PUB: Bare Hands Poetry & Photography Postcard Competition

Bare Hands Poetry & Photography Postcard Competition


DEADLINE

1st April 2013 Monday  

 

ENTRY FEE

 

 € 5

 

PRIZE

 

€ 100 - Publication (website)

Four winners will be selected and there will be a shared cash prize of €400. The two winning poems and two winning photographs of the competition will be turned into 2,000 beautiful postcards distributed to leading independent bookshops around the world including Dublin, London, Edinburgh, Derry, Galway, Cork, Paris, Berlin, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Greece, Sydney, Toronto & Vancouver. They’ll be free so people can just pick them up! Click here to view the winning and highly commended entries from last year.

The theme of the competition is Bare Hands

Deadline: March 31st 2013

The theme of the competition is Bare Hands - please make sure your poetry/photography is bare hands related ;)

The competition fee for one entry is €5 for maximum three poems or three photographs. Multiple submissions are accepted and you are allowed to enter both categories.

The deadline is March 31st 2013. The winners will be announced in May and the postcards will be distributed to independent bookshops around the world in June 2013.

The four winners will receive a cash prize of €100 each. Four highly commended entries in each category will also be published online and their names will also appear on the distributed postcards.


http://barehandspoetry.tumblr.com/
http://barehandspoetry.tumblr.com/pos ... 7/2013postcardcompetition

 

VIDEO: 'War Witch' Is A Harrowing Yet Beautiful Tale Of Courage & Resiliency At Time Of War > Shadow and Act

Review:

'War Witch'

Is A Harrowing

Yet Beautiful Tale

Of Courage & Resiliency

At Time Of War

by Tambay A. Obenson

February 28, 2013

It's a film that we encourage you to see in the theater, but if you can't wait until it comes to your city, or if it's not coming to your city at all, the film also became available on demand starting on February 26th.

Rarely does war look so beautiful on film. I feel somewhat guilty saying that given the unspeakable acts of physical and mental torment the young protagonist in War Witch endures throughout its roughly 90-minute running time.

But director Kim Nguyen's dream-like visual aesthetic captivates; and when combined with the laconically-told narrative, we could say, in some way, collectively, they help soften the otherwise emotionally devastating blow any thinking/feeling member of the audience would feel.

Not that the material isn't harrowing. It certainly is; although director Nguyen shields us from the worst a child in young Komona's predicament would likely face in real life.

It may not have even been intentional (I haven't read any interviews with the director, nor have i interviewed him), and this isn't necessarily a negative or positive (just an observation by one person), but it's hard not to succumb to the odd serenity the painterly images and silences create.

It's like a piece of hell in heaven.

Toss in the wonderfully naturalistic performances (from many non-professional actors, notably the films lead, played by Rachel Mwanza) and you've got a film that some will likely classify as magical realism, with actual magic, sorcery or in this specific case witchcraft being of significance to the plot - hence the title. Although it's more like myth and superstition than anything real.

At times of desperation, especially at times of war, when right at the forefront of it, and death is a constant reminder of itself, it's not entirely irrational to embrace notions one might ordinarily dismiss.

The film follows 12 year old Komona on a 3 year journey, starting with her kidnapping by rebels from the unnamed village in the unnamed country in which she and her family live, to becoming a child soldier. She's branded a witch by the rebel leader after she survives an ambush that left the rest of the unit she was dispatched with, dead, and becomes something of a treasure to the leader, who believes she possesses magical powers he can exploit for his own protection. She eventually is able to escape from the camp with an older albino soldier who pledges his love for her, and seeks her hand in marriage, and, for the very first time, albeit for a short period of time, she experiences the simple joys of living a peaceful life; but unfortunately, none of that lasts, and she's soon thrust back into the madness she once fled.

I was reminded of last year's Mexican drama Miss Bala, which itself featured another kind of war as its backdrop, with a young female protagonist thrust into a world of organized chaos, which she had little control over, just as little Komona (her parents now dead, and who she sees in spirit form in her waking dreams and nightmares; a recurring motif that also includes the ghosts of men she kills, informing her evolution) is shuffled around by others (men primarily), much of the action happening outside of her, although we are privy to her internal thoughts - a running voice-over that reveals the story behind those dead eyes.

The significant difference between the two films being that Komona, after eventually deciding that she'd endured enough suffering, finally decides to act - taking great risk in plotting revenge and final escape, reclaiming her freedom on her own terms.

It's a sad, tragic tale of struggle and perseverance in the face of the kind of uncertainty that always has death as one of its potential outcomes - all of them bleak. But for some in this predicament, death may actually be desired.

I'd be remiss if I didn't note that I'm almost always impulsively weary of films like this, especially when produced by filmmakers who aren't of the particular region the film and its story are set; call it a knee-jerk reaction inspired by similar past films made under similar circumstances that have disappointed; but also recalling again Nigerian authorChimamanda Adichie's “the danger of a single story.

While it's noteworthy to say that there isn't the usual white American/European protagonist who rides into the frame on his/her white horse, and make things all better, one can't help but notice long-standing film trends of depictions by westerners of Africans in Africa dominated by narrow portrayals of Africans as either starving, helpless, hapless victims, or as post-colonial *savages;* those depictions have grown trite and tiresome, while failing to delve into the full complexities beneath the 2-dimensional surfaces we are often bombarded with.

It also doesn't encourage when the story is set in continental Africa but fails to specify where exactly - country, city, etc - rather just "somewhere in Africa" reinforcing the notion that Africa really is a country, and not a continent made up of individual countries; and while there might be some cross-border cultural bleeding, each exists as its own separate autonomous state with varied languages, customs, traditions, etc.

Although given that the child soldiers in War Witch are used as manual labor to mine a mineral called coltan, should narrow the list of potential countries in this case to 2 or 3; with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) being the most likely, since by some accounts, about 80% of the world's supply of coltan comes from the DRC, and it is believed that exporting of coltan from the DRC to the European and American electronics companies that make those ubiquitous devices known as cell phones, has helped finance recent and present-day conflict in the DRC, which has killed millions of people (the film was shot in the DRC by the way, but we aren't privy to location information within the narrative).

The filmmaker likely opted to keep the country nameless to avoid any potential political backlash, however an immediate negative reaction to films like this, no matter how well-produced, should in turn be understandable.

Not that any of this completely ruined my viewing experience; it's a picturesque, and even somewhat hypnotic, yet raw film, with strong acting and direction; but touches like what I just described are common enough, and complained about enough that I'd think, at this juncture, any filmmaker taking on the task of telling stories set in any part of the African continent would be fully aware, and avoid these *traps*.

As the Tribeca press notes say, War Witch is said to have been inspired by a real story that took place in Burma; director Nguyen worked on the film for 10 years, demonstrating a commitment to telling this particular story.

In the end, despite some irksome choices, War Witch is a poignant work, filled with strong, captivating images, and wonderfully naturalistic performances (especially from star Rachel Mwanza, who is in practically every scene, and definitely held my attention throughout, and who I'm looking forward to seeing in some other work, reminiscent of an even younger and just as dynamic Quvenzhane Wallis from Beasts Of The Southern Wild); I appreciated the effort by Nguyen to tell this particular story from a young girl's perspective, which itself is refreshing, and distinguishes the film from other like titles.

Some parts of it will likely shock, or even enrage you for any number of reasons - whether the particular story it tells, or some of the choices the filmmaker makes; but overall, there's enough good here that I recommend it.

Don't be fooled by the action-driven trailer below; it's a much quieter film than this shows.

 

VIDEO + INTERVIEW: Feminists We Love: Kim Katrin Crosby > The Feminist Wire

KIM KATRIN CROSBY

__________________________

Feminists We Love:

Kim Katrin Crosby

February 22, 2013

Kim Katrin Crosby

Kim Katrin Crosby is a daughter of the diaspora ~ Arawak, West African, Indian, and Dutch ~ hailing from Trinidad and living currently in Toronto. Kim is an award-winning, multidisciplinary artist, activist, consultant, facilitator, and educator. She is co founder of The People Project, a movement of queer and trans folks of color and our allies, committed to individual and community empowerment through alternative education, activism, and collaboration. She was featured as one of Go Magazine’s ’100 Women We Love’ in 2012 and is a current feature of The Insight Project highlighting Toronto’s game changers.

TFW: How does Feminism function, if at all, as a conceptual tool of resistance in the work that you do?

Kim: I think it is important to share what feminism means to me. I like to say that I deal in meanings and not definitions. I think that feminism has really different meanings and interpretations for a lot of people and I recognize how important it is to ensure that we get to examine the complexity of these different meanings when we imagine collective processes of resistance and freedom.

Feminism for me is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression. My feminism does not target men or masculinity as its enemy; rather, it is the structure of the society with which it is at odds. I don’t believe that men are “sex-crazed maniacs” who can’t help but assault womyn. I don’t subscribe to any ideas like ‘boys will be boys,’ that deny the possibility of individual and collective masculinities to be accountable for violence, privilege, or sexism.

Cherrie Moraga in “Refugees of a World on Fire,” which is the foreword to the Second Edition of This Bridge Called My Back, says so aptly, “If we are interested in building a movement that will not constantly be subverted by internal differences, then we must build from the inside out, not the other way around. Coming to terms with the suffering of others has never meant looking away from our own.” And for me, feminism is about exactly that, exploring the ways in which womyn, girls, and femininity are subjected to a disproportionate amount of suffering globally. Women perform 66% of the world’s work, but receive only 11% of the world’s income, and own only 1% of the world’s land.

There was a study recently published in the American Political Science Review, the largest study of its kind. It details violence against women conducted over four decades and in 70 countries. Its core finding was that the mobilization of feminist movements is more important for change than the wealth of nations, left-wing political parties, or the number of women politicians.

And for me feminism is all of these varied movements. Feminism is the Gulabi Gang; feminism is hundreds of years of Indigenous resistance. Feminism is Janet Mock, Punam Kholsa, Monica Roberts, D’bi Young, and mi abuela Aurelia. And I am beyond grateful for an enormous legacy of brilliant feminist freedom fighters

TFW: You often articulate the importance of decolonization in community organizing; what does decolonization mean to you and how do you practice decolonization outside of community organizing?

Kim: Decolonization is the act of naming/understanding the violent practices of colonization and subverting them in a myriad of ways. This can happen consciously or unconsciously. It happens every time we engage in economies of barter, it happens every time we respect someone’s gender pronoun, it happens when we learn of each other from each other, it happens when we recognize our interdependence and care for each other as though our lives depend on it, because they do.

I don’t know if it is possible to impose an artificial separation between community organizing, community building, and love. I think that community organizing can be a really ablest concept that ‘requires’ that bodies function in particular ways in order to be ‘actively’ doing something. Audre Lorde tells us that “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”

And in a system of colonization and capitalism that would have us believe that we are only valuable when we are producing something-knowing that–it means that rest, self-care, and community care are such significant acts of decolonization.

TFW: How important is community building in mobilizing resistance?

Kim: For me community building is about relationship building. It is about engaging in processes where we learn about each other’s needs and experiences in order to best care for and consider each other. My idea of revolution is treating no one as though they are disposable and resisting the ideas of individualism. Even the idea of ‘mobilizing,’ that too is ablest, as not everyone is ‘mobile’ and resistance must include all bodies and all abilities.

Community building is also celebration, respecting boundaries, and working towards greater means of accountability. I think a significant practice is also working to address our internalized experiences of oppression and how they play out both on others and us. This means confronting things like fat phobia, shadism, audism, and ageism in ways that are meaningful and authentic to ensure that communities that we are building are truly inclusive. It is at this place where our resistance is strongest.

TFW: I’m curious to know how you reconcile your self-identification as a queer femme of colour with feminist discourses?

When I tried to find myself reflected in other people’s versions of feminism, it was here that I didn’t find myself represented. Or if I did, it was a fractured type of representation; and I can’t conceive of a practice of feminism that is not grounded in a framework of intersectionality. The lack of intersectionality present in many versions of feminism is troubling at best and violent at worst. I think it is important to recognize that there are many different kinds of knowledge and experiences. I am not counter-culture. I am culture. And in my culture, in our discourses I find myself reflected, affirmed, and existing and when I do find that those things are not happening, my communities are often willing and able to be accountable to that.

TFW: On that note, how might we foster accountability and intersectionality within feminist movements in ways that don’t reproduce erasure of experiences and bodies?

Kim: It is important to recognize that the absence of accountability and intersectionality in some feminist movements can often be the result of a willful ignorance and a comfort in their place of relative privilege. Feminists of colour, deaf feminists, trans & queer feminists have been prolific in their criticism and analysis of oppressive movements for generations. It is not as though we are not doing enough to highlight the need for these things.

Recently, I watched Khush with one of my mentors, Punam Kholsa.Khush is the first documentary (directed by award-winning feminist filmmaker Pratibha Parmar) to explore the lives and experiences of South Asian Lesbians and Gays in London, India, and Canada. And although it was made many years ago, what struck me was that the challenges they described were the same. They spoke of the experience of being asked to choose between their queerness and their brownness in communities of colour and white gay communities respectively. They spoke of the overwhelming need to be represented in their relative communities and they were clear and articulate around what their needs were. The consistency of these same troubling issues over generations reminds me of the ways that privilege allows for people to be exempt from perpetuating social inequity.

As marginalized people, we often feel as though we have to disprove the ‘stereotypes’ or fight to be represented in White Euro Western media. However, at the core of that is the fact that there are stereotypes to disprove and that we are not treated as individuals. We are consistently asked to be the representative of our race or our gender.

For example, despite the number of white men who have been serial killers, there is not a stereotype that is perpetuated in white Euro Western media that white men are asked to disprove and/or answer for. Their portrayals are often fair and complex. There are entire movie franchises that attempt to give context to how white male serial killers may come to exist (e.g. Hannibal). On the other hand, when Black men have participated in acts of gun violence, there is no nuanced portrayal, no loving descriptions, there is simply the condemnation of them as a gang members who should all be locked up or eliminated.

I, for one, am not trying to ‘prove’ to anyone, feminist or not, that I am not a stereotype. As a mixed race womyn of colour, but in particular as a Black womyn, I am often dismissed as ‘angry.’ Do the people who assign us this moniker seek to understand why I might be angry? What might have happened to make me angry? No, it is assumed that it is unwarranted and unreasonable because ‘we are all this way.’ And in truth, the womyn of colour I know and the Black womyn I know are the most consistently empathic, caring people I know and almost to a fault.

This remains true despite the fact that we continually encounter hundreds of microaggressions daily. We are held responsible for the destruction of our families; we are shamed for our sexuality and our bodies and are violently assaulted and disappeared at alarming rates.  All the while we dominate in service industries around the world including nursing, childcare, food service, cleaning, and waste removal. If we were really so angry and out of control, why then are we constantly caregivers, nurturers, and maids?

As far as representation, I will not beg and plead with an industry that time and time again deliberately does not represent us. We have been asking for representation for decades. The fact that the Oscars we win are for playing the roles of maids, then and now should tell us exactly what this industry thinks of us. Harry Potter could have been Romani, Argentinian, could have been a half Lithuanian Jewish, half Korean wheelchair user. We are talking about a magical world where anything is possible and even in magical, science fiction, post apocalyptic worlds we remain conspicuously invisible. We are asked to identify with these experiences. We are asked to watch another Queen Elizabeth biopic, meanwhile the multiplicity of so many peoples’ stories go unrepresented in this media.

We don’t need to beg for representation that reflects the intersections of our identities, we can represent ourselves and we do all the time. We make our own media and we need to support our own media makers and build industries around them as opposed to requiring that they ‘make it’ in industries where they are systemically denied access.

When it comes to feminist communities of people who are willing to examine their relative privilege while sharing their experience of oppression, I think the key is accessible, non-shaming education. I have found in my work as a grassroots educator that many of us desire to learn about each other; it is just that education is often co-opted by ablest, racist, sexist institutions charging tens of thousands of dollars to have the right to learn. When I lecture at universities, I always work to ensure that it is free. I share it in my social networks that are composed of people of a diversity of ages, experiences, and abilities. When I develop presentations, engage in research, write anything – I share it across these networks. I want education to be free; I want us to learn how to treat each other better. Sharing that information, sharing our strategies of accountability and accessibility with all people from as young as possible with as much context as possible for me is integral to fostering accountability and intersectionality in our movements. One criticism I am met with when I share this practice is “how then do you make a ‘living’?” and I always reply, ‘community takes care of me.’ Perfect strangers have sent donations, have offered their care and affirmation, have helped me travel and work all over the work and have been inspired to do so by the values that ground me and the information I share.

Now I am by no means ‘cash-rich,’ far from it. I think it is important to name this because I think that our movements and our folks often try to pass as middle class and I am not. And, yet, I do have to acknowledge my privilege as a light-skinned, young, ‘able-bodied,’ English-speaking womyn. I know that the aforementioned also provide me with cultural capital and that it is clear that dark-skinned, differently abled, fat, gender non-conforming folks are not often supported to do this same kind of community organizing.

 

 

__________________________

 

 

 

We welcome

our first syndicated column:

Queer, Gifted & Black


This is some real hard talks and for all my sistren who have lived through or who are living through sexual violence, be careful with yourself. You don’t have to read this to prove anything to yourself or others. You are magnificent as you are.

By Kim Katrin Crosby

I, like many of the femmes of colour in my life, regardless of sexual orientation, have experienced sexual violence at the hands of strangers, friends, family even lovers. Hell the media and the government actively participate in this shit as well, even knowledge masquerading as ‘science’ (psychology today, I am looking squarely at you) are to blame. It requires courage to as the brilliant Arti Metha says to walk out with, “me and my slutty thigh high sparkly fishnets against the world”.

Over the course of my life this violence has come in the form of caregivers, street harassment, and at the hands of partners both male and female. I was introduced to sex and sexual desire at a very young age, and let me be specific, I was introduced to being ‘sexually desired’ at a profoundly wrong age. I felt deep, gut wrenching shame, responsibility and oh so much guilt. I was sure that people could see it written all over me. I begged and pleaded to what I understood God to be, to have me forget. To wipe away the memories, the sounds, the dreams, the flashbacks and start me all over again.

I think something very different happens to girls know sex too soon.

Girls who come to know that sex is a currency and we are in a recession.

Girls who don’t yet know the context, that we come from a history where sex workers were priestesses and now our bodies are regularly dismembered and commodified. We are blamed and branded as we tap into a power stemming as far back as time immemorial. And my sistren, I want to remind us that we remain both beautiful and priceless no matter how many people we sleep with, no matter what happens to our sex.

In this patriarchal, racist, mind fuck of a world we are both what is desired and defiled, vessels of power and of shame.

And there I was trying to walk that impossibly fine line between Madonna and whore. Completely inexperienced, but with a body that clearly said otherwise and I had no allies. Had no mentors, had no women I could ask to provide me with guidance as I wandered, or rather strutted.

And then we are told that this is what makes us special. And at first it feels like it, and even when it doesn’t it still is the only place where women are truly ‘validated’. We can be smart, athletic, creative, but we all are required to still be attractive. And being this exceptional, holds in betwixt the fingers of its’ mysticism the promise of love, attention, adoration, but mostly the promise of a promise. The promise of something more.

I find myself searching the eyes of each person I meet and asking the following questions:

“Could you love me?”

“Would you hurt me?

“Do you want to fuck me?”

“And how would I know the difference?”

I imagine that it must be so freeing, so beautiful to look into someone’s eyes for the first time and see eyes, and feel nervous and curious, maybe some butterflies, some deep in the chest, down in the belly welling up of something. I wonder what it must be like not to need to know the answer to these questions, not to have your survival depend on knowing whether someone’s desire to fuck will overwhelm their desire to protect you from harm, on knowing what you must exploit, what you must manipulate in order to get space in the midst of this.

We girls of the fatherless tribe, girls of the motherless tribe we work in trade.

And I have done it too – for love, support, to build family and to find freedom.

And I have no regrets.

Not one.

We glorify men as pimps and hustlers, but I want to shout out to all the womyn doing what they have to do to survive, all the womyn doing what they have to do to thrive. To the video girls, and the trans womyn, the sex workers and the dancers. Our society gives us few options and we are still able to leverage these experiences into book deals, professional dance careers and Masters degrees in physics.

And I want to say, it’s not enough to tell us to keep being strong and keep on hustlin. We actually need work, commitment for others to challenge this culture and transform the dialogue. And I want to give props to those of you who do it. Those of you who sit with us and devise plans for us to come home safely, those who tell us that we are are your heros, those who check their brethren when they spit whack ‘game’ to a sister – because it isn’t a game.

This is our lives.

And these are our bodies.

And even if we like sex that is rough or that explores rape fantasies, even if we love or have deep appreciation for masculine energy regardless of the body that it comes in – the fact of the matter is that the consent is what turns us on. We are giving permission to ourselves to be submissive and this in fact is a reclaiming of our bodies in a culture that decries that it is our ‘no’s’ that mean ‘yes’. It is possible to protest misogyny with my legs spread wide open and I am going to just that.
And as much as wish I didn’t have to say this, we have to say this.
Don’t rape us.
Don’t shout slurs at us on the streets.
Don’t act with ownership over our bodies.
Don’t police our bodies and that includes how we dress, how we fuck and how we birth.
Yes means yes. That’s it.
Don’t drug us, slip things in our drinks, wait until we are drunk – these things are not consent.
We are not responsible for getting you off, or tempting you or in general for your lack of self control.
We are children of the universe no less than the sun or stars.
It’s time you all acted like it.
Syndicated from Queer Gifted Black

>via: http://weaponoftherevolutionworldwide.wordpress.com/tag/kim-katrin-crosby/

CULTURE: THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY BLACK PEOPLE: The Dieselpunk Edition! > chronicles of harriet

THE LEAGUE

OF EXTRAORDINARY

BLACK PEOPLE:

The Dieselpunk Edition!

 

Marcus Garvey Dieselpunk 

Mob bosses. Nazis. Flappers. Jazz. Bootleggers. Marcus Garvey. The Tulsa Race Riots.

This is some of the stuff of the era of Dieselpunk – an often grittier sibling of Steampunk.

Dieselpunk is a sub-genre of Science Fiction and Fantasy that includes – but is not limited to, or bound by – the aesthetics, style and philosophies of film noir and pulp fiction and featuring retrofuturistic innovations, alternate history and elements of the occult. Think the movies Captain America: The First Avenger, Sin City, Hell Boy, the Indiana Jones films and The Mummy (1999 – 2008) trilogy.

Dieselpunk is set during the Diesel Era – a period of time that begins at the end of World War I and continues until the early 1950s.

Over the next few weeks, in our League of Extraordinary Black People Series, I will explore the amazing achievements of Blacks during this incredible era and will share some Dieselpunk fiction I write as well. For starters, check out my story, Lazarus Graves: The Scythe of Death. I am writing Part II to this tragic Dieselpunk tale at present and look forward to sharing that with you in the anthology Mothership: Tales from Afrofuturism and Beyond.

Some of the Dieselpunk Archetypes we will explore are:

AVENGER

Jigaboo Devil 

When the police don’t have the manpower to help; when the Hard-Boiled Detectives demand too much money or just don’t give a damn… there are those who will stand up for the weak, the oppressed and the victimized, fighting crime and evil in all its forms. The Avenger is a shadowy figure who strikes fear into the heart of the criminal community, hiding their true identity behind a mask, scarf, or wide brimmed hat pulled low to conceal their face. An Avenger’s motivation is rarely known. Many utilize strange inventions, chemical concoctions and / or psychic or occult powers to give themselves an advantage against their enemies.

AVIATOR

Diesel Sista 2 

During the Diesel Era, airplanes were still a fairly new concept. Most people had never actually seen one. Many adventurers raised some money, built a plane and put on shows to exhibit their skills. Some raced their planes, while others did stunt shows such as the famous Barnstormers of the 1920’s. Industrialist Howard Hughes made much of his fortune in the burgeoning aviation industry. These daring men, more at home in the wild blue yonder than on the ground, were always on the lookout for adventure and the opportunity to make a few bucks. Others served in the war and proved themselves the Aces of the sky – modern-day knights, racing over the battlefield, delivering a hail of hell in the form of hot lead on the troops far below.

DOCTOR OF MEDICINE

The Doctor can be a general practitioner, surgeon or other specialist, a psychiatrist, or an independent medical researcher. A doctor seeks to help patients, promote a more rational and health-conscious society and, of course, to acquire money and prestige. The Psychiatrist is a Doctor of Medicine who diagnoses mental disorders and administers treatment for the same. He or she can  also diagnose and treat medical conditions.

ENTERTAINER

This archetype includes dancers, singers, jugglers, stage magicians, athletes, musician, actors and anyone else who earns their living in front of an audience. It is applause, accolades, artistic expression, glory and / or money that drives them.

EXPLORER

The explorer braves the unknown, searching for long buried treasure, ancient and arcane knowledge or what lies beyond, beneath, or between.

Whether searching the wonders high in the Tibetan Mountains, at the center of the Earth, or in the depths of the sea, the Explorer will always venture where none others dare tread.

FEMME FATALE / PLAYBOY

Femme Fatale Flapper 

An irresistibly attractive man (Playboy) or woman (Femme Fatale) who uses his or her many charms to convince others to provide some good, service or favor. They are the perfect foils for a trusting, heroic adventurer who is often unfamiliar with the wily ways of these men and women. They are dangerous and willing to use their beauty – or anything else – to attain their goals. While many use their powers of enchantment for evil, others use their charms to help others, or to bring about positive change. These are usually anti-heroes who operate on both sides of law and order.

GREASE MONKEY

Diesel Sistas 2 

Grease Monkeys are the rough, tough and oh so ready mechanics, electricians and handymen / women of the civilian and military worlds. Aces at repairing automotives, ships, aircrafts and appliances for the home or business, these men and women keep the world moving along.

HARD-BOILED DETECTIVE

Hardboiled 

With many police departments forced to cut back on manpower from dwindling revenue, many people have turned to the private investigators for justice. Although in most cities, the “private eye” is licensed by the police and must be privately bonded as well, these gumshoes often work in the morally gray area between law and crime.

The private eye usually acts in non-police situations – gathering information and evidence for private clients in impending civil cases, tracking down fleeing or cheating spouses or business partners, or acting as agents for private defense attorneys in criminal cases. A private eye has no problem separating his or her personal feelings from the job and will gladly work for the guilty and innocent alike, as long as his fee is paid. Of course, working on both sides of the fence is tough – the police see you as a civilian muscling in on their job, and civilians view you as a rent-a-cop without the badge. 

A more sophisticated cousin of the Hard-Boiled Detective is the Consulting Detective, who relies more on astute, logical reasoning and a powerful intellect than the two-fisted gumshoe.

HUNTER

Hunters 

Whether they are stalking a lion across the Plains of the Serengeti in a rite to prove their worth as a man amongst their people, tracking down elephants for their ivory, bringing a museum the corpse of a Yeti for display, or riding shotgun on an archaeological expedition, there will always be a need for the Hunter – explorers of unknown lands and seekers of the next big challenge.

INVENTOR

Brilliant masters of gadgets and gizmos, the Inventor is intrigued by the complexities of technology and finding new uses for metal, electricity and diesel power. The Inventor is an expert in advanced mechanics and electronics, which allows him or her to create devices well beyond the normal capacities of the Diesel Era.

JOURNALIST

Journalist 1 

These men and women seek to uncover and expose the troubles that plague the world and to make the general public aware of those troubles.

While some might believe that to be a good journalist, you just need a notebook and a nosy disposition, in reality, you must be willing to put yourself in the thick of things to get the scoop. You must be able to skillfully use words to report and comment upon current topics and events, writing as many words in a day as an author may in a week.

Journalists work for newspapers, magazines and radio, often taking on the role of detective to bring timely and accurate news to the public. They are the eyes and ears of the city.

Constantly on the hunt for the next big story, Journalists will uncover the secrets that others need – and have a right – to know. 

MAD SCIENTIST

The Mad Scientist blindly pursues knowledge and power. They gladly experiment on the living and dead alike, using brutal torture techniques to unlock the mysteries of the mind and brain and conducting breeding experiments in an effort to produce new species. These devotees of Charles Darwin and Doctor Moreau fill their island sanctuaries with animal / human hybrids, clones of themselves and loved ones and strange conglomerations of flesh and metal.

MYSTIC

Mystic 

Trained in techniques from the indigenous people of Asia, Africa, or the Americas, the Mystic is an individual on a quest to discover the great secrets of the mind and body. Through meditation, study and training, they have tapped into their psychic potential. Most mystics also have extensive knowledge of the martial arts from the culture their masters hail from. This gives them a distinct advantage during the Diesel Era, as martial arts are nearly unknown in the West during this period.

OCCULTIST

Occultists may be the wealthy widow, seeking supernatural truths from her deceased husband, or a champion of science, seeking to debunk the paranormal. They may be the college professor, student, or librarian who uncovers the sinister nature of the occult. Whatever the vocation or preoccupation, the occultist dedicates him or herself to the study of the unexplained. Closely related to the Occultist is the Parapsychologist – a scientist, interested in the observation of, experimentation with and measuring the power of the supernatural. Unlike the occultist, these men and women tend to be scientists, who hold degrees in physics, psychology, or medicine.

PROFESSOR

Professor 

The Professor holds a Ph.D. in one or more areas of expertise and has earned tenure at some college or university. He or she is qualified to teach and has a reputation of excellence – or incompetence – in one or more field of study. Professors often become involved in adventures as they search for such things as ancient civilizations, ancient artifacts, new technologies, or contact with extra-dimensional life.

SCOUNDREL

A scoundrel excels at making her way around the law. She knows how to be stealthy, break and enter, and cover her tracks. A scoundrel may be a street thug, con artist or even a daring and stylish cat burglar or a crime lord, who oversees a criminal empire.

SPY

Jesse and Ruth Owens sitting with an unknown group of people, ci 

Masters and Mistresses of manipulation, charm, deceit and infiltration, the Spy pursues a life of intrigue, politics and diplomacy throughout the world. Most spies can ease their way into any group and have connections across the globe. Similar to a Consulting Detective, his or her keen senses and insight into human motivations allow him or her to notice facts and behaviors that most others miss. The Spy’s weapon is information and thorough planning – they maintain numerous cover identities and always have a contingency plan and several escape routes, should a mission go to hell.

WARRIOR

Pulp 1 

The warrior is at the forefront of battle – whether on the side of justice and heroism or in the service of selfishness, wickedness or mad schemes to rule the world. Warriors are skilled in the use of most modern weaponry, as well as basic hand-to-hand fighting techniques, tactics and strategies; many possess an expertise in a wide variety of weapons and are truly terrifying on the battlefield. Warriors range from backwater pit fighters, to bold activists, to military sharpshooters and battle-scarred veterans of world war. They make a living at the only thing they are good at – fighting, killing and surviving.

 

I hope you enjoyed this introduction to Dieselpunk. Be sure to hang out with us as we bring a little funk to the Jazz Age with The League of Extraordinary Black People: The Dieselpunk Edition!

 

VIDEO: Octavia Butler: Science Future > scifigeneration

The AfroFuturist Affair

The AfroFuturist Affair is a community formed to celebrate, strengthen, and promote Afrofuturistic and Black Scifi culture through creative events and creative writing.
February 20, 2013
OCTAVIA BUTLER

scifigeneration:

Octavia Butler: Science Future, Science Fiction

This is from a panel discussion at UCLA in 2002, moderated by Arthur Cover. The full panel is on Frank Herbert’s Dune DVD.

 

 

HISTORY + INTERVIEW: Historian Ben Vinson III on Afro-Mexican History • Afropop Worldwide

Historian Ben Vinson III

on Afro-Mexican History


Ben Vinson III is a historian at Johns Hopkins University and perhaps the world’s leading scholar on Afro-Mexican history. He has published several books about Afro-Mexicans, including Bearing Arms for His Majesty: The Free-Colored Militia in Colonial Mexico (Stanford, 2001), Flight: The Story of Virgil Richardson, A Tuskegee Airman in Mexico (Palgrave, 2004), and Afroméxico (Fondo de Cultura Economica, 2004). He is also one of the participating scholars in La Bamba: The Afro-Mexican Story, Afropop’s Hip Deep radio documentary all about black history and music.

 Here, you can read the full transcript of producer Marlon Bishop’s  interview with Professor Vinson. Don’t forget to also check out stories from our travels in Mexico on the Afropop blog and our Afro-Mexico video series.

Marlon Bishop: To start off, what does the term Afro-Mexican mean?

Ben Vinson: That’s a good question. The term “Afro-Mexican” basically refers to people of African descent in Mexico. Usually it refers to people who have colonial origins, who were brought during the slave trade. The term “Afro-Mexican” is actually a little bit contentious, because people  tend to think of themselves as Mexican or not. So, inserting kind of a hyphened identity has been problematic, although recently in September 2012,  a declaration was made by populations of African descent in Mexico to use the term.

 

Scholar Ben Vinson

Scholar Ben Vinson

There was another term that was used in Mexico starting in the 1940s – “Afro-Mestizo.” It’s basically another way of thinking about blackness, really blackness packaged in racial mixture. That term was popularized by Gonzalo Aguirre Beltrán, who was one of the great fathers of Afro-Mexican scholarship.

MB: How does the African presence in Mexico begin?

BV: The African presence in Mexico begins with the earliest colonization effort. As the Spaniards arrived in the 1519 to 1520 period, they brought with them African auxiliaries who came with them, in some cases as slaves, and in some cases as field workers, and in other cases, quite frankly, as conquerors.

Drawing of African Conquistador Juan Garrido

Drawing of African Conquistador Juan Garrido

One of the great Afro-Mexican conquistadors, or conquerors, was Juan Garrido, a man who actually participated in multiple conquests of the Spanish in the new world, and Mexico was one of his final resting places. So, the history is actually one that is not an exclusive story of slavery; it’s one that encompasses freedom and slavery in Mexico from the earliest days of the Spanish arrival.

MB: Take us through the history from there – what happens next?

BV: What happens is that slavery begins to take off a little bit in the 16th century. There’s a 70-90 percent decline in the millions of indigenous people that lived throughout Latin America. As this happened, the Spanish crown started looking at alternative labor sources, and the African population was a prime candidate, experimented with first in the Caribbean and then brought to Mexico.

Early Afro-Mexicans worked in a number of industries – in silver mines, as cattle rustlers, as domestics, as well as what we in the US would think of as a more classic slave scene on sugar plantations in Veracruz, and some cotton cultivation on the Pacific coast of Mexico.

The 17th century, things change a little bit. The colonial government finds that they want to cut back on the number of native populations who are engaged in plantation-type labor. They think that it’s very, very detrimental to an already falling native population, so they ratchet up the importation of African slaves. That really takes place from about the 1580s until the 1650s, what we call the heyday period of the Mexican slave trade. Roughly one-half of all slaves brought by the Spanish to the new world went to Mexico, the other half pretty much to the Peruvian area.  So, we’re looking at about 250,000 or so people that we pretty much have a record of – there are probably more – who are brought to Mexico.

MB: After that, slavery kind of slows down in Mexico, no?

BV: Yes, and there are a number of reasons for that. Between 1580 and 1640, the Spanish crown was joined with the Portuguese crown, and the Portuguese held a monopoly over the slave trade. So, they were able to bring in tons of slaves into the new worlds. In 1640, that monopoly ends, so slaves are really coming in through illegal means, through an internal slave trade that lasts really until the mid- to late-18th century.

Slavery doesn’t end; it continues, but we start seeing a downturn in the number of peoples of direct African descent coming into Mexico. Really, we see now what is the birth and growth of a mulatto population, or a racially-mixed black population that starts to take preeminence. So much that by 1810 or so, 10 percent of the population of Mexico includes peoples of African descent. That is roughly analogous to the population here in the United States at that time.

MB: In your book, Bearing Arms for His Majesty, you focus on the role of Afro-Mexicans in the colonial military. Tell me about that.

BV: One of the key roles that people of African descent played in Latin America, and particularly in Mexico, was in military service, especially militias. Around the 1550s, we start seeing peoples in African descent entering in fairly decent numbers into militia ranks.

One of the things that I’ve discovered in researching the militias is that this particular type of affiliation created a structure for peoples of African descent to harmonize, to come together and to develop a sense of identity around the privileges that were given to militia soldiers.

Through the militias, peoples of African descent were able to really defend and obtain favor with the Spanish crown itself for things that they did of importance, such as defending the Viceregal Palace during fires or serving as policemen. In a world where there were no police in the 1700s, these black soldiers basically patrolled the streets and made sure that people were law-abiding citizens.

Peoples of African descent used these militias also to develop local politics. They were able to use their guns and their reputation to challenge the authority of governors and mayors, so this became a very important political venue for peoples of African descent. These are just a few of the ways in which during the colonial period these militias really sedimented an Afro-Mexican identity and really forwarded agendas of the Afro-Mexican presence.

MB: Some of Mexico’s military heroes are said to have been of Afro-Mexican descent, correct?

BV: Certainly, the two most famous are probably José María Morelos, who was one of the freedom fighters during Mexico’s fight for independence. He was a major guerilla fighter that helped liberate Mexico with the assistance of other peoples of African descent in the Pacific region of Mexico. According to rumor, he wore what we might call a stocking cap, really a handkerchief over his head, to hide his curly locks so that people wouldn’t see him as someone of African descent 

Morelos

José María Morelos

There was also Vicente Guerrero, who was one of the presidents of Mexico in the late 1820′s. In fact, he was responsible for abolishing slavery around 1829. He was another hero of the independence struggle and he, of course, was the person in charge. Barrack Obama 1829, if you will. These are probably two of the greatest heroes and figures in Afro-Mexican history.

MB: So considering how important Afro-Mexicans were in Mexico during all these years, it’s strange how they seem to have disappeared from the national consciousness. How did that happen?

BV: Yes, well first of all, Afro-Mexicans never fully disappear. But what happens is that, beginning in the 1820s when Mexico liberates itself from Spain, there’s a new dialogue that starts to arise around citizenry. Native populations became key and were embraced and extolled in the sensibility of the nation.

There’s one other thing that I should point out, as well. During the 1800′s in particular, there were a number of African-Americans that came to Mexico to colonize in the northern parts of the country. There were a number of peoples from the Caribbean who also came into Mexico to work on the railroad lines and in other industries. What happens is that as these new blacks come in from other parts of the world, they create a convenient mechanism for Mexican politicians, to say that, “We don’t have blacks here. These are foreigners.” It’s an out for Mexican politicians that they used because, quite frankly, in the 19th century, it wasn’t great to depict your country as having peoples of African descent.

Afro-Mexicans never disappeared. And you can find pockets throughout the landscape of the country, but what happens is their political discourse changes, and there are more opportunities for erasing the Afro-Mexican image from portrayals of national identity.

MB: People like Morelos and Guerrero were national heroes, the kind of people who have whole Mexican states named after them, yet their Afro-Mexican heritage has never really been celebrated – why is that?

BV: There’s a good reason for that. These people are not necessarily considered to be of African descent because that’s not the discourse of the nation. People will talk about citizens before they talk about race. That’s something that’s held true even into the current period.  It’s a way in which Mexico and other Latin American nations were able to juxtapose and distinguish themselves from places like the United States that had a “racial problem.” These places didn’t have racial problems because they didn’t include race as part of the equation.

We must also remember that these Afro-Mexican communities were engaged in racial mixture. They had a century or so lead on the United States in this regard and, of course, we know that our laws of segregation also in many ways hindered the abilities for people of African descent to engage in racial mixture. So, in a more open society it becomes possible for Afro-Mexicans to become part of the broader blood pool of the national population.

Today, for example, if you look at the surnames of certain individuals, sometimes you’ll see someone named Juan Pardo or Julia Moreno. These are black surnames, literally meaning Juan Brown or Julia Black. Those are clues to possible Afro-Mexican links that go back generations.

MB: So fast-forward to the present, where do we find Afro-Mexicans today?

BV:  Today, we find peoples of African descent on the Pacific Coast, in a region south of Acapulco called the Costa Chica, meaning quite literally the Little Coast.

This is an area that until the 1960s or so was, as some have described, a region “forgotten in time.” It’s a part of the country that didn’t get highways until the 1960s. So, given its isolation and exclusion, this has been a part of the country that has developed its African-descended population from the colonial times with minimal interruption from outside.

The other part of the country where we see a significant Afro-Mexican population is Veracruz, on the Gulf Coast. This is a more complication situation because the peoples of African descent who are here come from both ancestral ties dating back into the colonial period as well as more recent immigration: Afro-Cubans coming in,  various Caribbean people coming in through the Port of Veracruz, which was a major thoroughfare for goods and people.

Veracruz

Veracruz

Veracruz is the part of the country that has often been considered black in the Mexican imagination. It’s convenient because it plays to that trend that “blacks are foreigners, they come from the outside” Or – “if blacks are not foreigners, they’re conveniently contained within this space, within in this particular region, and not to spill over into other parts of the country.” 

There are other pockets that you may or may not know of. If you look at the Southern border of Mexico, you’ll find peoples of African descent here, too, coming in particularly from Belize. You’ll find some very, very thin and scattered pockets of peoples of African descent in the northern reaches of Mexico, the border of the United States, where African-Americans had established colonies in the 19th century. These are faint communities, not so extensive, but they are at least worth giving acknowledgement of.

MB: What do people mean when they use the phrase the “Third Root”?

BV: Beginning in the 1980s, something came about known as the Mexican “Third Root” movement. It was a government-sponsored initiative that sought to look what was called Mexico’s third root, or its black root. It was also looking to acknowledge all of the elements of Mexico’s racial mixture. It’s important to put out there that Afro-Mexican history was not necessarily being studied only to understand Afro-Mexicans but also to understand how that population intersected into the greater populace.

So, this is a process that began in the 1980s. It started to attract more and more and more attention from scholars, from students and from the greater population on the whole.

MB: What implications does this movement have for Afro-Mexican communities themselves?

BV: One thing that’s been happening is the mobilization of Afro-Mexican communities themselves into political and cultural groups that has been taking place on the west coast of Mexico, notably under the aegis of Padre Glyn Jemmott, a Trinidadian priest who has lived in Mexico for years and has helped sensitize peoples of African descent to their history. This has led to an efflorescence of cultural re-engagement: dance groups, theater groups, radio shows, Afro-Mexican hip hop, lots of other things that are taking place in this particular part of the world and also taking off more and more in the university community. This is a very important trend that’s on the current landscape of Mexico at the moment.

MB: Last question – how does all this relate to music?

BV: Of course, one of the things that we have to remember is that all of these populations created culture, so this begins from the moment of disembarkation in Mexico as slaves in the 1500s to contemporary times where peoples of African descent create community and do that around aspects of cultural production.

As culture is created, people go back to their roots, consciously or unconsciously. So, in that sense, this is why aspects of Afro-Mexican culture have been preserved over time because, through repetition  and through re-adaptation of cultural practices to contemporary moments, there has been a lineage and survival of Afro-Mexican practices across time. The imprints are faint, but their relevance and their meaning are constantly recreated from colonial into modern times.

 

 

POETRY + AUDIO: GOVERN YRSELF ACCORDINGLY

photo by Alex Lear



Govern Yrself Accordingly

 

i have dismissed

the minister

of emotional defenses,

distributed

confetti to all

the guards and given

faithful and ever vigilant

caution

several days off

 

the city

of me is well ready

to joyously receive and

rainbow celebrate

your unanticipated but

nonetheless profoundly appreciated

arrival into the intimacy

of our space

 

know that you are warmly

welcomed for howsoever long

you should choose to stay

here, you need no keys

no door is locked to you

every window is open

 

feel free


—kalamu ya salaam

 

__________________________

Kalamu ya Salaam – vocals

Stephan Richter – clarinet

Frank Bruckner – guitar

 

Recorded: June 14, 1998 – "ETA Theatre" Munich, Germany

 

 

via nathanielturner.com

 

VIDEO + AUDIO + INTERVIEW: The Floacist: A Soul Poet Says Yes To Moving On > NPR

The Floacist:

A Soul Poet Says Yes

To Moving On

February 26, 2013 

Natalie "The Floacist" Stewart's second solo album is Floacist Presents: Floetry Rebirth.Natalie "The Floacist" Stewart's second solo album is Floacist Presents: Floetry Rebirth. / Courtesy of the artist

 

 

 

 

Natalie "The Floacist" Stewart is best known for her role as half of the British neosoul duo Floetry. Along with her bandmate and childhood friend, Marsha "The Songstress" Ambrosius, Stewart released three albums as Floetry and earned seven Grammy nominations.

After Floetry broke up in 2006, Stewart became a solo artist. Her second album, Floacist Presents: Floetry Rebirth, continues her journey in floetry — a blend of poetry and spoken word put to music.

On The Floacist Presents: Re:Birth, Natalie Stewart offers a new take on the Floetry song "Say Yes."

"I really, really wanted to let it be understood that this album isn't about replacing Marsha," Stewart says. "I see The Songstress as completely irreplaceable. The album is really embracing and appreciating your past in order to, you know, strengthen your foundation in your present, in order to have a positive effect on your future. And by no means is this to compete [with past Floetry records]; I wouldn't be crazy enough to do that. It's just really to embrace everything."

Speaking here with NPR's David Greene, Stewart discusses her split with Ambrosius, the philosophy behind her new album and the confines of being a black musician in the music industry.

via npr.org

 

VIDEO: "Yes I am" - Afro-German musicians fighting racism > AFRO-EUROPE

Video:

"Yes I am"

- Afro-German musicians

fighting racism

 


 

A movie about black German musicians: they live in two different worlds. After a black man is beaten to death by a right-wing extremist teenager, they come together and found the musical group "Brothers Keepers". The musician fights with her voice..
 
Synopsis: At the centre of this film are musicians Ade Bantu, D-Flame and Mamadee. When Ade was 15 years old his father was murdered in Nigeria. Following that he moved to Cologne with his German mother and siblings. When D-Flame's problems with his mother escalated he was sent into a home and turned criminal. When Mamadee was ten years old, the German Democratic Republic collapsed dashing her dreams of wearing the red neckerchief worn by the Thälmann Pioneers.

All three have a black father and a white mother, but they all had to grow up without their fathers. They are all German and yet, because of their skin colour, are seen as being different. They met for the first time after the Mozambican Alberto Adriano was pummelled to death by three youths in a park in Dessau. Together with other black German musicians like Xavier Naidoo they founded the project "Brothers Keepers” (swiftly augmented by "Sisters Keepers") with the aim of performing together in schools in East Germany and elsewhere to mobilise people to act against racism in everyday life.

It's a must-see documentary of 2007 and you see can the entire film at  http://www.cultureunplugged.com

Check the official website at http://www.brotherskeepers.org

The anti-racism video of Brothers Keepers - Adriano

Since the film is of 2007, a few recent videos of the featured artists.

Bantu feat. Nneka "I'm Waiting"

D-FLAME "HALLO"

Mamadee LIVE one BYLINX TV Jah Linx one-love

 

 

 

 

PUB: Call for Submissions from Muslims around the Globe: UmmahSpeaks > Writers Afrika

Call for Submissions from

Muslims around the Globe:

UmmahSpeaks

25Feb2013

UmmahSpeaks is an online magazine that unites the different voices of Muslims around the globe. The intention is to create a shared platform of people who want their voices to be heard on different issues, aspects such as historical, political, inspirational and also in literary perspectives.

Do you want to share what you feel, what you see, what you aspire with rest of us? If you want to make your voice heard – send in your contributions toeditor@ummahspeaks.com. Please note that all work submitted must be your own.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For queries/ submissions:editor@ummahspeaks.com

Website:http://ummahspeaks.com

NOTE: Writers Afrika is a resource for writers and is not involved in this opportunity or associated with its organizers. Queries and submissions should be directed to the appropriate e-mail address found under the Contact Information section of this post.