional wood fire

- grilled shrimp

- plantains

- capeverdean cuscus

- white wine (made in Fogo, Cabo Verde :) )

Neighbor´s (Sofia) special dessert:

- traditional capeverdean rum cake!!!!!!

- capeverdean style cheesecake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Year 22 definitely was definitely not the best year for me but I'm treatin' year 23 completely different. Changes will definitely be made in the life and times of Crislaine Brito Medina and i'm hoping those changes will lead me to see many of you very very sooooon

So to start off positive:
As some of you may or not may not know, Cabo Verde is made up of ten islands and eight islets. We currently have two local airlines that fly between the ten islands except for Brava and Sta. Lucia, which do not have airports. However, since Sao Nicolau is not on the government's list of priorities, flights to and from my mother's hometown are scarce, especially during the summertime and there are many immigrants that fly in from the States, Holland, France, England, etc. to visit the motherland.

Sooooo, all of the above makes it hard for me to flind flights to Sao Nicolau but aaaaahhhh HA! I found two tickets for Rosalie and me two weeks ago that came back on Sunday...so i went to visit my granma!!!!!!!!!!! Ya'll would not believe how GREEN my village is. It has not rained this much in years!!!!! Being there was an amazing experience, especially for my lil cuz who is soooooooooooooooooo American. Unfortunately however, due to climate change and high elevation I got a li sick and couldnt fly back on Sunday. The next available flight was the following Wednesday..... i wasn't too upset about that though :)

Check out the beeeeeeautiful, breathtaking island of S.Nicolau---- and my villagetown , Todj

the lil' yellow house is my family's...where my granma currently lives

This football pitch is usually dry as anything and all u usually see is dirt and a ball made out of socks being kicked around.... check that out FIFA!!

This is called "fundo" (deep) where people go to wash clothes because there isrunning water there. You have to climb down a steep rocky cliff to actually et there, thats why they call it "fundo".

typical village center building...i got plans for S.Nicolau one day...

The wrinkely white lady in the middle is my Queen, my granma!!!!

Tarrafel is a fishing village that is quickly becoming modern and developed... the beaches there have black sand, which is used for thereaupetic treatments... and yes, i sucked up my cowardly fear of heights and travelled there by car on the sketchiest road eeeeeeeever :) I love Cabo Verde, Mama A.

For Real, I mean really President GW Jr...I mean for real maaaaan

2008-08-07T17:29:00.003+01:00

My people !! Yadadai!!

I have not posted since my return to Cabo Verde. To be quite honest, it has not been a result of no time, energy or topics to write about. I just have been in the mood to write my own personal things and not necessarily post them for the world to see. However, just before logging on to tell you guys what I have been ùp to in my mamaland, I made a stop at nytimes.com and was immediately struck with intense, sarcastic laughter when I read the article about Bush's visit to Thailand. I mean foooorrrrrr reeeeeeaallll, besides the fact that Thailand is not the best location to make a speech about democracy and human rights (but what country really is right?), GW Jr. actually had the balls to condemn the human rights situation in Burma Myanmar and China the very same day that Osama Bin Laden's former driver,Salim Ahmed Hamdan, was convicted of one out of two war crimes charges filed against him by Bush's new military commissions system.

We are talking about the same Mr. Hamdan from Hamdan v. Rumsfeld (2006), a case in which the supreme court of the United States ruled that the military commissions set up by Bush and his posse violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice aaaaaaand Common Article 3 of the Genevas Conventions which states the following:

In the case of armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties, each Party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following provisions:
(1) Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed 'hors de combat' by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria.
To this end, the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:
(a) violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;
(b) taking of hostages;
(c) outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment;
(d) the passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.
(2) The wounded and sick shall be collected and cared for.
An impartial humanitarian body, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, may offer its services to the Parties to the conflict.
The Parties to the conflict should further endeavour to bring into force, by means of special agreements, all or part of the other provisions of the present Convention.
The application of the preceding provisions shall not affect the legal status of the Parties to the conflict.

I know it is easy to condemn, criticize and crucify Bush so usually I can hold my tongue when it comes to him because I have so many people to do the talking for me. However, the Hamdan ruling got my blood boiling again because I started thinking about the damn Military Commissions Act passed by the U.S. Congress. I just still cannot believe it. So, since it is normal that the average american or non-american even, is not completely familiar with the act, I have decided to post it to demonstrate that in the face of discussions surrounding human rights, Bush is no one to even slightly go there on the issue as he did in his speech in Thailand.

The Military Comssions Act:

-has consequences for citizens and non-citizens alike

- authorizes the President to detain, without charges, anyone whom he deems an unlawful enemy combatant

-eliminates habeas corpus review for aliens.

-makes providing "material support" to terrorists punishable by military commission.

-procedures allow for coerced testimony, the use of "sanitized classified information" (where the source is not disclosed)

- trial for offenses not historically subject to trial by military commissions. (Terrorism is not historically a military offense; it's a crime.)

-allows the president to authorize interrogation techniques that may nonetheless violate the Geneva Conventions and provides future and retroactive immunity for those who engage in or authorize those acts.

So, where do we draw the line between a lawful and unlawful enemy combatant? This act has eliminated any legal safeguards and has essentially allowed the Bush administration to conduct a manhunt against anyone they want to because they have refused to deem anyone a lawful enemy combatant, everyone is a terrorist and therefore subject to whichever methods the Bush administration deems necessary to carry out their persecution of the "enemy" (whoever that seems to be") and spread their power and control over strategic areas of interest around the world. So Bush is noone to talk about humanity and morals when his administration has designed an act to better control american citizens and non-citizens alike through fear (Boy i hear Foucault ringing in my ears).

Of course, the current administration is not the first government to follow through with such heinous acts but the U.S. government, as all governments, has the obligation to learn from past mistakes and events. Moreover, as arguably the most powerful country in the world, the U.S. is also obliged to set certain standards and adhere to binding treaties it has taken upon herself to sign! Why is it so much easier for us to want to hold China accountable for its violations and not the U.S.??? I am appalled by the role China has played in destabilizing certain African goverments and inter-continental relations as well as its conduct towards its own citizens but I thought four times before publicly condemning China without analyzing the why behind China's actions. Of course China should be held accountable but I am not going to sabotage its Olympics and hold a population accountable for something they cannot control. I know I'm digressing but my thoughts get all mixed when i get excited....but anyways, I am just tired about hearing all the fuss about China when noone steps back to analyze the past 100 years of China's history and noone steps back to notice how Muslims are viewed today. I have friends that I went to college with who had to leave the states because their dorm was set on fire. I know people who are afraid to walk around with their headscarves on. I know people who have changed their names from Ahmed to Charles! Of course I do not want Iran in possession of nuclear weapons but do we forget that it is practically 100% certain that Israel has them!!!!!! Do we forget that the U.S. has not complied with its obligations outlined in the nuclear non-proliferation treaty along with several other countries!!!

I mean seriously Bush! I am not saying we should not call out other goverments when they act a fool because I am a solid believer in making the world smaller and slowly eliminating borders (i know i know, idealism at its best ) but I seriously cannot looooook or listeeeen to you anymore!!!!

I'd rather listen to Sarkozy..... and that is saying aaaaaaaaaaalot.

ok, now that I've gotten out, I wish you all a very happy fun-filled weekend. I'm back to blogging so yea...

peace&balance friends :)

A lil note of news

2008-07-18T17:02:00.002+01:00

My people,

I am off to Cabo Verde, my mamaland, for minimum one month. I leave on Sunday. Just when I'm adapting to the Canary Islands in a positive manner, they up and send me away. I'm hoping to sort out some bizness and set down my terms so that someday I save enough mula to make it to grad school.

I'm not trying to downplay the beautiful island of Sal, but I am oft not online there because the internet likes to play tricks on me. I'll try to post my work and ideas, hoping that I'll be inspired by my surroundings, as often as I can.

Peace, balance and love to the handful of you who acually read my silly blog. I love you all

Fiyah Fresh

2008-07-17T13:09:00.005+01:00

Nowadays if I'm not rockin' my headphones on at work it is imposisble to be productive in any sort of way. We got this pamphlet about work conditions and the Dos and Don'ts concerning the workplace and I beg to differ when they tell me it is harmful to listen to music on my headphones...ok, maybe it can damage my eardrum thingies but how can I not bump to music that is soooo sooooo soooo freeeesh!!! And besides, I need something to remind me every other minute that life is not only about what exists in the present :)

I looooove it

Obama on Foreign Policy

2008-07-16T10:29:00.004+01:00

The U.S presidential elections have captivated the whole world. Everyone is itching for change in the face of our current economic and political crisis. Now that it has hit home for many Americans, people are actually starting to pay attention to foreign policy, particularly that of the United States. Given the current situation, Obama's foreign policy speech focused mainly on Iraq and Afghanistan and he failed to make specific references to any other countries, choosing instead to quickly allude to Africa and the rest of the Middle East, noting his interest in creating stronger relationships with the AU and curbing Iran's nuclear potential because it is an ally of states that support terror. I wasn't too happy about the manner in which he spoke about Iran but he partly made up for it when he insisted that the only way of "containing" Iran is if the U.S. actually follows through with the responsibilites and measures laid out in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty. I'm glad, even though it was done indirectly, that he referenced the U.S.'s failure to go through with its commitments.

I have to say that even though I cannot vote, I am semi-obsessed with the U.S. elections and yearn to see democrats win the elections. I have been wary about Obama because many people were focusing on the wrong things when he won the running ticket. Don't get me wrong, something stirred in me when I saw someone win the nomination that does not speak with a Southern accent, was not born into wealth, and is bi-racial all at the same time, but I was scared that people were not following up on his policies and ideas so that's why I have posted the speech he made last night. When (if you are jocking Obama like I am) you defend his candidacy, fill yourself in on his policies because you can actually use them as arguments, hahahahaaaa.

peace my people

Thoughts on Thoughts about Hip Hip

2008-07-09T22:52:00.007+01:00

Maame was right. Blogging is definitely a commitment and it has certainly been difficult for me to keep up with my postings. I guess it's also because I only want to post when I reeeeeeally feel like it, and i don't always feel like sharing my mediocre thoughts with others, :).

I have been working on a response to all the talk about hip hop and whether its "dead". People interested in the subject have been circulating a lot of great thoughts and opinions concerning hip hop on their blogs and now, more than ever before, there has been a lot of scholarly writing focused on hip hop culture and where it's going. Well, I am a firm believer that hip hop (and hip hop means and represents different things to different people) is definitely not dead. From my point of view, it is more alive than ever. I crumpled up what I had been writing and threw it in the bin (that i recycle) just because I realized I was being too structured with what I was writing. When it comes to talking about hip hop I always try to choose my words so carefully because I want people to understand exactly what hip hop means to me. However, as I was writing I realized that what hip hop means to me is a feeling shared by many people that have an interest in the genre. Soooo, I want to talk about what Bothers me most by some of the writings I have come across.

I know hip hop is a culture that was born from struggle and a need for a voice that translated into creative genius. It has not only become a voice for the Black American community in the United States. It speaks for other minority groups in the states as well as all over the world. Hip hop exists everywhere you go nowadays. When I was in Paris I got so tired of hearing mainstream american stuff on the radio that I failed to see what was going on in "french" communities. The hip hop that comes out France is incredibly fresh (i mean, not all of it but...) The play on words, rhymes, it's got its own style. Its everyhwere; London, Moscow, Lagos, Karachi, Buenos Aires, Jerusalem, Addis, hip hop is universal. BUTTTTT, I do not see why we have to limit rights to hip hop and its "essence" or understanding to minority groups who were formally colonized by "the white man". I'm tired of people talking about hip hop as if its exclusive to a certain people. If we do that, we are making the same mistake certain European countries made when they stumbled upon their colonies or the same mistake Bush and his possy are making today when they label muslims as terrorists. Yes, minorities struggle in a country that is not their own and yes, i love hip hop for providing them with hope, determination and happiness, but in no way do lovers of hip hop who are minorities have a "right" to put down "white people". When I hear certain friends of mine who are either spoken word artists or musicians throw that term around, I wonder why they get so upset when we are continually treated as an Other(if you havent, i recommend checkin out Edward Said's Orientalism). I might not like country music or line dancing but I am definitely going to respect it. And that's all I ask, respect. Let's not develop the superioirty complex that has created words like "faggot", "nigger", "7-11","gook"guinea""(list can go on an on) Because if I make those kinds of references I cannot expect someone to categorize me in ways that I do not want to be categorized in. If a white person is going to get respect in the hip hop community only if they grew up in a bad neighborhood and have the ability to spit lyrics then i definitely question whether we have learned anything from hip hop.

I mean, i am not trying to make the case that whites are suffering as a result of segragational behaviors practiced in the hip hop community. I just do not believe in segregation, the world is too globalized and mixed to go backwards to pre-civil rights era so why do we keep singing that same tune even after all history has taught us. I mean, its great that 2nd and 3rd generation Ghanaiens, Nigerians, Filipinos, Capeverdeans, Columbians, Jamaicans, Cubans, Afghanis, Chinese, Koreans etc want to stick to their roots and be nationalistic but we have to do WAY MORE than that now. We have to actually KNOW what the hell we are talking about and what changes need to be made and how we are going to make them. It's one thing to be aware that your people became destined to live unfortunately for several generations due to colonialism, war and abuse but it is a completely different to take action and consciencely decide to be better. Unfortunately history has dealt minority groups that card. No matter where we are in the world, we always have to take that extra step and be even better than another to be recognized but hell, let's step up to it. Speaking up helps...a lot. But when we speak up, it should not be solely to criticise, we also have to contruct, plant seeds (and this goes for me as well people).

So please remember that sometimes it is much easier to point fingers at others and not yourself.

And I know I am going to get a lot of criticism for this piece but I feel like when certain people I love , respect, admire or know speak like this--- well it feels as if people think that hate is some kind of natural inherent feeling.... and i might be an idealist but i definitely do not think it is.

When I think of Hip hop, i think of progress ..... and i would like to keep it that way.

To end on a happy note and relating back to the diversity of hip hop, here is what I am listening to right now:

It's past my bedtime... peace and thank you for reading this far

Haikus: Love and Politics

2008-06-28T23:41:00.004+01:00

I:
Your features wake me
I taste the curve of your lips,
My morning breakfast

II:
Speeches and Discourse
A + for you Obama
please do not fail Truth

III:
I trip over you
like a voyage to the sky
catch me if I fall

Throwback: Fall 2006

2008-06-28T20:24:00.009+01:00

( photos by Alicia Karpetsky)

I met some amazing souls during my time at AUP. The spoken word crew was tight. When we first started it was only a handful of us. We would invade someone's apartment, light up and just breathe poetry. Each person had their own style, their own personal platforms and their exclusive passions. I heart those days. When the calm streets of the 7th quarter were sleeping , we were just beginning our climax- spitting verses while wiping away tears and sharing emotions at the top of our lungs - expressing our love, anger or admiration of any one thing, event, person, idea. Fall 2006 is etched in my memory. Sophia had exchanged emails with a Spoken word collective from the Bay area , Ill-literacy, and they were interested in coming to AUP to perform. The idea of an AIDS conference was born from a lot of hard work and determination. I had never seen AUP host such an event. I mean, hip hop culture in Europe generally does not go beyond the most mainstream of the mainstream, let alone spoken word...but when i think about it, what better place to live spoken word than Paris...a city that holds art as one of the most sacred of gifts to humans...

So0000, this is part of a poem that I wrote for our spoken word performance in commemoration of International AIDS day (we made it international ma'freakin aids WEEK up in dat biiiatch). Joe and I worked on this poem together and turned out a beautiful duo piece but i haven't included the parts we did together cos I havent spoken to him in forever and a day...if i track down his globe-trotting behind ill see if i can get his blessing to publish the whole piece.

That being said,

What Next?
It's a question asked, but often missed
hiding behind God’s prayer and below his mist
I rest no hopes on his future’s hiss
We live to die amongst each other’s midst
Foggy and blue
lives loosen around my finger tips
and its my felt tip with which words inscript my wish to live
Beyond crypted lists of ten commandments
And wishlists of things we should do
But fail

Frail hands eclipse the shadows of death that surround my loved ones hips
They surface on his figure
Prints
Of his life reduced to minutes,
His physical thighs diminished
from years of insistence on living life
To images of soars bleeding strife, beyond violations of human rights
His fight
Was to mate with the memory of what was, his life

How can I bear Witness to What’s next
When my future has been displaced years behind today’s current events
I live his yesterday’s dreams like it’s the present tense

Because he
did not deserve to die bent over his knees trying to defeat death
He
did not deserve to cry
in the reflection of his daughter’s eyes
Watchin’ her father release his last breath
And I ask myself where does God draw the line
so fine and meticulous
so divine and articulate
when he says, “It’s Time”…

Organization and Freedom: Do they mix?

2008-06-27T09:40:00.006+01:00

I depend heavily on my planner. Given my poor memory and the many things I hope to accomplish in a given day, I write it all down and assign symbols to my different levels of accomplishment or the lack thereof . I'm a prisoner of my diary. Even if I don't complete something on my to do list I insist on recognizing it with some kind of x mark or frowning face, depending on my mood and the importance of the task. Sometimes I wish I could just be free from deadlines...

Freedom
She lingers between the lines of my to do list
And plays hide and seek amongst my pen strokes
Dodging my efficiency in hopes of blending into the ink of my scribbles
Freedom forms an entity with the various checkmarks and symbols
Watching as they bring me closer to feelings of accomplishment,
Freedom follows their rhythm
She simulates abolishment by lingering in the smudges left behind by my left hand
Freedom’s timing
It’s perfect
Finding my psychological clock, she works it back to a time collapsed in my memories and confined in compartments of incompletes
Freedom defeats the pillar of due dates and flirts with those who have escaped the reach of tomorrow
She follows them back to yesterday and treats them to a cocktail of justifications
Falling asleep between hope and determination
Freedom wakes to the stark realization that actually,
She had fucked failure
She had tasted the flavors of laziness and licked the spine of procrastination
Feeling braver, her tongue explored the depths of inability and tickled the contours of defeat
Her feet began to tingle
Signaling the anticipation of her climax and the instability of her senses,
She grips false intentions in search of balance and challenges her very nature, begging for a final throttle that will release her
Feasting his eyes on freedom he cannot resist testing his limits, he expands her legs, contracts his thighs,
And decides

Fuck it, I don’t feel like doing it

She, My, Phoenix, I

2008-06-18T16:47:00.005+01:00

I was born to a Phoenix

She is my winged goddess

Her nest of cinnamon twigs nourish my growth

Her flames, they're modest but golden

Tamed, but emboldened when She fears danger has found me

It is me She tricks.... her fatherless clone

When time comes to migrate west

A time zone adequate for survival

I think its our primal quest

but no

We've been exposed

Danger has crowned us the ultimate prey

And Her immortality... it's just not what it used to be

She

My winged goddess

Once lawless and unrestrained

Her flames blazed pathways of eternal odysseys

and laid traps against the wind's chorus

She made way for rays of light that would illuminate night's darkness

and torch the fortresses made to protect locusts of hate

Until Her focus

Became me

She

My winged goddess

Trading in Her destiny of endless renewal and giving me Her power to regenerate life

forfeited duels against impossibles and made me the eye of Her eternity

I, not She

Became destined to rise brilliantly and light the sky with fire she had instilled in the deepest depths of me

Releasing high degrees of richness and intensity, I sear hostility and solder enemies of dialogue

I wrap creativity in a fog of forever and present her at the alter of my almighty Sun-god

My protector of freedom, my preceptor of love, my soldier of peace

She was a Phoenix

And I am her release from life, my seed was Her sacrifice

My birth Her wingless destiny

I am the dove she left nesting in the abandoned olive tree

My winged goddess has left me

Heart breathing heavy,

She leaves in search of forgiveness