Through A Lens Darkly

Documentary:

How African Americans

have used photography

as a tool for social change

• Posted by Eye Candy on July 17, 2012 at 8:02am

About the project: " 'Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People' is a two-hour documentary film and multimedia project that explores the ways black communities have learned to use the medium of photography to construct political, aesthetic and cultural representations of themselves and their world."

Produced and directed by filmmaker, Thomas Allen Harris. Co-produced by scholar, curator, and author, Deborah Willis PhD who is Chair of the New York University, Tisch School of the Arts department of Photography & Imaging.

"Since the birth of photography in 1840s, African Americans rejected what they saw about themselves in the dominant culture and took ownership of their own cultural image. Empowered through photography, Black people began to record and embrace their own truths and forge their own identities. 'Through A Lens Darkly' illuminates the hidden, little known and underappreciated stories of African Americans transforming themselves and the nation through the power of the camera lens. The film also explores how contemporary photographers and artists like Deborah Willis, Carrie Mae Weems, Lorna Simpson, Anthony Barboza, Lyle Ashton Harris, Hank Willis Thomas, Glenn Ligon, Coco Fusco and Clarissa Sligh, have built upon the legacy of early Black photographers while trying to reconcile a past that our forebears would rather forget.

If you would like to support the project, CLICK HERE!

Banner photo by Donald Andrew Agarrat

Leni Riefenstahl Captures

Jesse Owens

Dashing Nazi Dreams

at the 1936 Olympics

 

in History | July 27th, 2012

Jesse Owens, the son of a sharecropper and grandson of slaves, went to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and upset Hitler’s visions of Aryan supremacy. He did it not once, but four times, winning gold medals in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, the long jump and the 4 x 100 meter relay. The first race was captured by the German filmmaker/propagandist Leni Riefenstahl in her famous film documenting the 1936 Games, Olympia. It’s all queued up above and ready to go.

Now the cruel footnote to this story: after his four victories, Owens returned to the U.S. and immediately confronted the cold racist attitudes of his countrymen. There was no pause, no reprieve, even for an Olympic gold medalist. Later, he recalled:

When I came back to my native country, after all the stories about Hitler, I couldn’t ride in the front of the bus. I had to go to the back door. I couldn’t live where I wanted. I wasn’t invited to shake hands with Hitler, but I wasn’t invited to the White House to shake hands with the President, either.

New York City did hold a ticker-tape parade in his honor. But when he attended a reception at the Waldorf-Astoria, he was forced to ride the freight elevator. And he didn’t make it to the White House until Eisenhower named him an “Ambassador of Sports” in 1955. FDR and Truman never bothered to extend an invitation to the Olympic hero.

by Dan Colman

AFRICA

IN YOUR EARBUDS #23:

SAUL WILLIAMS

July 24, 2012

Posted by: killakam

Saul Williams is at a point where he can reflect on over a decade of impassioned contributions to the many “mediums” he works in — from open-mic escapades with the Nuyorican Poets to writing/starring in Slam, to albums alongside Rick Rubin and Trent Reznor and collaborations with Nas, Erykah, and The Roots. For AIYE #23, Saul guides us through a personal and eclectic diaspora mixtape. Far better with the pen, we opted to include Saul’s full explanation of the mix, which is interspersed with vivid recollections of his own introduction to African music.

My relationship with indigenous African music, in it’s most direct/un-abstract sense, begins with Fela Kuti. I was 18 years old, freshman week at Morehouse College, at a club called The Masquerade to hear DJ Disciple. It was around 2AM and I was headed towards the door. The song that came on was “Hot Music” by Soho. I convinced my friends to wait while I danced wildly by the speaker nearest the door. My mother was rushed from a James Brown concert on the night of my birth and anything James Brown related, whether by sample or nature, can usually get me kicking. Of course, the main sample in that song is from a Wynton Marselis song that I discovered months later (I fell asleep listening to the vinyl and it woke me from my dream … but this isn’t about that).

Just as the song was ending, horns and then more horns. It was the beginning of Fela’s “Lady.” To be honest, I didn’t know what the fuck I was listening to at that point but my friends were dancing wildly too, and it was clear, there was no way we could leave. After more horns and more horns and more horns and more horns, Fela started singing. My man Scott, our bear-like leader, was better cultivated than I. He read the look on my face and stated, “It’s Fela.” I was in Tower Records the next day and the math from then ’til now doesn’t quite add up. I think I may have put in enough hours to have earned a doctorate (or a few wives, depending on how close you’re listening) … Anywayze, since then I’ve descended down the mountainous top of Afro-Pop into the volcanic mist of indigenous hoo-ha and, at present, these are some of my favorites, coupled with some of my most precious discoveries.

The title comes from Dr. Martin Luther King‘s “I’ve Been To The Mountaintop” speech which I used in a composition where I sampled the Mauritanian griot in “Beyt Bieh.” Dr. King is explaining why fire hoses didn’t work against us during the Civil Rights struggle saying that the police didn’t realize that we had [burning in us] a certain kind of fire that no water could put out. Then he quips, “We had known water,” which, to me, seemed to be an allusion to the Middle Passage of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. I’ve included the raw composition along with the Mauritanian source as a sort of bridge between my diasporic reality and the African continent.

In fact, I guess it’s fair to say that my mix begins with a tribute to the middle passage. The first song is a song that has inspired me for years that was written by the South African Miriam Makeba and sung by Nina Simone. It’s followed by “Beyt Bieh” and my tribute to both, those who withstood and those who could not stand the harsh conditions of the voyage from there to here (and now there again) before we arrive in the Congo with one of my favorite groups, The Kasai Allstars. From there we travel from field recordings to studio recordings thru an eclectic mix of songs, chants, and prayers that I’m excited to share. It’s not particularly a dance mix- — a bit too moody and eclectic for that. But if you got a glass of wine, well, hold it up. And if you’re interested in a volume 2, let me know in the comment section below.

-Saul Williams

Saul’s upcoming book CHORUS: A Literary Mixtape will be available Sept. 4. Catch him on his CHORUS Spoken Word Tour across North America starting in August. Grab tickets and see the full dates. Download AIYE #23: We Had Known Water Vol. 1 below! Thanks to Underdog for the cover artwork.

AFRICA IN YOUR EARBUDS #23: SAUL WILLIAMS – ‘WE HAD KNOWN WATER VOL. 1′ by Okayafrica on Mixcloud

>>>DOWNLOAD

TRACKLIST

“West Wind” Nina Simone (written by Miriam Makeba/South Africa)

“Beyt Bieh” Ensemble El Moukhadrami (Mauritania)

“We Had Known Water” Saul Williams

“Drowning Goat” Kasai Allstars (Congo)

“Mahindi Ya Kulonga” (Tanzania)

“Ishmael” Abdullah Ibrahim (South Africa)

“Forgive Us All” Rob (Ghana)

“Amahamba” Jos Gansemans (Rwanda)

“African Space Craft” Keziah Jones (Nigeria)

“Bigirimana” (Rwanda)

3rd Annual Poetry Contest

Our Annual Poetry Contest accepts submissions each year from April 15th through August 15th. The judge of the Third Annual Poetry Contest is Ava Leavell Hayman.

Grand Prize:

1. $1,000
2. VIP All Access Pass ($500 value) for the next Festival
3. Publication in Louisiana Cultural Vistas magazine
4. Public reading at the next Festival

Deadline: August 15th 2012 (postmark).

The top ten finalists will receive a panel pass ($75 value) to attend the next Festival, and their names will be published on this site. The winner will be announced by January 15th.

Guidelines:

1. Submit 2-4 original poems of any style or theme, written in English, with a combined length of up to 400 lines.

2. Include a separate cover page with name of collection, poem titles, number of total lines, plus poet’s name, address, phone, and email address.

3. Give your collection of poems a title. Include this title on the first page of the manuscript, above the title of the first poem in the collection.

4. Type and number all pages in your entry (not including cover page).

5. Please use standard fonts such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Georgia in 10, 11, or 12 point font size.

6. Author’s name should only appear on cover page.

7. Unlimited entries per person. Simultaneous submissions accepted. Please notify the Festival if your work is accepted elsewhere.

8. Manuscripts will not be returned. Please do not send return envelopes with postage.

Eligibility:

1. Only open to writers who have not yet published a book of poetry. Authors who have self-published or have published chapbooks are eligible provided that their poetry collection does not have an ISBN number.

2. Authors who have published in other genres are eligible.

3. Only previously unpublished poems accepted.

Entry Fee: $20

To enter online: Click the button below to begin the online submission process. Online submissions are preferred and must be in .doc,.docx, .rtf, or PDF formats. We accept entry fees via Discover, MasterCard, and Visa only.

Enter the Poetry Contest

 

 

 

To enter by mail: Send your manuscript and check or money order for $20 (made out to the: Tennessee Williams Literary Festival) to:
Poetry Contest Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival
938 Lafayette Street, Suite 514
New Orleans, LA 70113

Do not send submissions by certified mail or signature required delivery.

 

Call for Submissions:

The Venture Award

Dorothea Smartt reminds us that the Venture Award competition is now open and invites entries for 2012-2013 competition (judged by Nathalie Handal). The deadline this year is September 30, 2012.

The Venture Award, launched in 2011, provides £1750 in prize money plus publication for poetry pamphlets. The inaugural prize was won by Rowyda Amin—a New York-based poet—whose pamphlet will be released later this year.

Description of Venture Award: Simply, a poetry award for poetry pamphlets, one of the most dynamic formats of published poetry, which helped introduce literary legends such as Dylan Thomas, J. H. Prynne and, more recently, Margaret Atwood. We named the award after an inspirational mentor who died recently.

The first Venture Award competition was opened in 2011 and the winner, Rowyda Amin, was unveiled at the London Book Fair under the auspices of English PEN. [. . .] If a winner is chosen, flipped eye publishing publishes the top two pamphlets entered. flipped eye publishing have a proud history of releasing pamphlets and last year’s winner was excited at the chance to work with flipped eye’s editors: “I’ve literally been dancing with joy the past two days, I’m that pleased. flipped eye has a roster of brilliant poets, so having a pamphlet of mine join such company will be a real honour.” [. . .] The judge this year is Nathalie Handal.

Nathalie Handal is an award-winning poet, playwright, and editor. She has lived in Europe, the United States, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Arab world. Her poetry collections include, The Lives of Rain, shortlisted for The Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize and the recipient of the Menada Literary Award; and Love and Strange Horses (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2010), winner of the Gold Medal Independent Publisher Book Award 2011, and an Honorable Mention at the San Francisco Book Festival and the New England Book Festival. The New York Times says it is “a book that trembles with belonging (and longing).” Alice Walker lauds Handal’s work as “poems of depth and weight and the sorrowing song of longing and resolve.” She has promoted international literature through translation, research, and the editing of the groundbreaking The Poetry of Arab Women: A Contemporary Anthology, an Academy of American Poets.

Handal received an MFA in Poetry from Bennington College and a Master of Philosophy in Drama and English from the University of London; she is currently a professor at Columbia University.

For the 2011-2012 Shortlist Readings, see http://www.flippedeye.net/venture/113/highlights-from-2011-2012-shortlist-readings/

Street Lit Short Story Contest

POSTED BY STORYMOJA AFRICA ⋅ JULY 24, 2012

Hello writers,

It is time for you to take us to the streets of Nairobi, Mombasa or Kisumu or any other town/city in Kenya and the rest of the world. We want all the good and the bad things that happen in an urban setting. The good and the bad? Yes.

Sex, missionary and other positions. BDSM is something to look into. We are not being imprudent or shameless, urban fiction is not for prudes.

Parties

Grenades, guns and blows

Filth- Sewage, urchins, vermin

Business- The glassy corporate building and the black market alley

Language

e.t.c

 

Your main concern with this genre of fiction: Show, do not tell

 

Last year we had a lot of urban fiction on the blog, almost on a monthly basis and we got very interesting stories that we still revisit. This year you only have one shot at the streets. Aim for the bull’s eye. Break all the rules of conventional fiction…but only if you know the rules. If you don’t know the rules, stay away from the pen until you learn them, use them and then you can come here and break them.

Submission Guidelines and Rules

1. Word Count – Maximum 1600 words.

2. The story must be a fictional story not a commentary.

3. Make sure that the story you submit has your name inside the document, preferably at the top, or at the bottom if you must (if you include your pseudonym, please indicate this in your submitting email). Your document should be a Word 97 document, single spaced, 12 point Times New Roman Font.)

4. Email to: blogs@storymojaafrica.co.ke with ‘Street Lit’ as the subject of the email.

5. Do not submit first drafts and stories that you have not self edited.

Deadline for Submission: 24th August 2012.

If your story does not adhere to the above, it shall be disqualified from the contest.

Prizes

1st Place – A copy of Princess Adhis and the Naija Coca Broda by Tony Mochama, a second Storymoja book of the winner’s choice and  2 Season Tickets to the Storymoja Hay Festival( 14 – 16 September 2012)

2nd Place – A copy of Princess Adhis and the Naija Coca Broda by Tony Mochama and  2 Season Tickets to the Storymoja Hay Festival.

3rd Place – 1 Season Ticket to the Storymoja Hay Festival.

Summer List:

Africa Tumblrs

July 26, 2012

By apostrophekola 

Bibi Tanga & The Selenites – Dunya (as featured on Nigerian Cover Project)

Tumblrs are basically micro blogs for lazy readers who want some eye-candy. They are usually about photos; and tumblr is one of the new genres of social media that rewards one for being able to curate the work of others without the fear of a lawsuit, thus far. Most tumblrs are judged by the number of other tumblrs following them … brings back memories of myspace.com. In picking tumblrs for your viewing consideration while AIAC takes a break in August, I tried out some loose guidelines in the hopes of being fair to all: AIAC tumblr was not considered despite how much we know you love it … do check it out though, in case you previously ignored us. Our tumblr editor will love you for it. I tried to stay on message and only considered tumblrs that dealt specifically with Africa. Hybrids mixing African topics with other topics were dropped out of contention. I also tried to drop off any tumblr that had Africa or Afrika in its name. But that was impossible as some of the best of the best all fail this test. So scratch that. I considered different genres and topics in the spirit of diversity but in the end I just gave up on that too and went with what I liked. Without further ado, here are my top photo tumblrs, not in any particular order, that I think you should be following if you have any interest in Africa. With these tumblrs, a picture is definitely worth a thousand words.

37thState
The 37thState tumblr is a venture of a collective of filmmakers in Lagos. Based on their posts, one can easily tell that these are film-makers with good taste. They feature style, culture — rural or urban — and never fail to make one think “beauty” when one goes through their blog. I want whatever they are on at the 37th State.

Dynamic Africa
If you are African or black and want to be trended, there is no better stamp of approval than the Queen of African Tumblr-ing. This trendsetter is in her early 20s and based in Cape Town. Dynamic Africa is here to stay. If you are not following her, you are probably a very busy person.

Fuck Yeah African Mythology
I would love to tell you that the name of this tumblr gave me a pause before putting my stamp of approval on it, but fuck no. This is one of the few tumblrs that I can actually recommend for a nice family time (the family that reads together, stays together). This tumblr narrates African myths, legends and stories with illustrations. It is much needed considering how little many Africans know about their diverse histories and oral traditions. Stick to this and, for what it’s worth, you will get a stamp of approval from AIAC.

Nigerian Cover Project
Before the eye-rolling begins, I suggest giving this “Nigerian” titled tumblr a chance. Though it says Nigerian, this tumblr is very good at covering the continent. This tumblr is truly a continental archive of the arts of album covers from mostly eras that current tumblr fans cannot begin to imagine. Some recent album covers are also featured. For those of us that are older, this tumblr takes us down some memory lanes, both good and bad.

African Book Covers
I know there are some out there that think the last full book written by an African is “Things Fall Apart” and that Africans only write short fiction during the Caine Writing Awards. When you meet such, just direct them to this beautiful tumblr where the author has extensively curated the front covers of books written by Africans, past and present. Whether you are seeking nostalgia (African Writers Series or Pacesetters) or just want to be informed about African authors, this is a tumblr for you.

African Women
With a straight face, I am including this tumblr. Reason being that African women have been patronized for decades and their true contributions to the continent have been ignored consistently. In a world where power is might, this tumblr has decided to focus on African women who have been and are trendsetters and leaders on the continental and global stage. True, some of the selections can be called into question, no name calling here, but one gets the message that African female visionaries have been and are multiple, diverse, and eclectic in their deeds and impacts on the continent.

Girl Goes to Africa
Caveat: you cannot buy the material on this tumblr in the market. After #Kony2012, Pulitzer winning narcissists and violin playing missionaries all trying to save Africa this year, one cannot help but enjoy this blog with its wit, enlightening words and vigorous correspondences. I’m just glad our readers don’t feature on this tumblr, do you?

Wine Tumbler
Shameless Self-Promotion (it’s summer, after all): Once in a while, tumblrs can be very useful in promoting niche industries in Africa. This is one of such for Africa. Most do not know that there are at least 11 other countries in Africa that produce wine (bottle and corked or capped wine with labels) apart from South Africa. Most of them are actually very good at it and do export to Europe and the US. This blog [my blog] tries to visualize this niche industry on the continent to tumblr fans through photos, videos, and commentaries.

Heritage1960
This tumblr is a muse board of an e-store, of the same name of heritage1960, purveying African inspired and beautiful goods. While not all of you might not be their target market, I do love the curation of this Tumblr in showing the diversity in “African” fashion, both contemporary and traditional. A combination of the style, beauty and African goods just make it right.

And some other (new) ones worth mentioning:

The following were not included in the list above due to their pointed regional and country focus. Others stand by them to be equally good tumblr ambassadors of the continent: Picture Masr — People of the South — Typical Ugandan.