The POWA Mixtape

fisttap @telamigo

South African hip hop guru, Tumi from Tumi and the Volume has finally dropped the video for the remix of Kanye West's Power he did last November. (See this previous blogpost for lyrics and background story). He's also dropped a mixtape in collaboration with a whole host of South African-based artists speaking out against sex and  gender-based violence. Some notable names are: Zaki Ibrahim, Ben Sharpa, Zubz and Proverb. The tape opens with some very depressing stats on rape in South Africa. Apparently "every 26 minutes a woman is raped and the majority think its okay."  In between the tracks Akhona Ndungane narrates her story of how she was raped. 

I wish I could just say how sick the rock throwback on Crush Boy was and go on about how dope tracks like What We Seek and Another Summer Without Sun are and how so and so kills it on this and that track. Because they do. All that and more, even, but the beats are overpowered by the graphic story of Akhona's rape sandwiched in between each track. Listeners cannot escape that. 

And that's a good thing. 

Salut & thank you Akhona for your courage in speaking out.

 It's called the POWA mixtape -POWA - People Opposed to Women's Abuse. 

Get your download here.

In DOPE Music We Trust

postcard from rangoon...

Rangoon, Burma: A novice Buddhist monk plays during heavy rainfall at the Shin Ohtama Tharya monastery

fotocredit: Soe Zeya Tun

fotocred: Micheal Ochs

postcard from ajdabiya...

Ajdabiya, Libya: Children flash the victory sign while playing in a square

fotocred: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images

I Am An African

I believe this extends to all of Africa: North, East, West, Central and Southern,

Happy Africa Day.

postcard from helmand...

Helmand province, Afghanistan: A camel train

fotocredit: Kevin Frayer

A Giant Falls

Caribbean theorist, poet and novelist, Edouard Glissant has passed away today in Paris at the age of 82. He had been ill for a long time, but his death comes as a sad and sudden shock to me. I never knew him personally, but I have seen him speak and I know his work. His name is synonymous with contemporary Caribbean studies. This is a HUGE loss. 

Kevin Meehan's obituary from Le Monde:

Eloquent defender of diversity and métissage, the great Caribbean writer Edouard Glissant died on February 3 in Paris, at the age of 82. Poet, novelist, essayist, playwright, thinker, [and exponent of the concept of] creolization, he was born in Sainte-Marie (Martinique) on September 21, 1928 and conducted studies in Philosophy and Ethnology in Paris.

His success upon winning the Prix Renaudot in 1958 for his novel La Lézarde made the general public aware of this intellectual, who never separated his literary creation from a militant reflection. Influenced by the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, he construed the history and geography of the Caribbean politically, demonstrating his revolt against racisms of any type and evoking the indelible mark of slavery on the relationship between France and Africa and all overseas territories.

Opposing any imposed systems and any rejection of the other, Edouard Glissant has been champion of métissage and exchange, formulating in his essays gathered in the “Poétique” series his theses on Philosophie de la relation [philosophy of relation] andPoétique du divers the [poetics of the diverse]. He refused to be constrained by single genre, moving constantly between the novel, essay, and poetry, even within a single work.

Novels Directed towards the Imaginary

Edouard Glissant, who shared at once a respectful and conflicting relationship with Aimé Césaire, the other great personality of the Caribbean world, also expressed his concern for literary parentage, through writers and “disciples” [I would rather translate this as supporting scholars] such as Patrick Chamoiseau, Raphaël Confiant, or Ernest Pépin.

His novels, from Quatrième siècle (Seuil 1965) to Ormerod (Gallimard 2003), are geared towards a mythical and imaginary world, far from any naturalism, but also imbued with picturesque elements specific to certain Caribbean novelists.

After having created a center for research and teaching in Martinique, as well as a review named Acoma, Edouard Glissant founded in Paris the Institut du Tout-monde, aimed at putting into practice his humanistic principles and to allowing for the dissemination of “the extraordinary diversity of the imaginaries of the people.”

postcard from lamu...

Lamu, Kenya

jacked from mahala.co.za

fotocredit: Sydelle Willow Smith

Frames: Youssou N'dour

This short film is part of Al Jazeera's series called Frames that showcases six 2-minute films from around the world. (2 x 6 = 12 minute. Sit. Watch. Please.) Youssou N'dour was made by Matt Rogers, a freelance web designer and film maker currently based in Australia. His animation of Youssou N'dour's words is such a simple but effective concept that brings out the humour, sincerity and depth in the speaker. World renown musician, Youssou N'dour talks about his love for Senegal and his choice to live in Dakar rather than places like Paris or New York. Hearing N'dour speak so fondly of his county comes as no surprise as N'dour is Senegal's AU Peace Ambassador and UN Goodwill Ambassador and he has been involved in various aid and development projects for Senegal. In May last year, Africa's a Country blogged that N’Dour created a new political movement called “Fekkai maci Bole” which means “because I am a witness (or present) that I am taking part.”

postcard from the chalbi desert...

The Gabbra are part of the Oromo people who live as camel-herding nomads, mainly in the Chalbi desert on the border between northern Kenya and the highlands of southern Ethiopia.

FotoCredit: Beeno Neeleman

Worth A Thousand Words

Boy, Haiti: Haiti is a tragic place in need of help. This image was taken before the recent earthquake. I hope this young boy was unharmed, although I can't help feeling that his life may be full of struggle

Mursi Woman and child, Ethiopia: It is traditional with the Mursi tribe for women to insert a clay dish in the lower lip from an early age. Around six to 12 months before marriage, the woman's lip is pierced by one of her kinswomen, usually at around the age of 15 to 18

Hamer girl in the Omo Valley, Ethiopia: I spent three weeks journeying through Ethiopia to record the faces if its various tribes

Maasai bride, Kenya: I stumbled across this young bride while photographing a wildlife story in the Amboseli National Park. This was a brief moment of calm reflection before the ceremony

Sacred Waterfall, India: Local people flock to stand beneath this sacred waterfall in Kerala. I love the serenity of these women lost in thought

From the series:  Travelling Light: an exhibition of recent works by Philip Lee Harvey showcased in London earlier this year.

All jacked from The Graun. 

Dear ...

...from Saul Williams

Dear ....

As the media sways between reporting on the huge disservice Julian Assange has done to government secrecy and posting the secrets, as Interpol tries it's hardest to track him, as the American government places him on the top of their most wanted list, and as the barefoot bandit sits alone in a cell awaiting trial- I would like to take a moment to admit that these guys are pretty much heroes in my book... and I don't think I'm alone. The hacker is the digital dignitary of the i-generation. These are the same guys I seek out to help me burn hard to find dvds onto my hardrive, the same guys who help me get music off of my ipod and into my itunes. They save me from waiting lists and long lines at the genius bar and overpriced software, they help me replace lost and mistakenly deleted files, and if I had the savvy they did, if I could prove that the government was lying about the number of civilian casualties during a seven year war that I thought was wrong from the start, if I could help make this “Age of Transparency” a bit more transparent, I would gladly play my part. I'm not an anarchist. I shy away from most labels, yet register as a democrat when it means I can vote for someone I believe in. I've got my own set of contradictions. I'm also a musician and know damn well that I wouldn't like someone breaking into my computer and leaking my music before I decided it was time. But I have also celebrated the fact that I could now give away music for free by doing just that. And that freedom is the result of the hard work of people I do not know: programmers, engineers, fellow makers and creators, artists of the wire who dabble between worlds and understand codes where I see chaos. I respect them. Those that can capitalize on it and use it to their advantage are the pioneers of our time and those that would use it for the greater benefit of humanity, are the heroes.

Most of my heroes have been arrested. Many have stood on the wrong side of the law. And the law has not always stood for truth. The law has stood for control, dominance, and sometimes even manipulation. Law, at it's best, has served to protect. Yet it has also served as a means of restricting growth and has not always seemed to change at the rate of human consciousness. Some laws have some catching up to do. So do some governments. So do some people. And I'm sure that in some regards I am also one of those people. If I was in the military and believed I was protecting and serving my country by fighting in a war and some hacker gave away the correspondents to our barracks or fire-power, I imagine, I'd be pretty upset. Yet, I find it hard to be upset when I think the best support for our troops would be sending them home and enlisting them in college. If you want to help rebuild the infrastructure of a country send engineers, send teachers, build hospitals (no preachers).

But I digress. And who says I understand how to fight disingenuous governance, poverty or hate? I'm just saying I understand the importance of counterculture, of those who prefer boom over pop. Hardcore. Underground. The ones who dare to question and expose, who put their lives at risk, like soldiers fastened to their beliefs, but who fight alone or in small packs of the daring and courageous, Those who stand up and speak out even when the masses seem apathetically addicted to the status quo, which is probably good for business. And I'm not anti-good business. I'm just for new business models. And new fashion models, while you're at it. They don't have to be so skinny!

But the reason that I'm writing you Santa is because Kanye already rocked a red suit, I wanted to suggest a yellow cape, something with fringes, maybe a few feathers or ornaments. It's not like you have any connection to Jesus so you might as well change your shit up and get on some newness. The way I see it, you're another one of them do-gooders. You give kids something fun to dream about while we adults scramble the meaning of things. Things like the meaning of power, or the role of responsibility within it. Things like the power of the imagination and the beauty that can come about when you engage it. Anyway, it's nice to have someone to write to sometimes and I thought you might like a letter that wasn't asking you for anything. Do your thing, big guy, my son is counting on you.

My love to the Mrs.

xxx

shamelessly jacked from Saul Williams' Facebook Notes

4 December 2010.

postcard from gaza...

Jabalia, Gaza: Palestinian children peek from windows 

to watch the funeral procession of militant Jalal Nasr

FotoCred: Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

The Most Beautiful, The Most Moving, The Most Truthful, The Most Relevant Video of All Time for All Young People Everywhere

fisttap africasacountry

This video is truth. Accept no substitutes. It is a truth that applies to every single person out there, not just in Kenya but in every country in the world. The more apathetic and indifferent we are as tenant citizens, waiting for freedom to fall as manna from the heavens, the more leaders will abuse power and steal from the country in any way they can whether it's bad investments (Iceland), overspending (Ireland), cooking the books (Greece), containing people within a small territory (Israel), clan wars (Somalia), imprisoning the most number of young people in the world (America), fighting illegal wars (NATO), interfering with broadcasting services and scrambling messages (Argentina, China) or imperialistically funding military ventures while public health services and education grants are cut (UK). All of these actions impact on us, and this video touches on how how our inaction, as tomorrow's generation of leaders allows evil to continue. Although this video was made by young Kenyans to encourage other young Kenyans to vote, the genius of this message is that it is universal and it is timeless. It is not only about putting or not putting an 'x' on a piece of paper, it's about actively taking responsibility for the future, particularly for apathetic educated, younger generation who see politics as nothing to do with them or are so disillusioned with the state of things that they don't care any more. 
#deathtoapathy
#deathtorunningaway
#deathtoarmchairpolitics

From Kuweni Serious:

Featuring a random sampling of Kenyans. Directed by Mbithi Masya and Jim Chuchu for Kuweni Serious. Edited by Mbithi Masya. Narration by Bill Sellanga, words and music by Jim Chuchu.

There is a difference between the one who rents a house, and the one who owns a house. The one who rents a house doesn’t care if the walls crack and crumble, they can always move to another house.

The one who owns a house knows that no one else will take care of it, thus they paint the walls and mend the cracks. More than 60% of Kenya’s population consists of young men and women like us.

The problem is that we behave like tenants of Kenya. We have let the older generation tear this country apart. We have let them use us to fight their battles. We have let them loot this country. We have let them fool us into thinking that we’re not fit to run this country ourselves.

So we hide in our alcohol, in our religions and on the Internet as if there is some other Kenya out there that we shall move to when this one crumbles. We sit at home and wait for others to fight for us on the streets.

We want green cards instead of voter’s cards. We are angry, but we are too scared to do anything about it. It is not Obama’s job to save this country. It is not the donors’ job, and the government has shown that it is not their job, either. Responsibility is not shared, it is earned.

Freedom is not given, it is taken. When we decide we want freedom, we will have to get it ourselves.

Because if this country burns, we burn with it.

Limbe, Haiti: The body of a woman who died from cholera lies on the ground next to a man receiving treatment at a local hospital 

Foto Cred: Emilio Morenatti/AP

Breakdance Uganda

BOUNCING CATS film trailer from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

Bouncing Cats is the inspiring story of one man’s attempt to create a better life for the children of Uganda using the unlikely tool of hip-hop with a focus on b-boy culture and breakdance. In 2006, Abraham “Abramz” Tekya, a Ugandan b-boy and A.I.D.S. orphan created Breakdance Project Uganda (B.P.U.). The dream was to establish a free workshop that would empower, rehabilitate and heal the community by teaching youth about b-boy culture. Based in Kampala, Uganda, B.P.U. has recently expanded to include permanent classes in Gulu, Northern Uganda. Abramz teaches classes three times a week to more than 300 kids from all parts of the country. Many of the children are homeless, victims of war and poverty, and few can afford proper schooling yet they walk from miles away to attend the B.P.U. classes. As Abramz says, "This is where many people’s pride is. It’s a skill that no one can take away from us."

Read more at The Liberator

fisttap theliberator

Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU) started in February 2006 out of the belief that hip hop can be used as a tool to engage and empower disadvantaged youth in Kampala and other areas of Uganda. Its mission is to engage young people in elements of the hip hop culture to build leadership skills and promote social responsibility. The Project has attracted people from every walk of life and acts as a catalyst for building mutually beneficial relationships between people of different social status across Uganda and the rest of the world. It serves to teach people breakdancing and how to pass on those skills to others, as well as promoting leadership skills, social responsibility and positive change to members and local communities.

Read more at Bouncing Cats.

postcard from shenyang...

 Acrobats from the Shenyang acrobatic troupe are seen during a rehearsal

Fotocred: Sheng Li/Reuters

postcard from new delhi...

Women waving their hands in protest against a nuclear power plant.

Fotocred: Saurabh Das/A

The Cool Ruler

Gregory Isaacs 

Son of Judah

Born 15 July 1959, passed 26 October 2010 and to be laid to rest 20 November 2010.

On the 10th of November was a tribute to Gregory Isaacs at a church in Harrow Weald, London after which his body was flown back home to Kingston, Jamaica. He is to be given a state funeral and deservedly so, for his contribution to reggae music and as a lifelong ambassador of Jamaica. In my country, state funerals are the privilege of political figures who fought on the side of the ruling party, cultural contribution matters nought. Still, fare thee well Cool Ruler thank you  for the music, skank sessions downtown and late nights ekasi. 

Night Nurse was legendary.

(UK massive check KissFM for a nice David Rodigan tribute from a few weeks ago, hope it's still there.)

The Flyest Pics of the Minute

Moses Levi aka Shyne: 'My entire life screams I have a Jewish neshama' (soul)

Pictures don't get much flyer than this.

fotocred: Ricki Rosen