An engrossing, if not entirely original, exhibit of design and art from around the African continent has just opened at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. One of the curators called it a look at the “psychic space” that is Africa, and it’s a collection of the varied and fresh paintings, furniture, photography, sculptures and other artistic forms plucked from a cross-section of African countries. Artists featured in the show range from remarkable unknowns to gifted veterans like Kehinde Wiley and Yinka Shonibare.
I hate whenever I hear about something that is supposed to reflect all of Africa, as if it’s, yet again, just one country, but I think the curators did an admirable job combing the continent for pieces from different places. But as you can see from these three photos (from Nigeria, South Africa, and Cameroon) — there is definitely no one “African” aesthetic.
An unprecedented exhibition exploring the broad spectrum of contemporary African art, design, and craft worldwide, The Global Africa Project premieres at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) this November. Featuring the work over 100 artists working in Africa, Europe, Asia, the United States, and the Caribbean, The Global Africa Project surveys the rich pool of new talent emerging from the African continent and its influence on artists around the world. Through ceramics, basketry, textiles, jewelry, furniture, and fashion, as well as selective examples of architecture, photography, painting, and sculpture, the exhibition actively challenges conventional notions of a singular African aesthetic or identity, and reflects the integration of African art and design without making the usual distinctions between “professional” and “artisan.”Co-curated by Lowery Stokes Sims, MAD's Charles Bronfman International Curator, and Leslie King-Hammond, Founding Director of the Center for Race and Culture at MICA, The Global Africa Projectshowcases a diverse group of creators, including artists who are experimenting with the fusion of contemporary practices and traditional materials, and design collectives that are using their creative output as engines of local economic change. Featured artists range from such well-known figures as Yinka Shonibare, MBE, Kehinde Wiley, and Fred Wilson; to Nigerian-born, London-based fashion designer Duro Olowu, and Paris-based Togolese/Brazilian designer Kossi Aguessy, who has collaborated with Yves Saint Laurent, Cartier, and Swarovski; to the Gahaya Links Weaving Association, a collaborative of Hutu and Tutsi women working in traditional basketry techniques in Rwanda.In order to present various dimensions of the work of African artists and artisans worldwide, The Global Africa Project is organized around several thematic ideas. These include: the phenomenon of intersecting cultures and cultural fusion; the branding and co-opting of cultural references; how art and design is promoted in the international market and the creative global scene; the use of local materials; and the impact of art-making on the economic and social condition of local communities. In addition to providing a broad framework for the exhibition's organization, these themes will encourage audiences to discern how global African artists grapple with the commodification of art production and the meaning and value of art in society-an increasingly significant issue for nations in a rapidly changing global context.
Click here for a complete list of artists in The Global Africa Project.
The Global Africa Project is made possible by the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation as part of its International Cultural Engagement initiative, with additional support from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The Rockefeller Foundation, HSBC Bank USA, N.A., and a group of private donors. Major support for the exhibition catalogue has been provided by Basil Alkazzi, who gave additional funds in memory of Judi Hoffman.
At the end of the NATO summit in Lisbon, Portugal this weekend, the leadership of the Afghan Taliban issued a statement characterizing the alliance's adoption of a loose timeline for a 2014 end to combat operations as "good news" for Afghans and "a sign of failure for the American government." At the summit, President Barack Obamasaid that 2011 will begin "a transition to full Afghan lead" in security operations, while the Taliban declared: "In the past nine years, the invaders could not establish any system of governance in Kabul and they will never be able to do so in future."
While Obama claimed that the US and its allies are "breaking the Taliban’s momentum," the reality on the ground tells a different story. Despite increased Special Operations Forces raids and, under Gen. David Petraeus, a return to regular US-led airstrikes, the insurgency in Afghanistan is spreading and growing stronger. "By killing Taliban leaders the war will not come to an end," said the Taliban's former foreign minister, Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil, in an interview at his home in Kabul. "On the contrary, things get worse which will give birth to more leaders."
Former and current Taliban leaders say that they have seen a swelling in the Taliban ranks since 9-11. In part, they say, this can be attributed to a widely held perception that the Karzai government is corrupt and illegitimate and that Afghans—primarily ethnic Pashtuns—want foreign occupation forces out. "We are only fighting to make foreigners leave Afghanistan," a new Taliban commander in Kunduz told me during my recent trip to the country. "We don’t want to fight after the withdrawal of foreigners, but as long as there are foreigners, we won't talk to Karzai."
"The Americans have very sophisticated technology, but the problem here in Afghanistan is they are confronting ideology. I think ideology is stronger than technology," says Abdul Salam Zaeef, a former senior member of Mullah Mohammed Omar's government. "If I am a Taliban and I'm killed, I'm martyred, then I'm successful. There are no regrets for the Taliban. It's very difficult to defeat this kind of idea."
But it is not simply a matter of ideology versus technology. The Taliban is not one unified body. The Afghan insurgency is fueled by fighters with a wide variety of motivations. Some are the dedicated jihadists of which Zaeef speaks, but others are fighting to defend their land or are seeking revenge for the killing of family members by NATO or Afghan forces. While al Qaeda has been almost entirely expelled from Afghanistan, the insurgency still counts a small number of non-Afghans among its ranks. Bolstering the Taliban's recruitment efforts is the perception in Afghanistan that the Taliban pays better than NATO or the Afghan army or police.
The hard reality US officials don't want to discuss is this: the cultural and religious values of much of the Pashtun population--which comprises 25-40 percent of the country--more closely align with those of the Taliban than they do with Afghan government or US/NATO forces. The Taliban operate a shadow government in large swaths of the Pashtun areas of the country, complete with governors and a court system. In rural areas, land and property disputes are resolved through the Taliban system rather than the Afghan government, which is widely distrusted. "The objectives and goal of the American troops in Afghanistan are not clear to the people and therefore Afghans call the Americans 'invaders,'" says Muttawakil. "Democracy is a very new phenomenon in Afghanistan and most people don’t know the meaning of democracy. And now corruption, thieves and fakes have defamed democracy. Democracy can’t be imposed because people will never adopt any value by force."
The US strategy of attempting to force the Taliban to surrender or engage in negotiations rests almost exclusively on attempts to decapitate the Taliban leadership. While Taliban leaders acknowledge that commanders are regularly killed, they say the targeted killings are producing more radical leaders who are far less likely to negotiate than the older school Taliban leaders who served in the government of Mullah Mohammed Omar. "If today Mullah Omar was captured or killed, the fighting will go on," says Zaeef, adding: " It will be worse for everyone if the [current] Taliban leadership disappears."
In October, there were a flurry of media reports that senior Taliban leaders were negotiating with the Karzai government and that US forces were helping to insure safe passage for the Taliban leaders to come to Kabul. The Taliban passionately refuted those reports, saying they were propaganda aimed at dividing the insurgency. Last week the Taliban appeared vindicated on this point as Karzai spoke in markedly modest terms on the issue. He told The Washington Post that three months ago he had met with one or two "very high" level Taliban leaders. He characterized the meeting as "the exchange of desires for peace," saying the Taliban "feel the same as we do here - that too many people are suffering for no reason."
Contrary to the rhetoric emanating from NATO and Washington, the Taliban are not on the ropes and, from their perspective, would gain nothing from negotiating with the US or NATO. As far as they are concerned, time is on their side. "The bottom line for [NATO and the US] is to immediately implement what they would ultimately have to implement… after colossal casualties," stated the Taliban declaration after the recent NATO summit. "They should not postpone withdrawal of their forces."
Depending on who you ask, the fact that Gen. Petraeus has brought back the use of heavy US airstrikes and is increasing night raids and other direct actions by Special Operations Forces could be seen as a sign of either fierce determination to wipe out "the enemy" or of desperation to prove the US and its allies are "winning." Over the past three months, NATO claims that Special Operations Forces' night raids have resulted in more than 360 "insurgent leaders" being killed or captured along with 960 "lower-level" leaders and the capture of more than 2400 "lower-level" fighters. In July, Special Operations Forces averaged 5 raids a night. Now, according to NATO, they are conducting an average of 17. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the raids "intelligence-driven precision operations against high value insurgents and their networks," adding, "There is no question that they are having a significant impact on the insurgent leadership."
The raids undoubtedly have produced scores of successful kill or capture operations, but serious questions abound over the NATO definitions of Taliban commanders, sub-commanders and foot soldiers. Most significantly, the raids consistently result in the killing of innocent civilians, a fact that is problematic for NATO and the Karzai government. "A lot of times, yeah, the right guys would get targeted and the right guys would get killed," says Matthew Hoh a former senior State Department official in Afghanistan who resigned in 2009 in protest of US war strategy. "Plenty of other times, the wrong people would get killed.
Sometimes it would be innocent families." Hoh, who was the senior US civilian in Zabul province, a Taliban stronghold, describes night raids as "a really risky, really violent operation," saying that when Special Operations Forces conduct them, "We might get that one guy we’re looking for or we might kill a bunch of innocent people and now make ten more Taliban out of them."
Hoh describes the current use of US Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan as a "tremendous waste of resources," saying, "They are the best strike forces the world’s ever known. They’re very well trained, very well equipped, have a tremendous amount of support, and we’ve got them in Afghanistan chasing after mid-level Taliban leaders who are not threatening the United States, who are only fighting us really because we’re in their valley."
In an interview with The Washington Post in mid-November, President Karzai called for an end to the night raids. "I don't like it in any manner and the Afghan people don't like these raids in any manner," Karzai said. "We don't like raids in our homes. This is a problem between us and I hope this ends as soon as possible.... Terrorism is not invading Afghan homes and fighting terrorism is not being intrusive in the daily Afghan life."
Karzai's comments angered the Obama administration. At the NATO summit, President Obama acknowledged that civilian deaths have sparked "real tensions" with the Karzai government, but reserved the right to continue US raids. "[Karzai's] got to understand that I've got a bunch of young men and women... who are in a foreign country being shot at and having to traverse terrain filled with IEDs, and they need to protect themselves," Obama said. "So if we're setting things up where they're just sitting ducks for the Taliban, that's not an acceptable answer either." Republican Senator Lindsey Graham blasted Karzai's statement calling for an end to night raids, saying, “it would be a disaster for the Petraeus strategy.”
Along with Afghan government corruption, including a cabal of war lords, drug dealers and war criminals in key positions, the so-called Petraeus strategy of ratcheting up air strikes and expanding night raids is itself delivering substantial blows to the stated US counterinsurgency strategy and the much-discussed battle for hearts and minds. The raids and airstrikes are premiere recruiting points for the Taliban and, unlike Sen. Graham and the Obama administration, Karzai seems to get that. In the bigger picture, the US appears to be trying to kill its way to a passable definition of a success or even victory. This strategy puts a premium on the number of kills and captures of anyone who can loosely be defined as an insurgent and completely sidelines the blowback these operations cause. "We found ourselves in this Special Operations form of attrition warfare," says Hoh, "which is kind of like an oxymoron, because Special Operations are not supposed to be in attrition warfare. But we’ve found ourselves in that in Afghanistan."
The cholera epidemic in Haiti is spreading twice as fast as had been estimated and is likely to result in hundreds of thousands of cases in the coming months, the UN says.
The UN's humanitarian co-ordinator for Haiti, Nigel Fisher, said aid agencies would have to "ratchet up" their response and send more medical staff.
The Haitian government says 1415 people are confirmed to have died.
The epidemic has complicated preparations for elections next Sunday.
Mr Fisher said more than 200,000 cases of infection could be recorded in the first three months instead of six months as first estimated.
"This epidemic is moving faster and we are in unknown territory in Haiti just because this is moving so fast. There is no immunity to it", he said.
Mr Fisher added that the Haitian government would have to increase pressure on local authorities to find places for more treatment centres and to dispose of bodies.
“The government and the vast majority of candidates are really determined that these elections be held as planned" —UN mission chief Edmond Mulet
There has been some opposition to the placing of treatment centres from residents who fear they could bring the infection into their neighbourhoods.
The UN under-secretary for humanitarian affairs, Valerie Amos, who is visiting Haiti, told the BBC there was an urgent need to train Haitian health workers, who have no previous experience of dealing with cholera.
"We need to get the message out there to the people that this is something that can be dealt with. We need to make sure they know about hand-washing and proper sanitation, and we need to get supplies in", she said.
Election challenge
Campaigning is meanwhile in full swing for Sunday's elections, when Haitians will elect a new president and legislative members.
Cholera
Intestinal infection caused by bacteria transmitted through contaminated water or food
Source of contamination usually faeces of infected people
Causes diarrhoea, vomiting, severe dehydration; can kill quickly
Some human rights groups and four of the 19 presidential candidates have called for the elections to be postponed because of the cholera epidemic.
But the UN mission in Haiti, Minustah, says the conditions for a successful vote are good.
"The government and the vast majority of candidates are really determined that these elections be held as planned," said the head of Minustah, Edmond Mulet.
"As in the past we might see some intimidation or burning of ballots or polling stations, but we are prepared on the security side to face those challenges".
There have been outbreaks of violence between rival political factions in the run-up to the vote.
On Tuesday two people were shot dead in a clash between supporters of two candidates in the town of Beaumont in south-western Haiti.
Last week there was also rioting directed against UN peacekeepers from Nepal, who some Haitians have accused of bringing cholera into the country.
The UN says there is no evidence to support the accusation.
The challenges of rebuilding Haiti are immense
Sunday's elections are seen as a crucial step towards giving Haiti a stable government that can lead recovery efforts after January's massive earthquake, which killed about 230,000 people and shattered the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Some 19 candidates are vying to succeed current president, Rene Preval and it is likely that the election will go to a second round run-off on 16 January.
Most candidates have insisted that the elections, which will also choose 99 deputies and 10 senators, should go ahead as planned.
Cholera epidemic continues to claim lives in Haiti
More than 1,300 people have died in Haiti from an outbreak of cholera. Efforts to control the epidemic have been disrupted by riots against UN peacekeepers, who are being blamed for the outbreak
The body of a person whose death was possibly caused by cholera lies inside a building yesterday in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince. Haitian health officials said at least 1,344 people have died from a worsening cholera epidemic that has ravaged the country since mid-October. Port-au-Prince is seen as being particularly at risk of widespread infection because of the crowded and unsanitary conditions endured by tens of thousands of people sheltering in squalid, makeshift tent cities after January's devastating earthquake. The city has seen 77 cholera deaths, officials saidPhotograph: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images
Calling the Detroit-based emcee and activist Invincible a driven young woman would be about as accurate as calling the CEO of BP a moderately wealthy businessman.
In a medium founded in lyrical cutting contests the underground icon has set her sights on becoming “the best rapper, period / not just the best with breasts and a period.” What separates Invincible from her peers (besides the fact that she’s likely the sharpest freestyle battle rapper the D. has seen since pre-peroxide Eminem) is that she’s also a community organizer with a list of projects so long and diverse it would leave the average independent artist dizzy.
In the past couple of years alone the artist whose real name is Ilana Weaver dropped her long-anticipated album Shapeshifters, put the final touches on two docu-music videos (People Not Places and Locusts, which put the Israeli government and recession-plagued Detroit under the microscope, respectively), helped organize the Detroit Summer Live Arts Media Project (LAMP) and rocked the mike at the opening ceremony of the US Social Forum. Among hip-hop’s cognoscenti who have kept an unblinking eye on the D. since the passing of producer J-Dilla in 2006, there is little doubt that thanks to her unique mix of multimedia muscle and socially-conscious hip-hop hustle Invincible has emerged as a powerful new voice.
Recently, Invincible made it up to Montreal to headline the Artists Against Apartheid XIV showcase on October 23. When I caught up with her a week later the artist who spent the first seven years of her life in “Israeli-occupied Palestine” spoke about her idiosyncratic approach to her latest album and the parallels she sees between Palestine and Detroit. She also had a few tips for President Obama, whom, although it seems like a hazy memory amidst the fading images of an epic oil spill and the frequent news of deadly drone attacks, was also a community organizer once upon a time.
Art Threat: I’ve had your track Shape Shifters on repeat for a while now. Can you elaborate a little bit on the concept?
Invincible: Shape Shifters was inspired by reading Octavia Butler’s The Parables series and Wild Seed. It was my first attempt at writing a hip-hop science fiction song. Hip-hop is based in sampling, and when writing the song I imagined creating a time capsule of music and movements from today — that could be sampled in the future, and uncovered in some post-apocalyptic rubble. I’m excited to see how the lessons of music and movements now can be sampled into brand new unimaginable evolutions of our current approaches to self and world transformation.
You spent up to five years working on your docu-music videos Locusts and People not Places. What’s simmering on the back burner these days?
My new concoction is a full-length album, multimedia installation, and curriculum project in the works with Detroit producer Waajeed. It is focused on complex science and social movements, learning from the ways they intersect and overlap. I hated science class growing up and now somehow all I think about is the ways science can be reclaimed by marginalized communities. A few years ago I was inspired by Grace Lee Boggs, the long time Detroit activist and philosopher to think about the ways our movements are being dictated by old science paradigms. People think change happens incrementally on a large scale, which is in a sense a Newtonian approach, rather than holistically on a small scale, which is the way complex science works. Waajeed and I recently released a single for the song Emergence along with Detroit Summer which is an appetizer for the full-length project.
You’ve often been described as an MC’s MC. My former roommate raps and he played your tracks constantly. Do you ever worry that your dense verses packed with multi-syllabic rhymes could potentially make your messages less accessible?
As dense as my verses are I work to create choruses and bridges that break up the listening experience and make it more digestible. That aside, I strive to write in ways that aren’t just catchy, but are interesting and innovative enough that people will listen more than once and hear something new every time. Much of my flow is influenced by jazz musicians as well. Not to compare meticulous lyricists to Coltrane or Blakey, but jazz fans don’t necessarily memorize their riffs, more so than they listen to appreciate the artistic craftsmanship and emotionality.
You’ve said that in the current postindustrial economic climate, Detroit residents have become artists out of necessity. What do you mean?
Detroit has one of the greatest artist legacies in the world, as well as one of the most revolutionary movement histories in the country. We have so many challenges here that have been ongoing for decades and are just now hitting other cities in a similar magnitude. Detroiters have been finding opportunities in crisis for ages and therefore are creative problem solvers, which is to me what real artistry is all about.
When artists make art for art’s sake, or to tell their personal story, that is already important. But it is even more powerful when combined with creating change in their lives and the lives of their communities. Recently there has been a flood of artists coming into Detroit to live or to make art or films about the city, and calling things like fixing up a building or handing out food in the community art. They are correct that these are acts of art worthy of validation and praise, but it is unfortunate that while they get praise and recognition, the work that local residents have been engaging in for years has rarely gotten that type of attention. Those Detroiter-led ongoing projects need to be given more light in media and museums, not to mention supported on a larger scale.
Do you recognize this ‘artist out of necessity mindset’ among the Palestinians you’ve met as well?
Definitely. I think all people who are given little to no resources become resourceful out of necessity. The Palestinian hip-hop movement represents that to the fullest. These artists are building studios in refugee camps where brownouts and military raids are so frequent they have to factor that into their recording sessions. But they still make some powerful music that represents their story like no news outlet ever could. Additionally, people who wouldn’t consider themselves artists per se are creating alternative ways to feed and educate themselves even when they are under military curfew for weeks at a time. That’s creativity and steadfastness out of necessity.
You’ve used your music videos to amplify Palestinian voices of resistance rather than simply put forward your own critique of the situation. How did you arrive at this approach?
The way I first unlearned the Zionist views I was raised to believe was when I spoke to a Palestinian friend of mine during 6th grade, at basketball practice. We started talking about “back home” and the little we remembered and knew about the land. We had both left so young. She told me how her uncle was imprisoned by the Israeli military for simply attending a non-violent protest, and was then tortured for months.
After that I felt betrayed by the pro-Israel propaganda I had been spoon fed from such a young age. I sought out more and more stories and perspectives written by Palestinians. People who are most impacted by the oppressive forces of a situation are the greatest experts on that topic, and in this case Palestinians are the most impacted by the Zionist colonial and occupation project. Although, I also add my own perspective to the songs I write about Palestine — for example, when I speak about my mom in People Not Places.
I strive to also include and centre Palestinian and other marginalized voices on the issue to express the heart of the matter most accurately. Many people think that mostly listening to Palestinians speak about the topic is a form of bias, but they would never say the same thing about the majority pro-Israel Zionist perspectives that are prevalent in most mainstream media depictions of the situation. Those are considered “objective”.
Case in point: the New York Times Middle East Reporter (Ethan Bronner, the Jerusalem bureau chief of The Times) who’s son left the US to join the Israeli Defense Forces, and yet the reporter was allowed to continue running that section in one of the most influential news sources in the world.
As seen in your video for “The Emperor’s Clothes” you’re a very vocal supporter of the BDS movement. When and how did you come to the conclusion that BDS should be used to combat the Israeli state?
The BDS call was put out by Palestinian Civil Society as a nearly consensus strategy for how to address Israeli Apartheid in an effective way. It was inspired by the South African anti Apartheid boycott movement, and is supported by people who were heavily active in it. Of course it is not the only way to combat the injustices happening there, but I think it is one that can most be connected to local context wherever it takes place.
For instance, if in Arizona they are already doing a boycott of anti-immigrant Apartheid there, they can connect that struggle to the fact that the wall on the US-Mexico border is being built by an Israeli company Elbit systems, which is also building the wall in Palestine. Therefore it is not just about fighting injustice “over there” but connects it to injustices “over here” in our own communities. BDS can also be connected to supporting local economies that are in alignment with anti-apartheid values.
How would you respond to those who say that BDS across-the-board sanctions demonize Israeli society?
There are people living inside Israel’s borders that are signed on to the boycott and although it is a small group to start (it is very difficult to speak out without fear of isolation and attack) it is quickly growing. From history we have learned that settler colonial societies don’t give up power through persuasion, but only through pressure, and particularly economic pressure. The people and artists inside Israel occupied Palestine who want these injustices to end are also supporting the boycott because they know that otherwise Israel will continue to do business as usual.
As an artist yourself — albeit a very independent one — are you not at all concerned about the negative impact BDS could have on Israeli artists?
Artists are not boycottable simply for living in Israel occupied Palestine. They are boycottable only when they take funds from the Israeli government, and although that is challenging it is not impossible, especially considering the thousands of Palestinian artists living in West Bank and Gaza who are not eligible for these funds but continue to make art to speak their truths. Israel has a deliberate mission to use culture as a way to re-brand its image as a benign liberal state which supports arts, as opposed to its true character as an oppressive military regime which has displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, not to mention their recent offer to pay other countries to accept new African immigrants they want to displace, because they “threaten the Jewish character of the state”.
You have a shot of the one of the founders of Detroit Summer the veteran activist Grace Lee Boggs in one of your videos. Has she been a major influence on you and the work you’ve chosen to do in Detroit?
Grace Lee Boggs is a 95 Chinese American activist, writer, and philosopher who has been in Detroit for over 50 years. She and her late husband Jimmy Boggs along with a number of other activists in the city founded Detroit Summer in 1992. I’ve been involved with Detroit Summer since 2000 and it has definitely shaped who I am, how I understand the world, and how I approach making change. One of the greatest lessons I take from Grace and Jimmy is that revolution is not a one-time event, it is an ongoing work in process that is rooted in community, self-reliance and alternatives. Detroit Summer started out growing gardens on empty lots with youth and elders, and now Detroit has the largest urban agriculture movement in the country. The main program now is called LAMP (live arts media project) and is focused on youth created media, popular education workshops, music, and art as an integrated process for youth-led activism and self advocacy campaigns on the issues they feel are most important to them and their community.
If you could take President Obama on a tour of Detroit where would you take him?
I would take Obama (or more importantly Detroit youth) on Detroit Summer’s LAMP youth-led a multimedia mural tour called “Another Detroit is Happening”, which interactively shares the work they did this past summer. In June the LAMP youth interviewed a dozen grassroots community led projects around Detroit and used the photos and concepts from the interviews to inspire mural designs. They then took those mural designs and created giant silkscreens, which they used to print posters of their designs. Then they partnered with four community groups around the city and wheat pasted the collaged posters into murals on each project’s wall. The interview audio was collaged according to the theme of each mural print and then a phone number [1-888-317-8418] was added to allow people to hear the stories, which inspired the design. During the tour people get to meet the various groups involved with the mural process, as well as hear their voices and dialogue about the ideas, and then see the youth perform songs and poems they recorded inspired by the murals as well. For more info go to DetroitSummer.org.
Southington Journal is having a contest for publication and awards. The title of the journal is “100 Memories,” but the type of memory is up to you!
$20 entry fee for up to three poems (rhyming, sonnet, haiku, concrete, or free verse – 30 lines maximum), short stories (1,000 words maximum), flash fiction (500 words maximum), humor, personal essay, or memoir (1,000 words maximum). Entry fee includes one mailed copy of the journal. Works submitted may be in different genres. Original, previously unpublished work only. No works containing violence, profanity, or obscenity will be considered.
Postmark deadline is March 1, 2011.
Mail typed entries along with complete mailing address and contact information with check or money order made out to Southington Press to:
Dr. K. Nicklaus, editor, Southington Journal
639 E. Edgewood Drive
Lakeland, Fl 33803
(863)284-9033 kathynicklaus@yahoo.com
All winners will be notified by May 1, 2011 and will be published in the Summer 2011 Southington Journal.
Winners will also receive an awards certificate along with a copy of the journal.
Welcome to the FBFT Sports Writing Competition 2011
First things first: this competition is Free To Enter. We are looking for the best sports writers to send us exciting, original, even abstract sports writing to help add zest and vigour to the genre.
The contest is open to entrants of 18 years and older. You may write about any subject … as along as it relates to sport. Any sport. Even pseudo-sports like synchronised swimming, if you must.
Entries may be anything up to 1000 words and must be written in English. Please read the full FBFT Sports Writing Competition Terms and Conditions before entering. The closing date for entries is the final day of the Premier League football season: 22 May 2011.
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First Prize: £50
Second Prize: £30
Third Prize: £20
The three winning entries will also be published on our website.
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Enter your name, a valid email address and the title of you article, then paste your article into the box.
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5. To participate in this competition, entrants must write an article relating to sport of no more than 1000 words. Entries must be the work of the individual submitting them and must not have been published elsewhere or have won a prize in any other competition. It is the responsibility of each entrant to ensure that no element of their entry infringes the copyright of any third party or any laws. Entries will be judged on which are the most original, entertaining and interesting.
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Write A 12+ Chapters Ebook in 2 Months... Earn Glory... WIN $US200!!
Chapters of Glory! is a FREE writing contest designed to kick the brains of genius authors into overdrive. Frantic, coffee-fuelled days and nights pit authors one against the other - all within a supportive, vibrant and creative literary community of 'Facebooking/Twittering-types' - and the chance to win $US200! Entrants are challenged to write a complete, 12+ chapters ebook in 2 months - and get as much feedback on their writing as possible! Choose a topic you're passionate about - you keep FULL copyright - AND YOU CAN SELL YOUR EBOOK at the end of it all! Cast your fears aside, Dear Writer, it's time to publish your passion... write an epic ebook... have heaps of fun... and WIN GLORY!
Entries close Midnight (EST), January 15, 2011
The Rules are Simple
Frantically write and post a complete, 12+ chapters (min. 25,000 words) ebook to Publishizer before midnight EST, January 15, 2010
Earn 'glory points' in the form of comments, likes, tweets and star ratings on your chapters. Each comment, like, tweet and star ratings is worth 1 point!
Spread your chapters mercilessly to friends, family and colleagues to win 'Glory Points'!
The author with the most amassed 'Glory Points' across their posted chapters WINS!
How To Signup & Post Your Chapters
Entering Chapters of Glory! is FREE and EASY. To post your chapters, follow these steps:
When you login, you'll see a nice button appear up top. Click it to bring up the 'Chapter-ifizer' thingy!
Write your chapter, which should each be between 2000-4000 words (it's not as much as it sounds)
ADD YOUR EBOOK TITLE in the 'categories' box for EACH CHAPTER. This is VERY important for us to count your votes at the end
Click 'Save & Close'. Repeat until you have written your ebook!
Select One Of The Topics Below:
Autobiography
Body, Mind & Soul
Business & Economics
Crafts & Hobbies
Fiction
Parenting & Families
Technology
Travel
Self-Help
Your Own Free Choice!
Why Enter? Sounds Like a Lot of Work!
Entering Chapters of Glory! will expose you to the world of writing for an audience. Also:
Write for the art and love of the written word... seriously!
The chance to win money!
It's fun, plus you'll get positive and valuable feedback on your work
Make new friends, then let out your aggressive competitive urges on them!
You can sell your ebook after Chapters of Glory! if you want to! This helps Publishizer support more writing contests in future - bigger prizes and more to give! Our plans help you create a serious business from your ebooks
... and besides, who needs an excuse for GLORY?!
Tips and Tidbits
Plan your chapters in advance, so you track and monitor your writing progress
It's quality - not quantity - that counts! Chapters should be only 2000-4000 words each - it's not as much as it sounds - the world of online publishing is very demanding on quality and you must exert serious quality control!
Add images and videos to your chapters to bring your chapters to life! (Please be careful not to infringe copyright. If you're unsure, ask for permission first!)
Ask friends, family and colleagues to read, share, comment, like, tweet and rate all of your chapters! Feedback is the lifeblood of writers
Write on something you're passionate about - this is most important of all! Our tagline 'Publish Your Passion' was chosen for a reason, you know!
Terms of Entry
Writing must be original. This means that you wrote it. Adding references or quotes is great - spread the love! - but we will not accept or tolerate plagiarism
Authors must publish a minimum of 12 chapters (or at least 25,000 words total) to be in the running to win. We think this is a good, solid amount for an ebook, without overdoing it
Authors retain full copyright ownershipover all works they create on Publishizer
Clean language is good language. Chapters must not contain offensive or explicit content. It is against out Terms and Conditions, and it will be removed
The (ONE) author with the most 'glory points' at the end of the conteset wins $US200. This is tallied through the total number of comments, likes, tweets and star ratings on all of your chapters.Remember to add your EBOOK TITLE to the categories box for EVERY chapter, otherwise your points may be missed in counting.
The prize will be paid to a nominated PayPal account - it's free to join if you haven't already
Voting concludes at midnight EST, January 15, 2011. The winner will be announced the following day, January 16, 2011. Good luck!
This week we head deep into classic jazz from the seventies presented by Cannonball Adderley featuring the Nat Adderley Sextet with narration by Rick Holmes. Next we enjoy music from dance club diva Joi Cardwell. We conclude with dazzling Brazilian vocalist Flora Purim singing the music of Milton Nascimento.
Whereas the narration of the Zodiac albums sounds a bit dated, there is nothing retro about Soul of the Bible. The whole project sounds contemporary and is a genuine classic of jazz that needs no qualification or contextualization to be appreciated. David Axelrod is a co-producer with Cannonball on all three sessions but whereas Soul Zodiac can easily be catalogued as a commercial effort that has Axelrod’s penchant for fusion rather than straight ahead jazz, there is no equivocation on Soul of the Bible. Indeed, some of the longer cuts are magnificent examples of the spiritual direction that jazz took post-Coltrane when there was a strong, strong emphasis on African rhythms and instrumentation under-girding extended vamps.
Soul of the Bible, and to a lesser extent the Zodiac recordings, are prime examples of how deep the music of the seventies was. Some of us argue that there was a strong spiritual element to the music. In this case, the spiritual orientation is not only overt, the spiritual element is also swinging.
I will write a few post this week about the Surinamese community in the Netherlands because Suriname will celebrate 35 years of Independence on November 25.
But before I write about the community in the Netherlands (or Holland) I will give you a small introduction to the country and the people of Suriname.
Suriname is the smallest independent country of South America and one of the most cultural divers nations in South America and the Caribbean. Although Suriname lies in South American it's cultural regarded as a Caribbean country.
The Surinam population in Surinam and in the Netherlands (about 700.000) consists of the following groups. • Amerindians, the original inhabitants of Suriname • The Surinamese Creoles or black community , the mixed descendants of West African slaves and Europeans (mostly Dutch) and other ethic groups in Suriname. • Hindus or in Dutch Hindoestanen, the descendants of nineteenth-century contract workers from India • The Javanese, descendants of contract workers from the former Dutch East Indies on the island of Java, Indonesia • Surinamese Maroons, descendants of escaped West African slaves • Chinese, mainly descendants of the earliest nineteenth-century contract workers • Jews, mainly descendants of Sephardic Jews and Ashkenazi Jews • Boeroes. derived from boer, the Dutch word for farmer , descendants of Dutch nineteenth-century immigrant farmers.. • Lebanese, people from the Middle East. (source wikipedia)
The official language of Suriname is Dutch, but the local language is Sranan Tongo (Surinamese tongue), which is the Creole language of Suriname. Although other languages are spoken, everyone from the indigenous in the Amazon to the Chinese shopkeeper in the main Capital of Paramaribo speaks and understands Sranan Tongo.
But the cultural and political dominance of the Creoles is also the biggest controversy between the Creoles and Hindus, the two biggest ethnic groups. The Hindu community has a strong business focus, while the Creoles are very Government oriented. Another aspect is that in Suriname and in the Netherlands a Surinamese person is regarded as the Creole person, although the Creoles are now outnumbered by the Hindus. One of the reasons is perhaps that most celebrities, artist and athletes are of Creole origins.
But in spite of this controversy cultural tolerance is regarded one of the key elements of Surinamese culture, racial intolerance is the other one.
The ethic controversy is also one of the reasons why there is such large population of Surinamese in the Netherlands. It’s almost just as big as in Surinam (350.000). Before and after the independence of Suriname in 1975 people feared an ethnic war between Creoles and the Hindus, a fear which was fuelled by both ethic groups. Although the “war” never occurred it did trigger a mass immigration to the Netherlands. The other reason was that many people didn’t believe the independence would work. But even before 1975 there was a large group of Surinamese in the Netherlands, mainly Creole students.
In The Netherlands you will find the Black Surinamese community in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Almere and the Hindu community in The Hague. But Hindus also live in Amsterdam.
To end, some videos about Suriname and about Surinamese culture.
Journey from the Netherlands to Suriname This video is a journey from the Dutch Airport schiphol to the Surinam Airport Sanderij. He uses the "Fa Waka" which means who are you. Waka - Walk, that why they used to call Sranan Tongo, Negro English. You wil hear more English sounding words like "kondre" - Country
Suriname where culture meets nature A tourist video about the Indigenous people and the Marroons of Suriname
Marroons and their struggle Interesting video of the Marroons and their struggle. Someone wrote that the Surinamese Marroons have the best kept piece of Africa outside Africa. Because they escaped to the rainforest their culture has remained pure 18the Century African. I think that's why a few Ghanaian chiefs visited the Marroons in the rainforest in 1975 to formally apologise for their part in the slave trade. Also read an African-American perspective on the blog Afrospear here . The Marroons also speak Sranan Tongo, but they also have their own language. Marroon music is Kauna.
Surinamese Hindu music from singer Dhroeh Nankoe - "Payelia" This video of Dhroeh Nankoe caputures the spirit of the Hindus of Suriname. I remember writer VS Naipaul wrote that Hindoes in Suriname were cultural still very close to India. Although I knew they spoke Sarnami, a Surinamese version of Hindi, I didn’t know that in the neighbouring country British Guyana most Hindoes don’t speak or even understand Hindi anymore, so I was told. Other elements of Surinamese Hindu culture are Bollywood and the popular Hindu spring festival Holi-Phagwa (the the Festival of Colours).
Javanese culture in Suriname This is the famous, at least in Suriname, Djarang-Kepang or Javanese horse dance ritual. In this dance ritual the dancers become the spirits of tigers, monkeys, snakes and pigs. They then eat everything such as live chicken, broken glass and paddy. I have actually seen some people eat glass when they were in trance. The Javanese culture in Suriname is the oldest Javanese culture in the world, it doesn’t even exits anymore in present Java Indonesia. Especially the wedding tradition is almost ancient Java, so I am told.
Javanese dans (bonus video) No, this is not Indonesia, this is still Suriname, I think it’s Lelydorp, the home city of the Javanese community in Suriname.
Chinese New Year - Year of the tiger
In the video some Chinese New Year scenes, but also a reception for cabinet members and other important figures in Surinam. The black man who speeches is former President Ronald Venetiaan.
Around Jerusalem in 60 Seconds: Suriname Synagogue at the Israel Museum This video is about the reconstruction of the Suriname Synagogue in Isreal. It appears Israel wanted to preserve this important element of Surinamese Jewish life. There is still a Synagogue in Suriname, next to an Islamic mosque. One example of Jewish culture is one the national dishes of Suriname, named "Pom". Although most people though it was Creole
165 Year Boeroes in Suriname - Boeroes (Famers) In the video the commentator says that Boeroes are sometimes seen as Dutchmen, but that they resent that idea, they want to be regarded as Surinamese. In video you see the now former minister of Surinam Ricardo van Ravenswaay handing over a play garden to village Groningen. The woman in the video says: "It's very important for us that we are Surinamese in the first place." Van Ravenswaay, the first Boeroe in a Surinamese government, referred in his speech to the hardships of the first settlers.
Fra Fra Sound - Creole Kaseko/Jazz fusion This is a video of the Dutch-Surinamese band Fra Fra Sound (based in The Netherlands). The music is a mix of traditional Creole Surinamese Kaseko music and Jazz. The band is accompanied by an Amsterdam percussion school. In a way this music reflects Creole culture, it's a fusion of everything. I use the word Creole in the Surinamese context, because most Surinamese Creoles usually call themselves Black people.
Guy Vincent
