the 30 & over project:

All This Talk About

Black Women & Weight,

Body Image, and Fitness

Jennifer Hudson

 

Here are my reactionary Tweets from yesterday after listening to author Alice Randall on NPR discuss her “Black Women And Fat” article:

Tweet #1:  WOW! Listening to Alice Randall on @NPR @woub discuss her@nytimes article #BlackWomenAndFat http://nyti.ms/IPSDD3

Tweet #2 :  Why are Black women always the case study for #BodyImage and#Beauty esp when it’s discussed negatively #BlackWomenAndFat#AliceRandall

Tweet #3:  @nytimes @Krissah30 If only ppl discussed #BlackWomen ’s accomplishments ad nauseum the way they discuss our #BodyImage#Dating #Issues

Tweet #4:  There is a #Fitness culture within the Black Community. We must adapt these practices. #AliceRandall #BlackWomenAndFat @NPR

Tweet #5:  We must redefine and reclaim our own roots within our culture.#SoulFood does not mean fried chicken #AliceRandall#BlackWomenAndFat @NPR

While it seems that Black Women seem to have been put under a microscope the past few years be it for our dating situations, lack of relationship options, our career goals and education, and now our weight, I think we can all admit and agree that it’s about time that we begin discussing the plight of Black women and our relationship with weight. And whether you argue that it’s a cultural or genetic thing for Black women to have larger hips and thighs, and butts, or whether you argue that it’s a society thing (i.e , sitting at our desks being sedentary, sitting on our couches, in our cars, not walking or not exercising);  None of that matters. The fact of the matter is that we are talking about it and what are we going to do about it. What are the solutions?

I don’t think that articles like the New York Times article, ”Black Women And Fat” (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/opinion/sunday/why-black-women-are-fat.html) are the solution, rather than Black women need to have real discussions to define what being healthy means to us.  We all individually need to ask ourselves these questions: What does fitness mean to me? What does exercise look like to me? What does a healthy body image look like to me? Do I love my body the way it is? If not, What Am I willing to do about it?  Until we can do that, articles putting us out there like we are a circus spectacle is not the solution.

TheRoot.com has been running a series of articles on the trending topic of Black Women and health (see links to all of the articles here :  http://www.theroot.com/category/views-tags/black-obesity?wpisrc=root_trending_topics). I didn’t realize they had been doing this series until today when I got the chance to read the fifth article in a 5-Part series, “On Blacks And Fat” by Danielle Moodie-Mills (http://www.theroot.com/views/qa-danielle-moodie-mills).

I love that TheRoot.com did this series  and I’m sorry that I missed the first 4 articles in the series (I definitely need to read them). And the timing is perfect in light of the NY Times article, “Black Women And Fat” by Alice Randall. While I think it’s very important that we focus on our kids and obesity with the First Lady’s, Let’s Move! movement, and it’s super important that Black women begin to focus on our weight and the impact that is having on our overall health and our survival in our communities, it can’t happen unless we begin doing it at the micro-levels, the organic levels and it’s not going to happen unless families do it together.  I do, however, feel like having celebrities step to the forefront of the obesity issues within the African American community is an important step because now, weight loss companies see that health, wellness, and fitness is not just a “white woman” thing, it’s an all woman thing. I commend Jennifer Hudson and others in their movement and if she can open a Weight Watchers Center in her community back in Chicago and inspire Black women to do more for their health, then more power to them.  I did a blog post on this very topic on this blog on April 9, 2012:  http://lifestyle30.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/the-30-over-project-question-of-the-day-celebrities-and-weight-loss/ ) .

Now, it seems we are in an uproar and mad about it and you know what, we should be!  It’s time for us to get in shape. But let’s not act like there are not leading Black fitness experts out there. Check out these links and get started. Also, follow them on Facebook and Twitter, I do!:

Robin Downes – Yoga, etc.  http://www.yogaflava.com/

Ananda Leeke – Yoga, etc.  - http://www.anandaleeke.com/

Jeanette Jenkins – The Hollywood Trainer - http://thehollywoodtrainer.com/

Faith Hunter Yoga – Yoga, Training, and more! - http://www.faithhunter.com/Faith_Hunter_Yoga/Home_faith_hunter_yoga.html

Black Fitness Today – Great Resource - http://blackfitnesstoday.com/

Black Girls Run!  - Great Resource with a Chapter near you! - http://www.blackgirlsrun.com/

AND MANY, MANY MORE. JUST SEARCH FOR THEM!

Thanks for reading and let’s all commit to be fit this year!  #Fitness2012

Follow me on Twitter:  @ivywriter

“Like” my 30 & Over project Facebook group:  http://www.facebook.com/the30andoverproject

Related articles

• Can Recess Slow Childhood Obesity? (theroot.com)
• Alice Randall Defends Fat Black Women Article (thebuzzcincy.com)
• Do Black Women Really Want to Be Fat? (ideas.time.com)
• Black Women Are Fat Because They Want To Be? (lmcglory1265.wordpress.com)
• Who Put Out The Hit On Black Women? (thebuzzcincy.com)
• the 30 & over project: question of the day – celebrities and weight loss (lifestyle30.wordpress.com)
• On Blacks and Fat: Danielle Moodie-Mills (theroot.com)
• NYTimes “Black Women And Fat” Writer Pens Skinny Novel “Ada’s Rules” (hellobeautiful.com)

 

Afro-Colombian

Heritage Month

 

In the year 2000, Colombia's black civil rights (or human rights) movement came up with the month of May as Afro-Colombian Heritage Month to promote black awareness.  Cali, the Afro-Colombian capital offers a variety of cultural agendas to commemorate this event; social gatherings, music performances, fashion shows, Afro-Colombian cuisine, and artifacts.

The purpose is to plant seeds in the hearts of the Afro-Colombian community and to spark their consciousness with pride in their identity; to celebrate African and Afro-Colombian heritage, past and present, with a focus on their struggles for civil and human rights in a country that systematically discriminates against blacks and indigenous people.

Colombia also has a magazine similar to the African American Ebony Magazine in the U.S. called Ébano Latinoamérica. Ébano is Spanish for Ebony. The subjects and people included in this magazine are of political, scientific, economic and artistic relevance, presented with professionalism and sobriety. This magazine is an integral part of Black Colombian heritage, which plays a major role in documenting the contributions and accomplishments, as well as the struggles of Afro-Colombian people.

PALENQUE

(Africa in Colombia)

 

 Posted by W. Bill Smith

 

Happy 70th birthday,

Taj Mahal

Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, wishes the extraordinary blues innovator Taj Mahal a Happy 70th Birthday.

 

The label will celebrate the groundbreaking artist with a major catalog reissue project beginning with the release of the newly-curated The Hidden Treasures of Taj Mahal 1969-1973, an extraordinary two-disc collection of previously unreleased studio and live performances, available Tuesday August 21.

 

A two-disc sonic portrait chronicling the early stirrings of Taj Mahal's solo career, The Hidden Treasures of Taj Mahal 1969-1973 features two CDs comprised entirely of unreleased finished material.  The first disc debuts studio recordings from 1967-1973, while the second disc premieres a full-length live concert, recorded April 18, 1970 at the Royal Albert Hall in London (on a bill that included Santana).

 

The Hidden Treasures of Taj Mahal 1969-1973 is the first release in an ongoing catalog project which includes plans to release definitive editions of the artist's entire Columbia Records catalog.

 

"Throughout my more than 40 years of recording, I have always been an outside-the-box composer/musician/performer and not always understood by the music industry, so it gives me a phenomenal amount of personal pleasure to have Sony/Legacy reissue my whole catalog of music!  This is fabulous news for the legions of fans who have always been unfailingly loyal to me and this music we've shared for the duration of a wonderful and (thank you very much) still on-going career of touring and playing live for fans around the world!," said Taj Mahal.  "This excitement is amplified even more for everyone (me included) by the first-time release of an excellent live concert from Royal Albert Hall in London, England and an an album of never before released studio musical gems! I'm thrilled that this music is finally coming to the light of day! So go for it babies! Listen and dance your (bleep) off to the music we love so much and glad there's more where that came from! I made the music of my heart and y'all helped!!"

Born Henry St. Clair Fredericks, Jr. in Harlem, New York, on May 17, 1942, Taj Mahal has created an inimitable and enduring body of work, a bedrock blues flavored with strains of West Indian, Caribbean and African music with elements of jazz, rock and reggae flowing effortlessly through the mix.  A two-time Grammy winner, Taj Mahal opened the untapped potential of the Delta Blues, felt the connection to African soul and island rhythms, and became one of world music's first proponents and champions.

 

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Posted May 16th, 2012 by administrator

__________________________

Taj Mahal Concert

Fillmore East (New York, NY) Feb 13, 1971

Taj Mahal- vocals, harmonica, banjo, National steel guitar, fife
John Hall- electric guitar
John Simon - piano
Howard Johnson - tuba, baritone saxophone, horn arrangements 
Bob Stewart - tuba, flugelhorn, trumpet
Joeseph Daly - tuba, valve trombone
Early McIntyre - tuba, bass trombone
Bill Rich - bass
Greg Thomas - drums
Kwasi "Rocky" DziDzournu - Congas

Whether he was recording solo acoustic, fronting a rock band or weaving his trademark National steel guitar around a tuba-dominated blues band, between 1967 and 1971, Taj Mahal created some of the most consistently engaging modern blues music, inspiring countless other musicians of the era. His multi-instrumental abilities and multicultural vision of the blues transcended previous limitations of the genre and he should be credited for playing an enormous role in revitalizing and preserving traditional blues.

Initially honoring the Mississippi Delta blues masters, his music often emphasized his forceful steel guitar playing and hard hitting vocals, recorded in a sparse manner, not unlike the originals. Teaming up with Native American guitarist, Jesse Ed Davis during the late 1960s and forming a band, Taj Mahal's scope broadened and the music become more hard hitting and dynamic -- not to mention amplified!

During the early days of 1971, Taj Mahal began assembling a new group, with the help of the extraordinary tuba player and arranger Howard Johnson, and began achieving a bigger more soulful sound with increasing variety. The band was overloaded with talent, including musician, producer, arranger John Simon at the piano, the guitarist from Janis Joplin's Pearl album, John Hall (who would soon take off with his own band Orleans) and Buddy Miles Express bassist Bill Rich. Drummer Greg Thomas and percussionist Kwasi "Rocky" DziDzournu round out the core unit. However it was Howard Johnson and his fellow tuba and horn playing buddies, Bob Stewart, Joseph Daly and Early McIntyre that largely contributed to this band being so memorable.

The testament until now has been Taj Mahal's most popular album, The Real Thing which captured this unit live on stage during a Fillmore East stand in February of 1971. Presented here is Taj Mahal performing with the same configuration on the third and final night of that run. For those enamored with this all too brief era of Taj Mahal's career, this recording is quite the treat as it contains what are essentially alternate takes of some of Taj Mahal's most vital material. This night is also notable because it was simulcast live on New York City's WPLJ FM as A Night at Fillmore East, part of a new series of live radio broadcasts that were becoming increasingly popular. Elton John's November, 17 1970 performance at A&R Studios, later released in part as his first live album, was the debut broadcast in the series.

GO HERE TO HEAR FULL CONCERT

>via: http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/taj-mahal/concerts/fillmore-east-february-13-19...

Video:

Gil Scott-Heron

Live at the

El Rey Theatre

October 4, 2009

On - 22. 04. 12

My friend Theo Jemison, whose beautiful work I’ve featured here often, sent over this footage of Gil Scott Heron shortly before he passed away. There’s something so intimate about the way it’s shot, it makes you feel as though you were in the room, like an invented memory, or the memories of other gigs past joining up to take you a short leap in to the El Rey that night.

Whilst obviously Gil was a performer of the very best kind – honest, warm, sincere and musically very gifted – this kind of film makes me so grateful for film makers who are there to capture those moments for posterity. I don’t know how I would describe artists like Gil to my future kids with just their music to rely on; the next generation will be so much more visual than I, and I wonder how it will translate, but to have a little of the essence of the great and important voices of history preserved in cinematic moments like these gives me hope  they will continue to live on vividly.

Full Rules

- WEF 2012 International

Energy Essay Contest:

Sustainable Energy for All

(worldwide)

Deadline: 15 July 2012

World Energy Forum is pleased to announce the 2012 International Energy Essay Contest. As a mission-driven movement, World Energy Forum is dedicated both to educate and campaign for long-term energy solutions by encouraging global conversations on pivotal energy issues.

Since 2012 has been declared by the United Nations General Assembly as "International Year of Sustainable Energy for All" the International Energy Essay Contest calls upon university students from around the world to participate in the movement towards an energy-secure future by presenting their thoughts on how this can be achieved.

Through this contest, World Energy Forum hopes to provide a platform for students from different backgrounds with an opportunity to share and expand their unique understanding of the worldwide urgency that must be recognized for important changes toward a safe, accessible, and sustainable energy future.

The winners of the essay contest will receive a number of prizes, including the opportunity to discuss their creative approaches for solving the world's present energy problems at the World Energy Forum's annual high-level energy conference. This year's conference, entitled World Energy Forum 2012: Safe, Accessible, Sustainable - Energy for All, will take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, October 22-24, 2012.

ESSAY TOPIC

All eligible students can participate in the contest by writing a letter in the form of an essay to the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and share their views on the topic: "Sustainable Energy for All - Vision, Reality and Solutions."

Essays should be written and submitted according to the guidelines below.

ESSAY GUIDELINES:

• The essay should be written in English
• The essay should contain between 1500 and 2000 words (not including bibliography and citations). Please cite your word count at the end of the essay.
• The essay should be typed and double-spaced.
• The essay should include a coversheet including: first and last name, telephone number, email address and university name
• Students must produce their own work, using information from other sources where appropriate.
• All references should appear as endnotes. Do not use footnotes.
• Information used for research that is not cited in the essay should be listed in a bibliography page at the end.

ELIGIBILITY:

• Participants must be currently enrolled as a student working towards any degree program (eg. B.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., M.B.A., M.Ed., Ph.D.)
• Participants' applications must receive a recommendation from a current professor in their field of study
• We encourage students of all backgrounds and ability to participate.

HOW TO ENTER:

Submit your essay, either:

• Online at www.worldenergyforum2012.org in Word or PDF format, or
• As an email attachment, along with a completed entry form to the following address: essaycontest@worldenergyforum2012.org. The subject line of the email should read: "International Energy Essay Contest 2012"
• Please save your essay as follows:
• First & Last Name_ University (eg. John Smith _University of Richmond)
• All entries must be received by July 15th, 2012.
• Under no circumstances will late submissions be accepted.

ESSAY SELECTION:

All eligible essay submissions received by June 15th, 2012 will be reviewed in-house. 10 finalists will be selected for review by a qualified panel including energy experts from:

• The United Nations
• The World Bank
• Academia
• Leading energy companies

Essays will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• The student's understanding of the issue
• The student's analysis and reasoning
• Quality and use of research
• Originality and creativity in treatment of the topic
• Clarity and effectiveness of writing and organization

Winners will be notified by July 31st, 2012.

PRIZES:

• First Place: $5,000 cash prize (Essay will be sent to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon)
• Second Place: $3,000 cash prize
• Third Place: $2,000 cash prize

In addition, the top three contestants will receive:

• Airfare and accommodation to Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Waived registration fee ($800) to attend The World Energy Forum 2012
• Opportunity to be a speaker in The World Energy Forum 2012 session titled: Students for Sustainable Energy
• Publication of essay

The top ten essays will be recognized at The World Energy Forum 2012 and will be published on the website.

DISCLAIMER:

By participating, applicants accept and understand the essay guidelines and agree to the decisions made by the judges; and to release, discharge and hold harmless World Energy Forum and its officers and directors from all claims arising from their participation in the contest.

Download: application form

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For submissions: via the online submissions form here or send the application form and your essay to essaycontest@worldenergyforum2012.org

Website: http://worldenergyforum2012.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fifteenth Annual Poetry Contest

Deadline: June 1, 2012
Judge: Matthea Harvey
First Prize: $1,500

Complete guidelines:
The winning poet will receive $1,500 and have his or her work published in the November/December 2012 issue of Boston Review. Submit up to five unpublished poems, no more than 10 pages total. Any poet writing in English is eligible, unless he or she is a current student, former student, relative, or close personal friend of the judge. Mailed manuscripts must be submitted in duplicate, with a cover note listing the author’s name, address, email and phone number. No cover note is necessary for online submission. Names should not be on the poems themselves. Simultaneous submissions are not permitted, submissions will not be returned, and submissions may not be modified after entry. A non-refundable $20 entry fee, payable to Boston Review in the form of a check or money order or by credit card, must accompany all submissions. All submitters receive a complementary half-year subscription (3 issues) to Boston Review. Mailed submissions must be postmarked no later than June 1, 2012.

The winner will be announced no later than November 1, 2012, on the Boston Review Web site. All poems submitted to the contest will be considered for publication in Boston Review.

Please enter online using our contest entry manager. This requires payment using a credit card.

Or mail submissions to:

Poetry Contest, Boston Review
PO Box 425786
Cambridge, MA 02142

Read winning poems from past years:
Heather Tone (2011)
Anthony Caleshu (2010)
John Gallaher (2009)
Sarah Arvio (2008)
Elizabeth Willis (2007)
Marc Gaba (2006)
Mike Perrow (2005)
Michael Tod Edgerton [PDF] (2004)
Susan Wheeler (2003)
Max Winter (2002)
D. A. Powell (2001)
Christopher Edgar (2000)
Stephanie Strickland (1999)
Daniel Bosch (1998)

For more poetry in Boston Review, click here.

Deadline May 27 |

The $10,000 Dream Deferred

Essay Contest 2012

for 25 and Below

(Middle East/ Arab League)

Deadline: 27 May 2012

This annual contest comes from a 1951 Langston Hughes poem: What Happens to a Dream Deferred?. Just as the poem helped propel the civil rights movement in the U.S., today it can inspire your dream deferred for the Middle East. The contest has two parts: one for Middle Eastern youth and one for American youth. Please answer one of the questions below - but first make sure to read the rules & guidelines. Winning essays - selected by a panel of celebrity judges - receive $10,000 in prizes.

$10,000 IN PRIZES:

• $2,000 for 1 grand prize winner each in Mideast & U.S.
• $1,500 for 1 second place winner in each region
• $500 for 3 runners-up in each region
• 50 book prizes for additional outstanding essays.

ESSAY QUESTIONS

Your Story: How does civil rights abuse in your local community impact you? Share a defining moment where you experienced civil rights restrictions (censorship, discrimination, etc.). How did this incident change you? Will your children's generation still face such repression?

Freedom: Given the historic changes in the Mideast over the past year, do you feel more or less free? Reflect on changes in the region and in your local community. Explain, with examples, whether you enjoy greater rights today than a year ago. Do you expect to be more free a year from now?

In the Streets: If you participated in grassroots protests against repression during the past year, why did you join and what did you learn? Describe in vivid detail what you experienced, as well as how your life - and your attitude on individual rights - has changed. What challenges remain now?

Advocacy: How can individual rights be secured in the Mideast’s new reality? Dictators may have fallen, yet individual rights remain fragile. What can you do to protect the rights of vulnerable members in your local community (women, minorities, etc.). Propose a concrete action plan.

Dream: What is your “dream deferred”: a vision of your society with civil rights for all? Share your dream of a civil rights movement in your community. If you like, write a mock newspaper article from the future reporting on the effort.

Film Fest: In 2008, an essay contest winner organized the first-ever Cairo Human Rights Film Festival. When authorities blocked theatres from hosting screening, she held the opening on a Nile River boat. Be inspired and share your vision for a similar festival in your community: What films will you show? How will you overcome obstacles?

Viral Video: You have been given $1,000 to make a short video (1-4 mins) about individual rights in your society. Share the script, which can expose repression, showcase a campaign or dream of a better future. Bonus: Make the film and provide a YouTube link.

RULES FOR THE "DREAM DEFERRED ESSAY CONTEST"

Check out the Guide to Writing a Good Essay, which includes helpful tips for each question.

Who can enter the contest?

Entrants must be 25 years old or younger as of the contest deadline: May 27, 2012. Entrants must reside in Arab League member states, Iran, Afghanistan, or the United States. There is no minimum age requirement, and entrants do not need to be students. Prizes are awarded as cash, not scholarships.

Foreign Students: If you are a foreigner currently studying in the US, you can enter the contest. If you are a Middle Easterner studying in the US, answer one of the questions posed to Middle Easterners. If you are a citizen of the Middle East temporarily living outside the region, you can still enter the contest. If you are an American currently living overseas, you can enter the contest.

Equal Opportunity: All essays are evaluated without regard for race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation of the author, as well as other classifications protected by applicable international US laws.

How long should entries be?

Essays should be at least 600 words, but no longer than 1,500 words. Footnotes, citations, and essay title do not count towards the word limit.

Can an essay entry remain anonymous?

If do not want your name made public in the event your essay is selected as a winner, check the "anonymous" box when submitting your essay. Several past winners have chosen this option.

When will AIC announce the winners?

Winners will be notified (and announced on our web site) by Summer 2012. Judges evaluate each essay for clarity, creativity, and persuasiveness to determine prize winners.

What are common mistakes to avoid when writing an essay?

Do not focus on US government policy and regional geo-politics (the Iraq War debate, the Arab-Israeli-Iranian conflict, Iran's nuclear program, etc.). Essays based on these topics are disqualified. Judges are looking for essays that explore what ordinary citizens can do on the grassroots level to strengthen individual rights within Middle Eastern societies. These civil rights include, but are not limited to, free expression, women's equality, minority rights, religious freedom, economic liberty, and artistic freedom. Check out the Guide to Writing a Good Essay, which includes helpful tips for each question.

How can a brief essay cover the broad topic of civil rights in the Mideast?

There are several ways to address this challenge. Past prize winners have discussed the larger problem of civil rights abuses across the Middle East with a range of examples. Others have focused on one particular country (Middle Eastern participants are strongly encouraged to address their own society). Others have focused on a particular kind of civil rights abuse (e.g., press censorship). There is no one "right" answer to any of the essay questions. Check out the Guide to Writing a Good Essay, which includes helpful tips for each question.

Do essays have to be original and does AIC retain the right to reprint essays?

Yes and yes. Makes sure any quotations or outside intellectual material have citations. All essay submissions become the property of the contest's sponsor: the American Islamic Congress. At the same time, entrants can republish their essay on their own (e.g., on a blog, for a class paper, etc.) and use ideas for other writing.

2012 CELEBRITY JUDGES FOR "DREAM DEFERRED ESSAY CONTEST"

Amber Lyon

Amber Lyon is a three-time Emmy award-winning journalist and correspondent for CNN, where she helps produce investigative reports and documentaries. She covered the Bahraini nonviolent movement on the ground, and was attacked by Bahraini police. Since then she has become one of the most cited American journalists on the struggle for civil rights in Bahrain.

Ahmed Benchemsi

Benchemsi co-founded Morocco's groundbreaking and best-selling weekly magazines TelQuel and Nichane, which made international headlines with taboo-busting cover stories on the salary of Morocco's king, opinion polls, free speech and more. Benchemsi has been recognized for his pioneering journalism with fellowships at the Los Angeles Times and Newsweek. At the same time, he faced on-going legal intimidation and recently left Morocco to serve as a fellow at Stanford University.

Marietje Schaake

Marietje Schaake is a Dutch politician who has served as a member of the European Parliament since July 2009. The Wall Street Journal identified her as “The Most Wired Politician in Europe”. She has introduced numerous resolutions and inquiries to support the civil rights movement in the Mideast and North Africa before and after the Arab uprisings.

Parisa Montazaran

Parisa Montazaran is the first Muslim to appear on the MTV hit show The Real World. A first-generation Iranian-American, this reality TV star is currently lecturing at universities on diversity, Muslim youth in America, cross-cultural and inter-faith understanding, and female/minority empowerment. Parisa hopes to leverage her freedom in the US to promote change back home in Iran.

Jane Novak

Jane Novak is a leading player in the Yemeni struggle for reform, press freedom, and women equality - and she does it all from her New Jersey home. This stay-at-home mother first became interested in Yemen in 2004 when she learned about the imprisonment of journalist Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani. Novak began to publicize his case on her blog and launched a petition calling for al-Khaiwani’s release. The petition soon garnered 1,000 signatures, and Novak was profiled in the New York Times.

Nasser Weddady

The son of an ambassador, Weddady grew up throughout the Middle East and witnessed firsthand the toll of civil rights repression. As an adult he became an outspoken human rights activist and had to flee to the US as a refugee in 2000. A few days after September 11, he was mistakenly detained by the FBI. Today, he organizes workshops for Middle Eastern activists and helps lead campaigns to free dissidents. He is the co-editor of "Arab Spring Dreams," a new anthology featuring outstanding writing from this essay contest.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For submissions: submit your essay online here

Website: http://www.aicongress.org/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watch Benh Zeitlin's

"Glory At Sea"

(A Short Precursor To

"Beasts Of

The Southern Wild")

Blogs by Tambay | May 18, 2012

I just came across this 25-minute short film from Benh Zeitlin, whose feature film debut, and one of the best films I saw at the Sundance Film Festival this year, Beasts Of The Southern Wild, has been one of THE most talked about films so far this year; and rightfully so.

Read my review of it HERE if you missed it.

The short film, made in 2008, on an estimated $100,000 budget, is titled Glory At Sea, and carries many of the same artistic flourishes his feature debut has.

And I'll just say that, if you watch Glory At Sea, and you like it, then you'll definitely also like Beasts Of The Southern Wild; and if you don't care for the short, then, well, you likely won't care for the feature film either. 

Glory tells the story of an entire village that builds its own raft in order to escape a Louisiana that's been shattered by Hurricane Katrina. It's also against a similar backdrop that that the story in Beasts Of The Southern Wild unfolds.

Fox Searchlight will release Beasts for a limited bow on June 29, 2012; although before then, however, it'll screen at the Cannes Film Festival this week, if it hasn't already, and then the Los Angeles Film Festival in June.

Watch Glory At Sea below:

Colonial Mentality

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Kemi

In 2010, I longed for a change of environment, and decided I wanted to travel to other parts of the world for some time, and then thought going to Africa for a year would be ideal since many had accused me of losing touch with my roots, so off I went to West Africa to spend one year in Nigeria.

I expected that I would be re-immersed into my original roots and culture. But I was to be surprised because most of the people I met suffered from a condition that’s best described as ‘colonial mentality’.

In his book, Colonial Mentality in Africa, Michael Nkuzi Nnam describes (African) colonial mentality as an unintentional attempt by Africans to continue to behave like they are still under colonial rule. It happens when people who have been colonised accept the culture or doctrines of the coloniser as fundamentally better or more superior. It usually means the colonised feel inferior or improper if they don’t adopt the coloniser’s ideals.

So in what ways did I notice this trend?

Fashion / Appearance

I didn’t expect Nigerian people to dress like cave men or women, but I expected that people would be prouder of their heritage. On a positive note, I did notice that a lot of Nigerians took a lot of pride in their culture and this was evident in the food they ate and the colourful, fanciful, Nigerian clothing they wore. Most companies even had the policy of advising employees to wear traditional Nigerian clothing on Fridays, a sort of ‘dress down Friday’ initiative, which I really loved. However, when it came to physical beauty, unfortunately, I’d say a lot of Nigerians, in fact a lot of Africans, are still nursing a colonial mentality. I was coming from the Western world, where many black women were becoming more and more aware of their roots, becoming proud of these, and showing it by starting movements such as those that encourage natural hair. Natural, thick, full, black hair has become a sort of statement (and dare I say aspirational trend) for many black women in the Western world, and rightly so, celebrated. However, in Nigeria, the ideal woman has Brazilian or Indian hair extensions which she buys with half of her salary. If (especially as a woman) you carried a funky natural style or afro around in Nigeria, you automatically would be assumed to be some religious zealot or mad being. I tell you.

Everyone’s got their right to adopt whatever look they feel works for them, and this is not a campaign against wearing human hair extensions; but truth be told, let’s call a spade a spade, let’s hit the nail on the head, let’s not beat about the bush, if you feel incomplete, improper or inferior when rocking your natural hair, you have a case of colonial mentality.

Apart from the hair, I notice that even among most Africans, lighter skin complexions are favoured over darker skin tones. More so in Nigeria, it is evident in pop culture, and for example in some Yoruba music lyrics which use words like ‘omo pupa’ (light-skinned girl) or ‘apon-bepo-re’ (as light as palm oil) to describe a man’s ideal woman. Women with lighter skin tones are seen as more beautiful. The dark complexion of a woman now baits unpleasant jesting. Duduyemi as a name has become a joke, in fact some sort of sarcasm, rather than the statement of black beauty it is supposed to represent. So it is no surprise that skin bleaching creams are all over the beauty shops in Nigeria, in Africa, even in many parts of Asia. This is simply colonial mentality.

Food

A lot of Nigerians eat their own native food, which they refer to as ‘proper food’. Proper because any other food is not proper. That’s a beautiful thing. But then you find that when a lot of Nigerians want to show that they are well-off or posh, they don’t go for ‘proper food’. For example, if you know you really love ‘proper food’, but because you want to appear posh at a Nigerian party you decide to go for foreign plates, you are clearly suffering from colonial mentality.

Name

There is a certain perception of affluence you get in Nigeria if as a native you have a foreign surname. If you are Nigerian, you may not agree because it’s one of those attitudes that have been so subconsciously ingrained in the society, so, few people are aware of or even talk about it. In Nigerian movies, I’ve observed that most times, rich kids are portrayed as bearing surnames such as ‘Williams’, ‘Davies’, ‘Philip’ or ‘Brown’. There’s nothing wrong with having a non-Nigerian surname, after all, if that’s your lot, there’s not much you can do about it, you didn’t choose it, you were born into it. However, what is wrong is the perception of such names as superior/better, compared to indigenous names.

Colonial Mentality or Acculturation?

Having said all that though, colonial mentality is not the only reason people adopt non-indigenous values or cultures. Let’s face it; there is this issue of globalisation. Every single day, the world keeps converging to become a global village. No country is an island on its own (figuratively speaking!). Thanks to technology, education, travel and many other factors, inter-continent and inter-country interactions make us all share our cultural tastes. We begin to discover new ways of doing things, and adopt them, if we prefer them to our own cultures. It’s probably mostly also a case of acculturation, where people take on new cultures and psychological attitudes after their own cultures intercept with others’. Even in our culinary choices, Chinese cuisines, for example, are not only popular and loved in Western countries, they are now becoming popular in many other countries, and especially in Nigeria, where there are a growing population of people who continue to discover and add new dimensions to their palate. This doesn’t necessarily mean they have a colonial mentality if they prefer foreign food over their native food. It’s all about motives really. If people are trying out different things to see what works for them, then it is understandable. But there is clearly an issue when somebody thinks less of something they like personally, just because the world says it is not the ‘ideal’.

Of course you do have your rights to choose who you want to be, what you want to wear and the message (s) you want to pass across in your chosen way of life. Just always remember that it’s your life at the end of the day, and letting the world dictate for you what you should do with your life is surrendering the control of your life to the manipulative demands of that world.

Fela Kuti, one of Africa’s most prominent musicians before his death wrote a song titled ‘Colo Mentality’. Even though he shortened the word ‘colonial’ to ‘colo’, that title is an amusing pun, because colo in Nigerian slang means ‘crazy’ or ‘mad’. An excerpt from the lyrics from the song says: “Dem don release una, but you never release yourself.” Translation: They (the colonisers) have released you, but you have not released yourself.

As Bob Marley put it, “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery.”

The colonial masters have released you. Now release yourself.

Queer African Reader

by Sokari on May 17, 2012

Queer African Reader

Edited by Sokari Ekine and Hakima Abbas

 A visionary work melding academia and art that breaks the mould for Queer African studies

 Unique in presenting the voices of LGBTI Africans

 Groundbreaking in both scope and content, it encompasses voices from across the African content

 

As the double jeopardy of homophobia and transphobia, and western imperialism, threaten to silence the voices of African lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people, the Queer African Reader is a testament to the resistance and unrelenting power of these communities across Africa and her Diaspora.  The Queer African Reader brings together academic writings, political analysis, life testimonies, conversations and artistic works by Africans that engage with the struggle for LGBTI liberation.

The book aims to engage the audience from the perspective that various axes of identity – gender, race, class and others – interact to contribute to social inequality. It includes experiences from diverse African contexts and breaks away from the homogenisation of Africa as the homophobic continent to highlight the complexities of LGBTI lives and experiences through their own voices.

Contributions from across the continent explore issues of identity, resistance, solidarity, pinkwashing, global politics, intersections of struggle, religion and culture, community, sex and love.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Section 1 

1. A Story
   David Kato

2. In sisterhood and solidarity: queering African feminist spaces
   Awino Okech

3. Postcolonial discourses of queer activism and class in Africa
   Lyn Ossome

4. Contesting narratives of queer Africa
   Sokari Ekine

5. The single story of ‘African homophobia’ is dangerous for LGBTI activism
   Sibongile Ndashe

6. Twice Removed: African Invisibility in Western Queer Theory
   Douglas Clarke

7. Queerying Borders: An Afrikan Activist Perspective
   Bernedette Muthien

8. Don’t be afraid to let me change
   Mia Nikasimo

9. On the Paradoxical Logic of Intersections: A Mathematical Reading of the Reality of Homosexuality in Africa
   Charles Gueboguo

10. Proudly African and transgender
    Gabrielle Le Roux

Section 2 

1. The face I love: Zanele Muholi, Faces and Phases
   Rael Salley

2. Caster runs for me
   Doyin Ola

3. Transsexual’s nightmare: activism or subjugation?
   Audrey Mbugua

4. The media, the tabloid and the Uganda homophobia spectacle
   Kenne Mwikya

5. Mounting homophobic violence in Senegal
   Tidiane Kasse

7. Queer Kenya in law and policy
   Keguro Macharia

8. NGOs and Queer Women’s Activism in Nairobi
   Kaitlin Dearham

9. LGBTIQD: Does the label fit?
   Liesl Theron

10. Deconstructing violence towards black lesbians in South Africa
    Zethu Matebeni

11. Zanele Muholi’s intimate archive: photography and post-apartheid lesbian lives
    Kylie Thomas

12. Gallery
    Photographs by Zanele Muholi

Section 3

1. Disability and desire: journey of a filmmaker
   Shelley Barry

2. The vampire bite that brought me to life
   Nancy Lylac Warinda

3. Nhorondo – Mawazo yetu: Tracing life back – our reflections
   Zandile Makahamadze & Kagendo Murungi

4. What’s in a letter?
   Valerie Mason-John

5. Straight to the matter
   Olumide Popoola

6. Telling stories
   Happy Mwende Kinyili

7. LGBTI-Queer struggles like other struggles in Kenya
   Gathoni Blessol

8. Small axe at the crossroads: a reflection on African sexualities and human rights
   Kagendo Murungi

9. The portrait
   Pamela Dlungwana

10. Remember me when I’m gone
    Busiswe Sigasa

11. The danger of Malawi’s Gay and Lesbian discourse spinning on the human rights axis
    Jessie Kabwila Kapasula

Index

 

Related titles

Sylvia Tamale (ed), African Sexualities: A Reader

June 2011 GB pounds 24.95 978-0-85749-01

 

Sokari Ekine is an educator and writer who has been active in social justice issues around education, race, sexuality, gender, militarization and technology for over twenty years. Sokari has been a regular contributor to Pambazuka News since 2005 and she has published both as editor and author on social media, militarization, gender and human rights. Most recently she co-edited African Awakening: The Emerging Revolutions.

Hakima Abbas, the executive director of Fahamu, has been active in struggles for social justice around issues of self-determination, race, class, gender and sexuality for over fifteen years. She has published extensively as editor and author of articles and books related to development, human rights and social justice.