"Hey Black Child" Poem Recited By Pe’Tehn Raighn-Kem (2015) And By Kaleb Porter (2021)

Windy City LIVE, Feb.  25, 2015

This little DYNAMO is a must see, and she's from right here in Chicago! Meet 3-year-old Pe’Tehn Raighn-Kem from Bronzeville! Take a look of her performing “Hey, Black Child” on Windy City Live! -snip-
Three year old Pe’Tehn Raighn-Kem incorrectly attributed this poem to African American poet, novelist, children's writer, and playwriight Countee Cullen (May 30, 1903 – January 9, 1946). Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countee_Cullen for information about Countee Cullen.

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Edited by Azizi Powell
 
This pancocojams post showcases wo YouTube videos of the poem "Hey Black Child" and provides the words to that poem. Information about Useni Eugene Perkins, the author of that poem is also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, inspirational, purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Useni Eugene Perkins for his cultural legacy. Thanks also to Pe’Tehn Raighn-Kem and to Kaleb Porter for their recitation of this poem. Thanks to the publishers of these videos and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/10/useni-eugene-perkins-hey-black-child.html for a 2015 pancocojams post on this poem. That post presents information about Useni Eugene Perkins and also contains several visitor comments. 

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
A number of websites, YouTube videos, and comments on YouTube discussion threads mistakenly indicate that Countee Cullen is the author of the inspirational poem "Hey Black Child". Other websites, YouTube videos, and discussion thread comments attribute that poem to Maya Angelou.  In the now viral* 2015 video of a three year old African American girl (Pe’Tehn Raighn-Kem) reciting "Hey Black Girl", Countee Cullen was named as the author of that poem.   

 The actual author of "Hey Black Child" is Useni Eugene Perkins.

*There are several YouTube videos of reciting "Hey Black Child". As of Feb. 8, 2022 at 9:40 PM ET, the first YouTube video clip that was published of that television recitation by Pe’Tehn Raighn-Kem (on Chicago, Illinois' Windy City LIVE daytime talk show) Feb. 25, 2015 has 10,969,422 views. 

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #2: Black History Moment: Hey Black Child



fbcsomerset, Feb. 21, 2022

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INFORMATION ABOUT USENI EUGENE PERKINS

From http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/useni-eugene-perkins-39

"Useni Eugene Perkins is a distinguished poet, playwright and youth worker. Born in Chicago on September 13, 1932, he was the son of Marion Perkins, a sculptor, and Eva Perkins. Being exposed to the arts at a young age through his father would prove to be a major influence on his later years...

In [1966], Perkins became the executive director of the Better Boys Foundation of Chicago, a social agency involved in community, social, educational and cultural development. Raised in the housing projects of Chicago, and having established a career as a sociologist dealing with troubled youth, he authored the 1976 book Home Is A Dirty Street: The Social Oppression of Black Children.

Upon leaving his post with the Better Boys Foundation in 1982, Perkins became an executive consultant in Chicago with INESU Consultants, where he stayed for two years. He was still very active in writing, penning several sociological books on African American youth, as well as publishing books of poetry and authoring various plays that were produced in theaters in Chicago."... 

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WORDS TO "HEY BLACK CHILD"
(Useni Eugene Perkins)

Hey Black Child,
Do you know who you are?
Who you really are?
Do you know you can be
What you want to be?
If you try to be
what you can be.

Hey Black Child,
Do you know where you’re going?
Where you’re really going?
Do you know you can learn
What you want to learn?
If you try to learn
What you can learn?

Hey Black Child,
Do you know you are strong?
I mean really strong?
Do you know you can do
What you want to do?
If you try to do
What you can do?

Hey Black Child,
Be what you can be
Learn what you must learn
Do what you can do
And tomorrow your nation will be
what you want it to be

Source: https://specialedandme.wordpress.com/2008/08/25/hey-black-child-by-eugene-useni-perkins/

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A Video Of South African Poet Makhafula Vilakazi (with selected comments from that video's discussion thread)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube video of South African poet Makhafula Vilakazi whose poetry is "a fusion of Tsotsitaal, English, Zulu and Sotho interspersed into an uncompromising depiction of township life"...

Selected comments from this video's discussion thread are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Makhafula Vilakazi for his powerful poetry and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Makhafula Vilakazi at POETRY AFRICA 2014



Centre for Creative Arts, Published on Feb 12, 2015

Going by the name Makhafula Vilakazi (the title of one of his poems), Matodzi Gift Ramashia grew up in Chiawelo, Soweto. His poetry is a fusion of Tsotsitaal, English, Zulu and Sotho interspersed into an uncompromising depiction of township life, exploring issues which affect his community such as HIV and AIDS, unemployment and crime. An exponent of a genre which he calls ‘Kasie Poetry’, Makhafula Vilakazi says his writing is influenced and inspired by the striking similarities of life’s contrasts.

He has recited his poetry on various television shows over the years including Shift, Morning Live, Mzansi Insider, Mzansi Magic, and Dlala Ngeringas. In 2012, he was a guest commentator in the critically acclaimed documentary series Why Are We So Angry? He was invited to write and recite a tribute poem to Nelson Mandela as part of the SABC 1 memorial services for the late President. Over the years, he has been invited to recite at a number of commercial radio stations including YFM, Metro FM, Power FM, Ukhozi FM, 702 Talk Radio as well community radio stations such as Kasie FM, Eldos FM, Thetha FM, Jozi FM and Alex FM. He has published some of his poems in an anthology Sections of Six which was published by Botsotso Publishers.

Recently, Vilakazi collaborated with renowned, respected and award-winning South African rapper Tuks Senganga in his album Tshwanelo – an album that was nominated for a South African Music Award (SAMA). He is also featured in a critically acclaimed poetry documentary by legendary poet Lesego Rampolokeng titled Word Down The Line, which explores the state of the country 20 years into democracy.
-snip-
Here are some selected comments from this video's discussion thread (with numbers added for referencing purposes only):

1. abel chuma, 2015
"nothing like this Vilakazi's work true kasi poetry"
-snip-
From https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Kasi
"Kasi
kasi is the name used for South Afica black's hoods.
I'm tsotsi from kasi
I am gangster from the hood.
by marvin October 01, 20043."

**
2. Nomfundo Mndebele, 2016
"yho, this guy.
where is he from?
informed,creative, brutally honest,funny"

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REPLY
3. Nuckie China, 2016
"Nomfundo he's from Soweto,, one of South Africa's best actually"

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4. Fikile Shangase, 2016
"YOHHH THE VOICE ALONE LURES MY MIND AND MY EARS TO KEEP LISTENING TO THIS GUY....WOOOW"

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5. Gao Rakate, 2017
"Makhufula uya khafula, the truth about the township, the truth about the uprising a black child, teen and Man...The creativity and the truthfulness is out of boundaries... Much Love to African poetry"

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6. kholeka shabalala, 2017
"My heart tore with each poem he recited. He's very talented. Wow!!"

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7. Thandeka Mbhele, 2017
"Aiybo....WOW! Nice work."

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8. Samuel Mokolutlo, 2017
"I bow. He is one of the best poets I have ever heard"

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9. Tshepang Khitshane, 2017
"This man is very powerful yho"

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10. Thapelo king, 2017
"eish this poem "ding shapa pelong" remind me my township life KAGISO EXT12, Swaneville , Mnandini, Tshepisong . Vilakazi your talented"

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11.
Boikarabelo Lekoane, 2017
"Glen Dlamini, Glen Magalagala, Glen maDustbin, Glen never clean, never married...never employed"

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12. Mduduzi Nkosi, 2018
"Thank you my brother"

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13. DJ Almo, 2018
"Listen man this is some crazy scary lovely creative poetry....u can never find this type any where else....respect"

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14. Tizozo Matravanka, 2018
"This guy is powerful he is really khafuling good gamz"

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15. Pakamani Pungulwa, 2018
"Raw and Lyrical Poems...Outstanding Performance. Kasi Wise.Ghetto Minded. Uyabulala Bra."

**
16. Abram Thabeng, 2018
"Malume, each time your pen touches paper there is fire..

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Burkina Faso's Don Sharp 2 Batoro's 2012 POWERFUL Video "L'Afrique Vous Parle" (Africa Is Speaking) with English subtitles

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides information about Burkinabé rapper Don Sharp 2 Batoro (also given as Don Sharp De Batoro).

This post also showcases Don Sharp's 2012 YouTube video entitled "L'Afrique Vous Parle" (Africa Is Speaking). Thankfully, this video includes English subtitles which I have transcribed below that embedded video.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Don Sharp 2 Batoro for his musical legacy. Thanks also to the producer and publisher of this very powerful video and thanks for including English subtitles.

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INFORMATION ABOUT DON SHARP 2 BATORO
From https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://donsharpdebatoro.unblog.fr/&prev=search [translated from French to English] THE DONSHARP 2 BATORO BLOG
..."The name Don Sharp was given to him by his friends for his poignant flow. His first name was Sharpman because he did not mince his words. His rap was also hardcorp. Sharpaman means the man with sharp flow. This name will evolve to give Don Sharp in 2001, and Donsharp 2 Batoro to stay in the Burkinabè tradition. Donsharp 2 Batoro drops his bags in his country of origin Burkina Faso for reasons of studies after obtaining his baccalaureate. Once in Ouagadougou, the young Gourounsi, a people from the center-east of Burkina, educated in Baoulé culture, people of the center of the Ivory Coast must fight to insert in the Ouagalaise life dominated by the Mossi culture. It is in Burkina Faso that Donsharp Batoro really starts a musical career. While continuing his studies, he continues in the rap movement. He creates a group with the name "Campus Platform Form" CPF. This group participates in many events and competitions organized in the capital of Burkina Faso. In 2003, his group CPF won the prize for the best artistic group of the University of Ouagadougou with the musical genre Rap. The following year, Donsharp 2 Batoro was named best rap artist at the University of Ouagadougou in a competition organized by the National Center for University Works (CENOU) of the University of Ouagadougou. From consecration to consecration, he participates with the CPF in his first compilation in a sounding album. He is the artistic director of the bobolais rap group KRONIK.

Donsharp 2 Batoro, the perseverant
The CPF group is struggling to find a producer and breaks up. Donsharp 2 Batoro does not despair. His dream of making music is stronger than ever. Despite difficulties, he holds up and continues to work solo. In October 2006, he found a job in a Burkinabe company as a commercial agent in a province of Burkina Faso. Meanwhile, he is saving money in hopes of one day making his album. A year later, he returned to Ouagadougou and returned to the studio where he recorded the "PP in B", the relationship to joke in the Binon. The dream has come true. The campus title, where the artist tells the story of life on the university campus, revolves around the various TV and radio channels in Burkina. The dedication of his first opus took place at the University of Ouagadougou in the legendary A 600 amphitheater. Donsharp 2 Batoro is asked for many shows in his country. His fame is growing. The Ministry of Culture of Burkina falls under the spell of this album and decides to finance the realization of the second clip "Marriage".

In 2008, Donsharp 2 Batoro won the third tier contest in Burkina Faso. This is a contest rewarding the best traditionally inspired song. This confirms the talent of this young artist who decided to promote the culture of his land especially the Binon, a traditional gourounsi.”

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: DONSHARP 2 BATORO L'AFRIQUE VOUS PARLE [AFRICA IS SPEAKING]



graphic architect, Published on Jul 1, 2012

Artiste : DONSHARP 2 BATORO
Titre : L'AFRIQUE VOUS PARLE
Réal : GRAPHIC ARCHITECT
Prod : GRAPHIC ARCHITECT
LIEU: OUAGADOUGOU-BF
-snip-
Here's my transcription of the English subtitles from this video*

At the beginning was the Word
The Creative Word of God
From Heaven when He wants
He say “be” and His wish is fulfilled
“Be” and so was Africa!
The word is a weapon and a therapy
Sometimes it bleeds sometimes it heals
Between the Black and the Negro,
the first is a color but the second is a merit
But in terms of its story told, its past told,
on the other side of the countries
The version that we have beheld, its past told
it is not contradictory to the one to countries
The version that we have been finally reported
Is it not contradictory to the one told by the griot Konte?
Africa is speaking to you and it instructs me to convey this...


Women repeatedly singing the same brief lyrics *

Lend your ears to the wind of history
And you’ll hear secrets, secreted in secret
It is ancient Egypt that calls on the theory of the Aryan race
To drink at the source of knowledge of Timbuktu
All Bantus men and women were coming from everywhere.
Do you agree with me to say that:
If man is a being of reason by nature, and
If Africa is the cradle of humanity according to science.
Therefore it is also the cradle of intelligence and science.
So why when 2Batoro is ringing his balafon
Nothing calls your subsoil; to look civilized you prefer the violin.
When Djeliba pinches his kora, to look civilized, you prefer the opera.
When Ibrahim Ologuem plays his djembe djembe is to wish you
“ an badew salam an hou aw sambe sambe”
“You my Muslim brothers happy new year”
Rather Come listen to them and you will know that:
Africa is land of lands, mother land and brother land, nourishing land
but so why be silent?


Women repeatedly singing the same brief lyrics *

Culture, Yes!
-Culture is nothing but the relationship
of the individual to his environment
If you change, it changes.
This is why the toubaboo tche (you white man)
I accept your lemonade, but I do not forget my zom koom
(water of flour)
I accept your pizza, but I do not forget my benga (bean)
If I accept your jacket, tie,
it is because I know it’s my cotton it’s B.A.B.A (father).
Give and give; Win and win.
Give and give; Win and win.
This is how Africa speaks to you.
She instructs me to transmit to you this:
The next migration
It is sure
It will be towards Africa.
I am sure.

Don Sharp singing and the females singing the same brief lyrics as they previously sung in response to his singing; Don Sharp ending by saying something in French(?)

-snip-
*This transcription doesn't include the spelling with accent marks for a few of these words. It also doesn't include what the women sang or what what Don Sharp sang and said towards the end and at the end of this video.

If you understood what was sung and spoken, please share that information and what language or languages they sung/spoke. Thank you.

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Zimbabwe's #This Flag Movement And Pastor Evan Mawarire 's "This Flag" Spoken Word (information, video, & transcription)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides information about Zimbabwe's #This Flag Movement that was begun in April 2016 by a YouTube video of Pastor Mawarire's spoken word entitled "This Flag - A Lament of Zimbabwe". This post also showcases that powerful video.

My transcription of that spoken word is included here because I couldn't find the words to this spoken word elsewhere online. Additions and corrections for this transcription are welcome.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, motivational, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Pastor Evan Mawarire and all of those who are involved in Zimbabwe's #This Flag Movement.

Hat tip to dopper0189 from http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/08/02/1554495/-Black-Kos-Tuesday-s-Chile for informing that forum's readers about Zimbabwe's #This Flag Movement.

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INFORMATION ABOUT ZIMBABWE'S THIS FLAG MOVEMENT
From http://iharare.co.zw/the-story-behind-evan-mawarirethe-man-who-started-this-flag-movement/
The story behind Evan Mawarire,The man who started #This Flag Movement
BY STAFF REPORTER · 2016/05/24
"Pastor Evan Mawarire started the most subversive protest movement in Zimbabwe’s recent history by accident. He was fed up with the state of his nation, and decided to share his frustrations online. It turns out he’s not the only frustrated Zimbabwean.

In an in-depth interview, Mawarire tells the Daily Maverick why Zimbabwe is broken — and how citizens can start fixing it.

The day that he lost it, the day that he’d finally had enough, Mawarire was sitting at his desk at his office in Harare.

The 39-year-old Zimbabwean is a professional master of ceremonies — his church doesn’t pay him a salary — but work has been scarce in this tough economic climate, with little sign of things getting any better. So bad, in fact, that he didn’t know if he would be able to keep his children in school.

“I’ll be honest with you, the day it happened was a really tough day for me. I was thinking of ways I could get more money for school fees, or I could borrow money, but it just wasn’t happening. I was packing to go home,” Mawarire said.

And then something snapped. After decades of struggling to make a living and keep his family safe, of quietly disappearing into the background like upstanding citizens are expected to by the current regime, Mawarire decided that he would disappear no more.

“I had that moment where it just became clear, wait a second, this country has gone completely broken because people like me have stayed quiet,” he said.

Without much thought or consideration of what would come next — never mind a script — Mawarire grabbed a Zimbabwean flag and put it around his neck. He balanced his camera on the desk, put on a little mood music, and vented...

Mawarire posted his video online, with the comment: “#ThisFlag. If I have crossed the line, then I believe it was long overdue. I’m not a politician, I’m not an activist . . . just a citizen #ThisFlag.”

The video attracted hundreds of hits. Then thousands. Then tens of thousands. In Zimbabwe’s relatively tiny social media bubble, Mawarire’s message hadn’t just gone viral, it had gone full-on pandemic.

The pent-up frustrations of Zimbabwe’s hashtag generation had found their trigger — and, more important, their hashtag.

#ThisFlag took on a life of its own. Ordinary people started posting pictures to Mawarire’s Facebook account, of themselves wrapped up in the Zimbabwean flag.

Others wrote in to tell Mawarire that he had somehow expressed the very words and feelings that they had kept locked up in their heads for too long, and that he wasn’t alone.

“Surprised is not the word. I was shocked by the reaction. It was massive, like an avalanche. It was from everywhere,” he said.

Mawarire reacted to all the enthusiasm by declaring five days of digital activism under the #ThisFlag banner, which he then, by popular demand, extended to 25 days.

The last day is today, Africa Day, although Mawarire says that this is just the start — although he’s not sure of what exactly.

“The 25th is not when we stop, but when we start, where we start to push them to accountability. The last 25 days have been us waking up, us knowing that we all have these frustrations. Going forward, I’d love to see us more organised, to put a strategy in place as citizens to continue to expose their failings . . . A lot of people have got to a place where, like me, they didn’t know what to do, but they really just want Zimbabwe to work,” he said.”...

When I look at the flag, it’s not a reminder of my pride and inspiration. It feels as if I just want to belong to another country. This flag. And so I must look at it again with courage and try to remind myself that it is my country.”"
-snip-
Click http://nehandaradio.com/2016/07/15/accidental-activist-leading-zimbabwe-protests/ for another article about Pastor Evan Mawarire and Zimbabwe's #This Flag Movement. Also, click https://twitter.com/pastorevanlive for Pastor Mawarire's twitter page.
-snip-
Added August 3, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUZ0sp7VyEg
Zimbabwe's "This flag" leader appeared in court
SABC Digital News, Published on Jul 13, 2016
"Zimbabwe's "This flag" leader Evan Mawarire appeared in court on Wednesday. He faces a new and more serious charge -- that trying to overthrow the government. Mawarire's social media campaigns calling for national shutdowns over alleged corruption and mis-governance have gained popularity among ordinary Zimbabweans over the last six months. He was arrested on Tuesday and initially charged with inciting public violence."

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Here's a link to #This Flag's twitter page" https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThisFlag?src=hash

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: This Flag - A Lament of Zimbabwe - Evans Mawarire [SpokenWord] - Day 1



Baynham Goredema, Published on Apr 19, 2016

A moving spoken word piece by Evans Mawarire on the ocassion of Zimbabwe's 36th Independence anniversary

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TRANSCRIPTION*: THIS FLAG - A LAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
(Pastor Evan Mawarire)

Hmm.

This.

This beautiful flag.

They tell me that the... the green,
the green is for the vegetation and for the crops.
I don’t... I don’t see any crops in my country
And the yellow.
And the yellow is for all the minerals-
gold, diamonds, platinum, chrome.
I don’t know how much of it is left.
And I don’t know who they sold it to
And how much they got for it.

The red.
The red...the red... the red…
They say that.. that is the blood
is the blood that was shed to secure freedom for me
And I’m so thankful for that.
I just don’t know if that if they were here
If they were here those that shed their blood
And saw the way this country is
That they would demand
That their blood be brought back.

This flag.
They, they tell me that the black
The black is for the majority-
People like me.
And yet for some reason I don’t feel like I am
a part of it.
I…I look at it sometimes and I wonder
is it..is it...is this a story of my…of my future
or is it just a reminder of a..of a sad past
that wherever I go and I put on the colors of Zimbabwe
they…they look at me as...as...as if want to laugh.
They ask “Are you from Zimbabwe? But you sick.”

Sometimes when I look at the flag, it’s not a reminder of my pride
and inspiration.
It feels as if I just want to belong to another country.
This flag.

And so I must at it again with courage
And try to remind myself that it is my country.
And I look at the green and think to myself it is..it is..it is not just vegetation.
But the green represents the power of..of..of being able to push through soil,
push through path limitations and flourish and grow.
That’s...that’s me.
My flag.
The yellow-yes, it’s it’s about the minerals
But not just minerals that are in the ground
But the minerals above it-
Me. You. We are the minerals.
We are the value of this land.

The red.
Yes, it’s it’s blood.
But not just blood.
It’s passionate blood.
It is the will to survive.
It is the resolve to carry on.
It is the…it is the wanting to push through
to see the dreams come to pass.
This flag.

And the black…the black is…the black is the night sky…
that which we emerge from and we shine.
It is the brilliant colors.
It is the wonderful and lovely fruition of everything
that we have ever hoped for.
It needs a black
for it to be visible.

This flag.
Aha [small laugh]
It is my country.
My Zimbabwe. We...we go through so much.
We…we…we don’t look like much even now
but there is promise in it.
I will fight for it.
I will live for it.
And I will stand for it.

This is the time…
that a change must happen.
Quit standing on the sidelines
and watching this flag fly
and wishing for a future that you are not wanting
at all to get involved in.
In this flag...
every day that it flies it is begging for you
to get involved.
It’s begging for you to say something.
It is begging for you to cry out
and to say “Why must we be in the situation that we are in?”

This flag -
it’s your flag.
It’s my flag.
This flag.

-snip-
*This is my transcription from the video. Additions and corrections are welcome.
I added italics to approximate Pastor Mawarire's phrasing.

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Jessica Care Moore - "Black Statute of Liberty" (spoken word video & words)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases a video and a transcription of the spoken word composition "Black Statute of Liberty" by Jessica Care Moore.

The content of this post is presented for inspirational, motivational, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owner.

Thanks to Jessica Care Moore for this composition. Thanks also to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

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EXCERPT OF AN ARTICLE ABOUT THIS SPOKEN WORD ARTIST
From http://www.ebony.com/entertainment-culture/jessica-care-moore-mixes-art-activism-to-a-tea-111#axzz3pvF6mA99 Ebony: jessica Care moore Mixes Art + Activism to a ‘Tea’.
"Detroit is famous for its music, from Motown to techno and house, to Eminem and Dilla. But it’s less well known for its stellar, homegrown poets. A native daughter of the D, jessica Care moore first won hearts with her five-time winning streak on It’s Showtime at the Apollo back in 1995, after newly transplanting herself to New York City at age 22 a year after her father’s death.
A fiery performer of blunt-force truth emerged onstage that night. From a petite young woman in a demure dress and box braids exploded a voice that was unapologetically centered in her own visceral experiences as a hip-hop generation-identified sista poet. She knocked that famously tough Apollo audience out cold with the searing conviction of her Black-woman-uplifting poem, “Black Statue of Liberty.”

Moore’s poetry has always been equal parts personal and political, and her multitasking abilities are formidable: she’s also an independent book publisher who issued the literary debuts of fellow poets—including Saul Williams and Newark, New Jersey mayor Ras Baraka—on her won Moore Black Press. All that, and she’s the doting, proud mom of two sons.

Rapper Talib Kweli, Moore’s longtime pal, thought the poet his ideal choice to sign to his Javotti Media label when “one day, she was in my crib kicking it and played me the album she fully intended to release on her own, and the album blew me away. It was excellent. I had to be involved.”...
-snip-
Hat tip to http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/30/1442012/-Black-Kos-Week-In-Review for featuring this article's excerpt.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Black Statute of Liberty by Jessica Care Moore



DCSuperSid, Uploaded on Jul 8, 2007

****
BLACK STATUE OF LIBERTY
(Jessica Care Moore)

I stand still above an island, fist straight in the air
Scar on my face, thick braids in my hair
Battle boots tied, red blood in the tears I’ve cried.
Tourists fly from all over just to swim near my tide
Or climb up my long flight of stairs
But they trip on their shoe string lies.
Piece by piece they shipped my body to this country
Now that I’m here, your people don’t want me.
I’m a symbol of freedom, but I’m still not free
I suffer from class, race, and gender inequality.
I wear a crown of knowledge, ’cause I’m a conscious queen
My mask is one of happiness, though my history here is full of misery.
Done deliberately.
I am America’s true statue of liberty.
You placed a bible under my arm, after you ripped me of my faith
And made me pray to a fictional imposter
So, if you were trying to maintain liberty
Too late, you just lost her
‘Cause her torch is about to serve as the night light for truth
In the slums and the ghettos that you find so uncouth.
Education will be delivered not from the tree, but the root.
So, little black girls and boys will check their pockets
For spirituality rather than loot
‘Cause liberty is just old mother nature
And although you don’t lover her, she’ll never hate ya.
She’s earth, wind and fire, don’t tempt her to show her power.
Turning all weeds to flowers.
Looking into her wise eyes will make a blind man see
How can you dare name a eurocentric girl after me?
Assata Shakur Barbara Jordan Nikki Giovanni and Angela Davis.
These are the real symbols of liberty
‘Cause that stone faced French woman ain’t gonna save us.
The same folks who enslaved us.
I’m sitting at the back of the bus, ’cause I feel like it.
And I play ball
Not ’cause you pay me to dunk it, dribble it or hike it.
I’m taking all my people back home, and breaking them mentally free.
I am the walking, talking, breathing, beautiful statue of liberty.
I sweep crack pipes out of school yards
I nurture my man when times are hard.
So, where the hell’s my statue?
What’s the liberated woman gotta do?
Place my name in wet cement
Every month I pay the rent.
Put my silhouette on a stamp
I’m not a ho, slut or tramp.
My children aren’t on crack, and neither am I.
I want to see the words, “Go, strong Black woman,”
When the Goodyear blimp flies by.
I can bake cookies, bear babies, preside over revolutions
Get rings out of tubs, wear a suit, sport baggy jeans, slick my hair back
Or tie it up in braids.
My aura is unafraid.
So, no statue in the big apple can mess with me.
I am the walking, talking, surviving, breathing, beautiful
Black Statue of Liberty


Source: https://wheresmycrown.wordpress.com/2011/07/04/black-statue-of-liberty-by-jessica-care-moore/

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The REAL Author of The Poem "Hey Black Child" : Useni Eugene Perkins

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision: Feb. 8, 2022 

This pancocojams post showcases the poem "Hey Black Child" and provides information about its author. A YouTube video of three year old Pe’Tehn Raighn-Kem reciting that poem is also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, inspirational, purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Useni Eugene Perkins for his cultural legacy. Thanks also to Pe’Tehn Raighn-Kem who is featured in the video embedded in this post, thanks to the publisher of that video, and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/02/hey-black-child-poem-recited-by-petehn.html for a 2022 pancocojams post entitled "Hey Black Child" Poem Recited By Pe’Tehn Raighn-Kem (2015) And By Kaleb Porter (2021)"

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
A number of websites, YouTube videos, and comments on YouTube discussion threads mistakenly indicate that Countee Cullen is the author of the inspirational poem "Hey Black Child". Other websites, YouTube videos, and discussion thread comments attribute that poem to Maya Angelou.  In the now viral* 2015 video of a three year old African American girl (Pe’Tehn Raighn-Kem) reciting "Hey Black Girl", Countee Cullen was named as the author of that poem.   

 The actual author of "Hey Black Child" is Useni Eugene Perkins.

*There are several YouTube videos of reciting "Hey Black Child". As of Feb. 8, 2022 at 9:40 PM ET, the first YouTube video clip that was published of that television recitation by Pe’Tehn Raighn-Kem (on Chicago, Illinois' Windy City LIVE daytime talk show) Feb. 25, 2015 has 10,969,422 views. 

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: 3-year-old blows away audience with poem for Black History Month!



Windy City LIVE, Feb. 25, 2015

This little DYNAMO is a must see, and she's from right here in Chicago! Meet 3-year-old Pe’Tehn Raighn-Kem from Bronzeville! Take a look of her performing “Hey, Black Child” on Windy City Live!

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INFORMATION ABOUT USENI EUGENE PERKINS

A number of websites, YouTube videos, and comments on YouTube discussion threads indicate that Countee Cullen is the author of the inspirational poem "Hey Black Child". Other websites, YouTube videos, and discussion thread comments attribute that poem to Maya Angelou. However, after reading several online articles and comments I believe that the real author of "Hey Black Child" is Useni Eugene Perkins.

From http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/useni-eugene-perkins-39
"Useni Eugene Perkins is a distinguished poet, playwright and youth worker. Born in Chicago on September 13, 1932, he was the son of Marion Perkins, a sculptor, and Eva Perkins. Being exposed to the arts at a young age through his father would prove to be a major influence on his later years...

In [1966], Perkins became the executive director of the Better Boys Foundation of Chicago, a social agency involved in community, social, educational and cultural development. Raised in the housing projects of Chicago, and having established a career as a sociologist dealing with troubled youth, he authored the 1976 book Home Is A Dirty Street: The Social Oppression of Black Children.

Upon leaving his post with the Better Boys Foundation in 1982, Perkins became an executive consultant in Chicago with INESU Consultants, where he stayed for two years. He was still very active in writing, penning several sociological books on African American youth, as well as publishing books of poetry and authoring various plays that were produced in theaters in Chicago."...

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MORE INFORMATION AND COMMENTS ABOUT "HEY BLACK CHILD"
From http://arinmaya.bandcamp.com/track/hey-black-child
"About "Hey Black Child
Hey Black Child was originally a song that was adapted into a poem, written by Chicago-based and -born writer Useni Eugene Perkins (NOT Countee Cullen) for his play "The Black Fairy." It was performed at the Lamont Zeno Theater at the Better Boys Foundation on Chicago's South Side for over 5,000 children and adults in Chicago, and then in Detroit, from 1974 to 1975. So anniversary wishes are in order! And much gratitude to Useni Eugene Perkins for his inspiring work.

Somewhere in me, I knew the author of the poem had Chicago ties (Chi-town stand up!), so I'm glad to have been corrected, so as to continue the thread of honoring Chicago poets in these shadow days of National Poetry Month. ...and who knows? Maybe one day I'll be part of a re-staging of "The Black Fairy" :) "
-snip-
This website includes a sound file of this poem: Music by Blackdaylight. Vocal arrangement and voice(s) by ArinMaya."

A number of commenters wrote that they recall having posters of the poem "Hey Black Child". Other commenters wrote that they had recited the poem "Hey Black Child" in Black history month oratorical contests.

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WORDS TO "HEY BLACK CHILD"
(Useni Eugene Perkins)

Hey Black Child,
Do you know who you are?
Who you really are?
Do you know you can be
What you want to be?
If you try to be
what you can be.

Hey Black Child,
Do you know where you’re going?
Where you’re really going?
Do you know you can learn
What you want to learn?
If you try to learn
What you can learn?

Hey Black Child,
Do you know you are strong?
I mean really strong?
Do you know you can do
What you want to do?
If you try to do
What you can do?

Hey Black Child,
Be what you can be
Learn what you must learn
Do what you can do
And tomorrow your nation will be
what you want it to be

Source: https://specialedandme.wordpress.com/2008/08/25/hey-black-child-by-eugene-useni-perkins/

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Thomas Appiah - "Why I Hate Racism" (spoken word composition)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases a video and a transcription of the spoken word composition "Why I Hate Racism" by Thomas Appiah. The words for a second composition by Thomas Appiah which begins with the words "Sometimes I feel like crying" is given in the Addendum to this post.

The content of this post is presented for inspirational, motivational, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owner.

Thanks to Thomas Appiah for these compositions. Thanks also to all those who work to eradicate racism within themselves and in societies.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SPOKEN WORD ARTIST
From https://twitter.com/thomice1
"I'm Business Administration student of Humber college. I do writes [sic] poems, motivational speeches, drama, songs."

Toronto, Canada, Joined June 2012
-snip-
Also read my speculations about the spoken word artist in my note about this transcription that is found below.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Why I Hate Racism || Spoken word



thomas appiah, Published on Jan 5, 2014

Hello guys, let all speak against racial abuse against Black, white, Asian, Hispanic,Arab..
Racism has cause nothing better to humanity but loses, hopelessness, fear to abundant life....
I wish you will my support inspirational book" Time for legacy" which means give the world nothing but hope.
Our world will be better when we appreciate others for who they are not their culture...

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EDITOR'S NOTE ABOUT THIS TRANSCRIPTION:
The words to this spoken word were given as sub-titles within this video.

I believe that English may not be the first language of this spoken word artist ("Appiah" is an Ghanaian/Ivory Coast last name). I also believe that this spoken word may be best understood in the context that its composer is writing from the perspective of a person who is living in a culture that is different than his (or her) own, a culture that is racist and causes him (or her) to struggle with self-hate because of his (or her) race. That context adds meaning to the first two lines in which the composer asks (someone else?) when did he (or she) change his (or her) ethnic birth name that was given out of love to a standard "English" name. That context also adds meaning to the line "Don’t take our papers [and] be our keepers." and the verse that begins "Don’t go wild and hate your own race for nothing."

I've made one minor change in a word that was given in the video's sub-titles that I think enhances this English transcription. The word that was given in the sub-title is found at the end of the composition after the asterisk. I also added a word in a few lines that I believe corresponds to what I think the spoken word artist meant. Those added words are given in brackets.

Sometimes the sub-titles included misspelled words. Also, sometimes the words that were spoken didn't match the words that were written in the sub-titles. In each of these cases, I used the words that best fit standard English.

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WHY I HATE RACISM
(Thomas Appiah)

When did you change your name?
When did you hide the gift of love?
When did you start to judge?
Why do you hate people because of their forefathers’ mistakes?

All societies have a question to answer
for the unborn, the kids, the poor.
They cannot speak for themselves,
but we can see them running in hot dreams.
We are not here to be each others’ enemies,
We are here to make a destiny which demands diversity.
I belong to a race that respects all people
not those who call for favoritism.

It is time to prepare the tables of our hearts
to empower the generation
to turn a real dream into action,
effort into purpose,
sorrow into joy,
impossibility into possibility.

Why do I hate weak laws,
weak traditions,
and weak minds
that support racial abuse?

No one chooses to be White, Black, Hispanic,
Asian, or Mixed.
No one chooses his or her parents and homeland.
No one chooses to be helpless, homeless, or hopeless.
But some of us have chosen to proclaim the term racism
in all aspects of life.
How can a society place pets ahead of people?
How can we love trees more than people?
We allow names of selfish stories to become our thoughts
instead of love.
We keep our eyes on material things which cannot love us back.

Do you know that different colors means one people?
Are you ready to look down upon your own souls and
invite owls?
Why do you judge others who don’t look like you,
Who don’t speak your language?
If you aren’t going to fly with them,
then don’t stop them from progressing.

Why are there the generals in corporations who always hire certain crowds
and forget about other crowds.*
It is another story to see folks chanting abuse on sportsmen,
friends, strangers, neighbors, tall men, short men.
If these continue, we tell others they don’t deserve to live.
What is the meaning of multicultural and ethnicity?
Why must societies reject societies?
Why must citizens reject citizens
and treat them as slaves?
Why must citizens fight [among] themselves for positions and materials?
Why must one culture appear as a hypocrite to threaten another culture?
What is the essence of the rule of law in our land,
if the law states that no one is above the law
and [then] goes beyond to reject one person and save the other person?

Why can’t a state constitution feed its members with truth?
Don’t paint a race under one umbrella, for no race is perfect.
Don’t take our papers [and] be our keepers.

Racism is a storm.
It only destroys quality
and builds a restless society.
Believing in your culture or religion without truth
is just a wicked philosophy against humanity.
If this generation continues to act speechless,
our creator will question us one day.

Don’t go wild and hate your own race for nothing.
Don’t reject any race because of one person or one thing.
Be yourself and be friends with yourself for the rest of your life.
Whatever skin you have you must love it.
No race has the standard of living
We must learn how to respect people no matter their circumstances
even if they don’t agree with us.
We need strong people with [a] sense of humor,
beauty with passion and purpose.
People with great love to handle our society not faces.
We need to unite our uniqueness and make the world a better place.

I believe regardless of our differences
We are made for this hour to experience hope.
Just believe in yourself, and leave a mark that will
bless your generation.
I know racism will never vanish but we can control it.
It starts [with] you.
-snip-
* The sub-titles gave "Where" as the beginning word in this line. I believe that the word "crowds" here means "populations".

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ADDENDUM
From https://www.facebook.com/humberlegacy?ref=hl Legacy Hsf, Thomas Appiah

October 8, 2013

SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE CRYING
(Thomas Appiah)

Sometimes, I feel like crying,
I feel like the past has hated me for nothing,
so I called my present homeless,
and called my future aimless because no one likes me,
and no one wants to see me laughing in confidence.
But in my present, I can wake up,
work hard,
reposition my mind and breathe in the light,
and feel more than worthy.
And I can call myself" a man of power and victory",
a man who was made fearfully and wonderfully,
a man who can create something out of nothing".
I am capable of making my dreams reality*.
-snip-
The word that was given in this comment/composition was "publish". I changed that word to "reality".

- Legacy ( new book coming out soon)

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Suli Breaks - I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate (words & video)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases the Suli Breaks' spoken word "I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate".

The content of this post is presented for cultural, inspirational, and aesthetic reasons.

All copyrights remain with their owner.

Thanks to Suli Breaks for this spoken word composition. Thanks also to all those quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

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WORDS: I WILL NOT LET AN EXAM RESULT DECIDE MY FATE
(Suli Breaks)

Can you hear me,

or is my sound just off?

Do they choose not to take heed,

or am I just not speaking loud enough?

Is this message overlooked because it did not come with a bird attached in its thought?

Or in the form of a glorious book?

They didn’t find this message burning in a bush, scripture, or novel,

Neither did it come in a bottle.

This message is not a product of thousands petitioning,

Neither did a million men march until their feet were blistering,

Nor did it spurt forth from the mouth of a corpse.

Cause when we was young we was told the revolution would not be televised,

So we had to improvise,

so we put that shit on the net and watch it get digitalised.

Right now,

There is a kid finishing parents' evening in a heated discussion with his mother,

Saying, why does he have to study subjects he will never ever use in his life?

And she will look at him blanked eyed, stifle a sigh, think for a second, and then lie.

She’ll say something along the lines of:

“You know to get a good job you need a good degree, and these subjects will help you get a degree,

we never had this opportunity when I was younger".

And he will reply:

“But you were young a long time ago, weren’t you mum?”

And she won’t respond, although what he implies makes perfect sense,

that societies needs would have changed since he was 16.

But she will ignore him, grip his hand more sternly, then drag him to the car.

What she doesn’t know, is that she didn’t ignore him, just to shut him up.

She didn’t lie because they are just returning him from parents' evening,

And an argument in the hallway would look bad on her resume.

She won’t lie because she had just spent the last one hour,

Convincing a stern faced teacher, that she would ensure that her child studies more at home.

No!

She will lie, simply, because she, does not know any better herself,

Although her whole adult life, she has never used or applied Pythagoras' theorem,

pathetic fallacy, and still does not know the value of “X”.

She will rely on society to tell her that her child, who has one of the sharpest mind in the school,

is hyperactive, unfocused, easily distracted, and wayward.

Students!

How many equations, subjects and dates did you memorize, just before an exam, never to use again?

How many “A” grades did you get, which were never asked for when you applied for a job?

How many times have you remembered something, 5 minutes just after the teacher said “Stop writing”,

Only to receive your results one month later, to realize that you were only 1 mark short of the top grade?

Does that mean remembering 5 minutes earlier, would’ve made you more qualified for a particular job?

Well on an application form it would’ve.

We all have different abilities, thought processes, experiences, and genes,

So why is a class full of individuals, tested by the same means?

So that means Cherrelle thinks she’s dumb, because she couldn’t do a couple sums,

And if this issue is not addressed properly, it then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy,

Then every school has the audacity to have a policy on equality.

Huh, the irony!

Exams are society’s methods of telling you what you’re worth,

But you can’t let society tell you what you are,

Cause this is the same society that tells you that abortion is wrong, but then looks down on teenage parents!

The same society that sells products to promote natural hair, looks, and smooth complexion,

with the model on the box, half photoshopped, and has fake lashes and hair extensions,

With pastors that preach charity, but own private jets,

Imams that preach against greed, but are all fat,

Parents that say they want “educated kids”, but constantly marvel at how rich Richard Branson is,

Governments that preach peace, but endorse war,

That say they believe so much in the importance of higher education and further learning,

Then why increase tuition fees every single year?

I believed Miss Jefferson, when she took me into the office and said that my exams would be imperative to my success,

Because we were taught to always follow when Miss Jefferson led,

Then I took Jefferson out of the equation, and learned to think for myself,

I realized we were taught to always follow when Mis-Led.

Huh, the irony!

Test us with tests, but the finals are never final,

Because they never prepare us for the biggest test which is survival!

And what I suggest is fairly outlandish,

So I don’t expect everyone to understand this,

Except for the kids who know what it feels like, to be worth no more than that D or that A that you get on results day

And the ones whose best stories were never good enough for your English teacher,

Because apparently you missed out, key literal techniques,

Did not follow the class plan,

And the language was too “informal” for him to understand,

But then he’d reference Hamlet and Macbeth,

And you’d fight the urge to express your contempt, by partially clenching your fist,

with only your medius finger left protruding in the middle of your hand,

And asking if he was aware, that Shakespeare was known as the innovator of slang,

Or the kid at the back of the class, who thinks:

“Why am I studying something that doesn’t fuel my drive?”

But then when confronted with a maths problem, his eyes come alive.

So this one is for my generation,

The ones who found what they were looking for on Google,

The ones who followed their dreams on Twitter,

Pictured their future on Instagram,

Accepted destiny on Facebook.

This one’s for my “failures” and “dropouts”,

For my unemployed graduates,

My shop assistants, Cleaners and cashiers with bigger dreams,

My self-employed entrepreneurs, my world-changers and my dream-chasers!

Cause the purpose of “Why I hate school, but love education” was not to initiate a worldwide debate,

But to let them know that whether 72 or 88, 44 or 68,

We, will not, let exam results, decide our fate.
-snip-
Source: http://genius.com/Suli-breaks-i-will-not-let-an-exam-result-decide-my-fate-annotated posted by NateChapple in 2013 with this comment
"Bought the album and got the full version of this track, added the first verse and revised a few of the lyrics and the structure."

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate||Spoken Word



sulibreezy, Published on Apr 14, 2013

The Latest Spoken Word Video From Suli Breaks.

I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate - Suli Breaks,Vanity Fair,2009

"I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate" picks up on the education topic but takes a different stance and angle from "Why I Hate School But Love Education". This poem talks about how we have been made to think about how education and getting university degrees can give us opportunities to have a better chance in making our dream careers a reality. It also touches on how as individuals we are judged and tested by how well we perform on exams, but not all people perform well in exams so why are they made out to feel like they're dumb? The inconsistencies of the education system are really peeled open to reveal a deep problem that needs to be addressed and how society's needs have changed to make this even more apparent.

When it boils down to it, why are we misled into thinking that education is the only way forward for successful means in our work and career lives? We need to open our minds and educate ourselves that exam results aren't the barometer of success and that we can't let them decide our fate. We are in charge of our own destinies!
-snip-
Here's an excerpt of a comment posted on this video's viewer comment thread by Emma Elizabeth (December 2014)
"I think a lot of people are COMPLETELY missing the point of this video.
This man isn't saying education or qualifications are useless. He's merely pointing out the flaws in the education system (which we all know come in abundance, as like any system).

I'm almost 17 years old and I live in Scotland, so I've already went through my first wave of exams and quite frankly, I did shit. ALL of my teachers predicted I would get A's and B's, I studied, I did the homework, I worked in class. I wasn't lazy or 'dumb'. I suffered, and still do, with an anxiety disorder which had affected me on the day of exams. I find it ridiculous that a year's work which resulted in hundreds of thousands sleep deprived, mentally fragile and beaten down students is based one ONE DAY. Not just one day, but less than a few hours...

Howard Gardner, a psychologist who came up with the theory of there being 9 separates categories of intelligence. In my opinion, I would say school only caters to 3 or 4 of those. This is leaving out a HUGE majority of people who may fall and fail through the education system of exams, and branded uneducated and dumb because they were not 'intelligent' in the subjects that were in the criteria of the 3 or 4 which schools do offer.

Have you ever wondered why young children and toddlers always ask questions, why they're so curious? Because they're programmed to WANT to learn. They love to learn. Human beings should naturally be curious and want to learn, yet if you asked most children after having gone through maybe 4 or 5 years of school, they'll say they hate it. Do you not think there is a major problem that most children hate learning, and go on in later life not seeking new skills and learning new things? School may offer academical subjects and skills but I see it repulsing the masses and making them afraid of learning. Thankfully, I am not repulsed by learning. I love to learn. I'd rather go to a library, convention or a museum of my own free will before I'd ever go to a school to learn BY CHOICE...

So because I did badly on my exams am I dumb? Am I weak? Am I lazy? Am I worthless to society? No. No, I'm not. I will not let a flawed system stand in the way of me getting ahead in life. I know I can be somewhat successful, I know I'm intelligent - I don't need school which left me and many, many others beaten down and practically detesting learning and life to decide who I am, what I'm worth and how I'm going to do in life."

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RELATED LINK
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_ZmM7zPLyI for a video of Suli Breaks' spoken word "Why I Hate School But Love Education"

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Two Excerpts Of The "Kaidara", A Fulani Epic Poem (with English translations)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post features two excerpts of the "Kaidara", a traditional African epic poem. The "Kaidara" originally was prose recitations which formed part of traditional Fulani religious education.

These excerpts demonstrate that people speaking traditional African languages created compositions that are the complete opposite of the meaningless "ooga booga" utterances that Hollywood and other elements of Western societies characterized those languages as being.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thank to those who composed this traditional narrative. Thanks also to Amadou-Hampaté Ba for putting this narrative in versified form. And thanks to D. W. Arnott and others for providing excerpts of and information about "Kaidara" and other examples of Fulani narrative compositions.

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DEFINITION OF "EPIC POEM"
From http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/epic-poetry-definition-heroes-stories.html#lesson
"An epic poem is a long, narrative poem that is usually about heroic deeds and events that are significant to the culture of the poet. Many ancient writers used epic poetry to tell tales of intense adventures and heroic feats. Some of the most famous literary masterpieces in the world were written in the form of epic poetry."
-snip-
The two examples of epic poems that the article cited focus on are "Gilgamesh" and "The Iliad". The Fulani narrative "Kaidara" fits that definition of an epic poem.

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FEATURED EXCERPTS
From http://www.webpulaaku.net/defte/dwarnott/fula_literature.html#n12 D. W. Arnott. "Literature in Fula" in in Literatures in African Languages: theoretical issues and sample surveys B.W. Andrzejewski, S. Pilaszewicz, W. Tyloch (eds.)Cambridge University Press. 1985. p. 72-97

The Fulani, Fula, or Fulɓe are the traditionally nomadic cattle owners of West Africa, whose ultimate origins have been the subject of much speculation. While their early habitat in West Africa was apparently in an area in the vicinity of the borders of present-day Mali, Senegal and Mauritania, they are now, after centuries of gradual migrations and conquests, spread throughout a wide band of West Africa...

The Fulani preoccupation with cattle is also reflected in their many spells and incantations, while traces of their pre Islamic religion survive in initiatory recitations and the like.

An outstanding example of such a survival is Kaidara, with its sequel Laaytere koodal (The brightness of the great star), and Lootori (Ritual bathing). Originally prose recitations which formed part of traditional Fulani religious education, they have been published in a versified form which owes much to the poetic genius of Amadou-Hampaté Ba.

Kaidara, a poem of 2,452 lines, is an allegorical representation of the process of initiation with its 12 stages. It tells of the descent into a magic underworld of three men —a freeman and two serfs— and the adventures and vicissitudes they encounter on their journey to “the country of dwarf spirits, the mystic land of Kaidara”, the supreme spirit. They encounter successively a dozen creatures or natural phenomena which are symbols with mystical significance : a chameleon, a bat, a scorpion, a pool guarded by twin serpents, two fountains, and so forth.

The whole tale is presented dramatically and with imaginative and highly developed descriptions which from the literary point of view are the highlights of the poem-poetic descriptions of the dawn, and vivid and artistic accounts of a forest fire, a tornado and a tropical storm, of which the following verses are typical

[Citation] 12 & 13: Ba, Amadou-Hampaté and Lilyan Kesteloot (ed.), Kaidara, lines 1246-1271.
13. Ibid., lines 1544-1547

IV
Nde Baylal-kammu kem-noo Doo, e mbayla,

yani ana wifa bifirDi fa mbayla jaaBa.

Nde ka hoondoy wulaare wadoy e leydi

teddi e mayri faa kala waryhi, hayyhi.

YimBe e daabe nguli mum annii yaara

Keddii duule kaadime njaa na ngarta

ana tayha mbeeyu ana njaha weendu kammu

de yhoogoya Doon ndiyam njara faa De mbiya pett!

Yo Dee maa duule cinyruDe yarde diyyhe

ngoni a bawloyde, tuutude jukka leydi

hono faa enta kala kala boofi suuDii.

Baylal-kammu annii golle hiinnii

mo tappan Boolde dow taaneere nyaara

pette na njalta, ngona maje leydi njottoo.

Hammadi taykiti sifa majje jeegom

De laaytal mum majoy fade kammu toBde.

Yogaaje wulaam tan tan nii rufoyta.

Mo yii yoga majje saltini yeru no kahi nii,

caBe mum mawDe telloo faa a leydi.

Mo labbini laayte deen kaa yeru mo dammbaa

hakkunde duule DiDi cukkaa yo buurti

DiDi nyonngaaDi ana leldii a boowal.

Hammadi yiiti yoga majje gaDDe gabbe

Delmita seyna ede ngay hono no nyaango

ngo siire waDaa e muuDum semmbe toyyaa

leydi e kammu hakkunde mum waDoyta.


[English translation]
When the Great Forger of the skies reached his forge,

he plied his bellows till the forge came alight.

When it glowed, heat came to the earth

and was heavy on it, till everyone sweltered and suffocated.

Men and beasts sweated in its heat.

The servitor-clouds were coming and going,

cutting across the firmament, going to the pool of heaven,

drawing water there, and drinking their fill.

These are the clouds, pregnant with the waters they have drunk,

that then relieve themselves, and spit out stabbing the earth,

as though to purge every man of his every hidden sin.

The Forger of the skies now sets to work:

He hammers the mass on his anvil till it glows

And the sparks fly and come to earth as lightning flashes.

Hammadi could discern six various kinds

whose brightness flashed before the heavens rained down.

Most merely poured down fire.

He saw some forked like a kahi-tree,

its great branches descending right to the ground.

He noticed some flashes as it were fettered together

between two clouds, close together like two cattle-tracks,

separate but bunched together, in a clearing.

Hammadi saw others like little grains

dazzling wonderfully like a magic jewel

imbued with a mystic force, striking sparks

between earth and sky.

-snip-
And there are many sensitive little touches such as the picture of a dying flame
-snip-

V
Mo sooynii fooyre ana maja fooyre fitila.

Liccere mum yarii timmii nebam mum.

Fooyre na fooDa Demngal saa e saanga,

ana mettoo ko heddii ko suuwi-noo e mum.


[English translation]
He saw a flickering lamp-flame.

Its wick had drunk up all its oil.

And the flame from time to time threw forth its tongue,

Licking up the last liquid drop.

****
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Linton Kwesi Johnson - "Bass Culture" (sound file & words)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases a sound file of and the words to Linton Kwesi Johnson's dub poetry composition "Bass Culture". Information about Linton Kwesi Johnson is also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All content remain with their owners.

Thanks to Linton Kwesi Johnson for his musical and literary legacy. Thanks also to the publishers of this sound video on Youtube and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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INFORMATION ABOUT LINTON KWESI JOHNSON
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linton_Kwesi_Johnson
"Linton Kwesi Johnson (aka LKJ) (born in Jamaica, 24 August 1952) is a UK-based dub poet. In 2002 he became the second living poet, and the only black poet, to be published in the Penguin Modern Classics series.[1][2] His performance poetry involves the recitation of his own verse in Jamaican Patois over dub-reggae, usually written in collaboration with renowned British reggae producer/artist Dennis Bovell. His middle name, "Kwesi", is a Ghanaian name that is given to boys who - like Johnson - are born on a Sunday."...

**
From http://www.biography.com/people/linton-kwesi-johnson-20903749
"Linton Kwesi Johnson was born on August 24, 1952 in Chapleton, in the parish of Clarendon, Jamaica. After moving to London and attending the University of London's Goldsmiths College, he began writing politically charged poetry. He is known as the creator of "dub poetry," a blend of reggae music and spoken verse. Johnson is the author of three popular books of poetry, and has worked as a journalist, recording artist and radio host...

Some of Johnson's distinguished awards include an Honorary Visiting Professorship at Middlesex University in London (2004), and a silver Musgrave medal from the Institute of Jamaica for distinguished eminence in the field of poetry (2005). His work has been translated into several languages and he has toured extensively throughout Europe, Japan, South Africa, Brazil and other nations.

Commenting on why he started to write poetry, Johnson said, "The answer is that my motivation sprang from a visceral need to creatively articulate the experiences of the black youth of my generation, coming of age in a racist society" (The Guardian; March 28, 2012).

****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLE: Linton Kwesi Johnson - Bass Culture



RastaChaka, Uploaded on Nov 22, 2009
-snip-
"Bass Culture" is track #14 on the album Independant Intavenshan." That album was released in 1998.

For more information about that album click http://www.discogs.com/Linton-Kwesi-Johnson-Independant-Intavenshan-The-Island-Anthology/release/611450

****
WORDS TO "BASS CULTURE"
(Linton Kwesi Johnson)

muzik of blood
black reared
pain rooted
heart geared

all tensed up
in di bubble an di bounce
an di leap an di weight-drop

it is di beat of di heart
this pulsing of blood
that is a bubblin bass
a bad bad beat
pushin gainst di wall
whey bar black blood

an is a whole heappa
passion a gather
like a frightful form
like a righteous harm
giving off wild like is madness

BAD OUT DEY

hotta dan di hites of fire
livin heat doun volcano core
is di cultural wave a dread people deal
spirits riled
an rise an rail thunda-wise
latent powa
in a form resemblin madness
like violence is di show
burstin outta slave shackle
look ya! boun fi harm di wicked

man feel
him hurt confirm
man site
destruction all aroun
man turn
love still confirm
him destiny a shine lite-wise
soh life tek the form whey shiff from calm
an hold di way of a deadly storm

culture pulsin
high temperature blood
swingin anger
shattering di tightened hold
the false hold
round flesh whey wail freedom
bitta cause a blues
cause a maggot suffering
cause a blood klaat pressure
yer still breedin love
far more mellow
than di soun of shapes
chanting loudly

SCATTA-MATTA-SHATTA-SHACK!
what a beat!

for di time is night
when passion gather high
when di beat jus lash
when di wall mus smash
an di beat will shiff
as di culture alltah
when oppression scatta

Source: http://www.releaselyrics.com/058c/linton-kwesi-johnson-bass-culture/

****
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Blaze featuring Palmer Brown - "My Beat" (Can You Dance To My Beat) video and lyrics

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases a video of the 1998 song "My Beat" (also known as "Can You Dance To My Beat") by Blaze, featuring Palmer Brown. The song lyrics to this House music beat are given as part of the summary statement for this video. Information about House music and information about Blaze are also presented in this post.

The content of this post is provided for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Blaze featuring Palmer Brown for this recording. Thanks also to all featured musicians & dancers, and thanks to the publishers of this video on YouTube.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT HOUSE MUSIC
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_music
"House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the American city of Chicago in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized circa 1984 in Chicago, but beginning in 1985, it fanned out to other major cities across North and South America, as well as Europe and later Australia.[1] Early house music commercial success in Europe saw songs such as "House Nation" by House Master Boyz and the Rude Boy of House (1987) and "Doctorin' the House" by Coldcut (1988) in the pop charts. Since the early to mid-1990s, house music has been infused in mainstream pop and dance music worldwide.

Early house music was generally dance-based music characterized by repetitive 4/4 beats, rhythms mainly provided by drum machines,[2] off-beat hi-hat cymbals, and synthesized basslines. While house displayed several characteristics similar to disco music, it was more electronic and minimalistic,[2] and the repetitive rhythm of house was more important than the song itself. House music today, while keeping several of these core elements, notably the prominent kick drum on every beat, varies a lot in style and influence, ranging from the soulful and atmospheric deep house to the more minimalistic microhouse. House music has also fused with several other genres creating fusion subgenres,[2] such as euro house, tech house, electro house and jump house."...

****
INFORMATION ABOUT BLAZE
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaze_(band)
"Blaze is a house-music group formed in 1984 in New Jersey, USA...It was formed by Josh Milan, Kevin Hedge, and Chris Herbert, when Herbert introduced Milan, a member of his church choir, to Hedge, his childhood friend. Ironically, Herbert was the one who left the group in 1991, leaving Milan and Hedge to keep working together.[1]

The group's output consists mainly of house-music tracks with heavy gospel, soul and afrobeat influences (sometimes referred to as gospel house). When the group started, Herbert was the singer, with Milan playing the piano, and Hedge on production. After Herbert left, both Hedge and Milan started to share production duties, vocals, and playing most of the instruments of the group's tracks and albums. The group achieved notoriety with its remix of Lisa Stansfield's "People Hold On" in 1989, after signing with Motown/MCA Records.

... It is best known to modern audiences by its singles featuring Palmer Brown on vocals, the oft-remixed "My Beat," and the tribute anthem "I Remember House." Blaze's most recent album, released in 2005, is a mix compilation title called Found Love.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Blaze ‎- My Beat (1998)



DaGhostChild Published on Jun 7, 2012

http://www.discogs.com/Blaze-Feat-Pal...

As we dance to beat that seems out of time...
...To the one you feel in the metronome of your mind
Does it offend you that our rhythm looks strange
Or causes your thinking to be re-arranged
Could it be that you would understand those beat to which we dance
More clearly had you been given the chance
So as you struggle to find the feel with your feet

Ask yourself... can you dance to my beat

Watch us get down to this groove with a afro-funk feel
While we get hiiiiigh to a rhythm with spiritual appeal
Expressions of freedom from the descendants of slaves
God gives us the strength for new horizons we must breathe
First bondage than mental now financially oppressed
With this beat we dance we know we've passed the test
So as you struggle to catch the rhythm with your feet

Ask yourself... can you dance to my beat
(to my beat)

The rhythm... rhythm... rhythm... is our power section.

The freedom we feel in our soul
We dance to learn those lessons,
As our story continues to unfold
Our beats, our words our melodies, our gifts
From the givers of those gifts,
We're merely the terminals through which they have passed
So as you struggle to catch the rhythm with your feet,

Ask yourself, can you really dance to my beat
(to my beat)
(the rhythm)
(to my beat, the rhythm, to my beat)
(to my beat)

-snip-
The video shows people doing breakdancing (b-boying).
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-boying for information about breakdancing.

****
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Two Praise Poems For The Orisha Ogun

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases two examples of praise poetry for the Yoruba orisha (orisa) Ogun, the god of iron.

The content of this post is presented for religious, folkloric, and aesthetic purposes.

All content remains with their owners.

****
FEATURED EXAMPLES
Example #1
From http://archive.org/stream/OralLiteratureInAfrica/OralLiteratureInAfrica_djvu.txt Oral Literature in Africa by Ruth Finnegan
"In West Africa, apparently unlike other areas, formal praises are addressed to supernatural beings. Hausa bori spirits for instance, each have their own praise songs (taki, kirari). When the spirit is to be called, its praise songs are played through one after another until it takes possession of one of its worshippers (Smith 1957: 33). The Yoruba praise poems to deities in Nigeria and Dahomey (as well as from the Yoruba in Brazil) are particularly famous. 2 Each of the many Yoruba deities (orisha) has a series of praises expressed in figurative and obscure language, sung by the priest. Here, for instance, is a praise poem about Ogun, the god of iron, one of the most powerful deities, worshipped particularly by warriors, hunters, and blacksmiths:

Ogun kills on the right and destroys on the right.

Ogun kills on the left and destroys on the left.

Ogun kills suddenly in the house and suddenly in the field.

Ogun kills the child with the iron with which it plays.

Ogun kills in silence.

Ogun kills the thief and the owner of the stolen goods.

Ogun-kills the owner of the slave — and the slave runs away.

Ogun kills the owner of thirty 'iwofa' [pawns] — and his money wealth and
children disappear.

Ogun kills the owner of the house and paints the hearth with his blood.

Ogun is the death who pursues a child until it runs into the bush.

Ogun is the needle that pricks at both ends.

Ogun has water but he washes in blood.

Ogun do not fight me. I belong only to you.

The wife of Ogun is like a tim tim [decorated leather cushion].

She does not like two people to rest on her.

Ogun has many gowns. He gives them all to the beggars.

He gives one to the woodcock — the woodcock dyes it indigo.

He gives one to the coucal — the coucal dyes it in camwood.

He gives one to the cattle egret — the cattle egret leaves it white.

Ogun is not like pounded yam:

Do you think you can knead him in your hand

And eat of him until you are satisfied?

Ogun is not like maize gruel:

Do you think you can knead him in your hand ti&x*

And eat of him until you are satisfied?

Ogun is not like something you can throw in your cap:

Do you think you can put on your cap and walk away with him?

Ogun scatters his enemies.

When the butterflies arrive at the place where the cheetah excretes,

They scatter in all directions.

The light shining on Ogun's face is not easy to behold.

Ogun, let me not see the red of your eye.

Ogun sacrifices an elephant to his head.

Master of iron, head of warriors,

Ogun,great chief of robbers.

Ogun wears a bloody cap.

Ogun has four hundred wives and one thousand four hundred children.

Ogun,the fire that sweeps the forest.

Ogun's laughter is no joke.

Ogun eats two hundred earthworms and does not vomit.

Ogun is a crazy orisha [deity] who still asks questions after 780 years.

Whether I can reply, or whether I cannot reply,

Ogun please don't ask me anything.

The lion never allows anybody to play with his cub.

Ogun will never allow his child to be punished.

Ogun do not reject me!

Does the woman who spins ever reject a spindle?

Does the woman who dyes ever reject a cloth?

Does the eye that sees ever reject a sight?

Ogun, do not reject me! [Ogun needs his worshippers].

(Gbadamosi and Beier 1959: 21-2)
-snip-
*ti&x - This is probably a typo but I don't know what the corrected word is or even if a word was meant to be there.

****
Example #2: Mayowa Adeyemo praises Ogun (God of Iron)



Yoruba Poetry, Published on Jan 4, 2014

Ògún onírè ọkọ ò mi
Irúnmolè tí ń rù mìnìmìnì
Òlómi nílé fèjè wè
Òlása nílé fìmọ̀bímọ̀ bora
Ògún aládàá méjì
Ó fìkán sánko, ó fìkán yènà
Ojó Ògún ń fìkòlé òrun bò wá s'ílé ayé
Asa iná ló mú bora
èwù èjè ló wọ̀ sọ́rùn o
Ògún onílé owó ọlọ́nà ọla
Ògún onílé kángun kàngun òde òrun
Méje l'Ògún mi
Ògún alárá nií gbajá
Ògún onírè a gbàgbò
Ògún ìkọlà a gbà 'gbín
Ògún elémoná nií gbèsun asu
Ògún akirun á gbà wo àgbò
Ògún gbénàgbénà eran ahun níí je
Ògún mákinde ti d'Ògún léhìn odi
Bí ò bá gba tápà á gbàbókí á gba húnkùnhúnkùn
á gba tèmbèrí o jàre
mo ní e má bógúnrún fìjà seré
Ògún òlódodo l'Ògún tèmi
Ọmọ Orórínà, ọmọ Tàbúfú
Morú nítorípé l'ójó Ògún kó délé ayé,
Emu ló kó bèrè o ḿgbà tó délè ìrè o
Ògún onílé owó, Olónà olà
Ògún ónile, kángunkàgun òde òrun
Mo ní e má aàbógùn fìjà sére o o
Ara Ògún kan gó gó gó
-snip-
Here's the English translation from the sub-titles that are included in the video:

Ogún oh!
Ogun god of iron, my husband.
A deity that strikes heavily.
He has water at home but bathes with blood.
He has clothes but wears palm fronds.
Ogun possesses two cutlasses:
One for cutting grass, the other for making marks.
Since Ogun came down from heaven to earth,
He uses robes of fire as his cover.
A shirt of blood is what he puts on.
Ogun has a house of riches, a house of wealth.
Ogun has a house of war in the great beyond.
My god of iron is seven.
Worshippers of Ogun bring him a dog.
Ogun also accepts a ram as a sacrifice.
The Ikola offers Ogun snails.
The Elemona offer Ogun roasted yam.
The brave brings Ogun a ram.
The carpenter offers Ogun tree sap.
Makinde, Ogun has become.
If he sells Tapa, he will sell his friend
He will collect three.
Eh, do not use the sword to play with the god of iron.
My Ogun is a truthful deity.
The son of Ororina, son of Tabafu.
I tell you because when Ogun came into this world,
He asked first for palmwine when he got to Ire.
Ogun’s house is full of money.
His pathway is full of wealth.
The owner of the ugly house in heaven,
I tell you, do not fight playfully with Ogun.
Ogun isn’t smiling at all.

****
RELATED LINKS
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogoun and http://www.orishanet.org/ocha.html for information about Ogun.

****
Maferefún ("praises to the spiritual energy of") Ogun.

Thanks to Ruth Finnegan, the editor of Oral Literature in Africa. Thanks also to Mayowa Adeyemo and the publisher of this video on YouTube.

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Visitor comments are welcome.

South African Praise Poet Zolani Mkiva - Transcript: Praise Poetry Is Essential Part Of African DNA

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides my transcript of a September 6, 2013 South African television show's interview of praise poet Zolani Mkiva, and my transcription of a poem that Zolani Mkiva recited during that program. This post also includes information about this renown South African praise poet.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, sociological, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT ZOLANI MKIVA
"Zolani is one of the youngest practitioners of one of the oldest oral traditions in africa, ukubonga (praise singing). Hailing from Dutywa a small town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, Zolani rose to prominence in 1990 when, barely a year after becoming a fully-fledged Imbongi Yesizwe (Poet of the Nation), the schoolboy was called upon to salute with a red hot rendition the recently released Nelson Mandela at his Welcome Home Rally in Transkei....

1991 saw Zolani complete his matriculation, and during the same year, consolidated his role as Imbongi through extensive work at community projects. The role of an Imbongi is a responsible one in African society, for it involves articulating the feelings of the community, and encapsulating these sentiments in concise poetic phrases. Not only does Imbongi praise, but must also ponder, even offer criticism.

Especially at this time of political transition and nation building in South Africa, Zolani felt the need to broaden his knowledge and analytical tools, and decided to pursue studies in Social Sciences at the University of the Western Cape. His studies included oral traditions, history and cultural issues, and in this way, he became a dual practitioner and scholar of African Poetry as well as Traditional Music. This opened a new path of a wonderful combination as he employed his poetry for musical compositions.

Zolani Mkiva participates in events either as an Imbongi, or alternatively as a Compere. Unlike other performers, he will ordinarily have to give careful consideration before participating in an event, and frequently research the topic at hand, maybe prepare a specific framework for a recital. Like a jazz musician, the lines of an Imbongi are never fixed – they are improvised, at times melodic and at times melancholy. And not always guaranteed to please with tame platitudes - A lion must Roar !"
-snip-
Click http://www.poetryinternationalweb.net/pi/site/poet/item/477/10/Zolani-Mkiva for more information about Zolani Mkiva.

****
FEATURED VIDEO: Praise poetry essential part of African DNA



eNCAnews, Published on Sep 6, 2013
For more on this and other stories please visit http://www.enca.com/

September 6-Zolani Mkiva speaks to eNCA about African heritage and praise poetry and recited a part of a poem.

****
TRANSCRIPTION: eNCAnews - Praise poetry essential part of African DNA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGf-mc26JXk
[This transcription was made from the video found above. Words that I'm unable to decipher are represented by dashes. Words that I'm unsure of are written in italics. This transcription doesn't capture the intonation that the praise poet used. I represented to emphasized words by capitalizing them. I also am including a few notes after this transcription about the program setting, about clips that were shown during the program, and about certain South African language words in the poem. Additions and corrections are welcome.]

Female host [fh]: September is heritage month and oral traditions are a big part of South African’s heritage. Zolani Mkiva is one of the most famous praise singers in the country. He joins us now.

Zolani, thank you very much for coming in this morning. It’s very good to be with you. Now, I must ask you- what is the place that praise poetry currently enjoys in our country. Does-is there a space for it in our country?

Zolani Mkiva [ZM]: Certainly, there is a huge space for praise poetry. Remember that praise poetry is essentially part of our DNA as a people, that is as Africans in general because we’ve got clan names which form the basis of our identity. And therefore, each and every clan therefore has a praise poet, so to say, what we call imbongis so that the people will articulate thus clan names and they are able to place them back from time immemorial. Because they are the ones that carry the knitting, the lace that laces our history and heritage that dates back from many, many centuries ago. And praise singers therefore are the oral librarians, if you like, of African history and heritage.

fh: How, how are you groomed within your, your clan to become a praise singer?

ZM: It’s a very systematic way of grooming children in general, because it’s not only one child that gets picked up to articulate the clan names and the history of the family, and the history of the community and the nation. It’s something that is done systematically from storytelling, folklore, music, and you infuse all the cultural ceremonies __ __. So you systematically, systematically coached to understand broadly and you are also given the specifics. And therefore one out of those children in that particular community will then rise up and be, you know, the one who carries the flag, ah, of that particular clan, community, nation, and so on.

fh: It’s an amazing tradition. We are celebrating heritage month in the country in September. Of course, the, the bombardment of other media now that South Africa has joined the global village. Is praise poetry becoming obsolete? Or , do, do you think it has had the opposite effect?
ZM – Well, yes and no. You know, that’s how I can answer. It, it depends on what you do with media and what you do with technology. The technology must not lead you. You must guide it to do what you want to communicate. Once you allow yourself to be led by technology, then you will be led behind. So, at all material times as Africans, let’s appreciate the development and integration of the technology but let them happen under our own stewardship. So that at all material times we guide what we mean to happen and what we want to communicate. We take and learn from the best in the world, but it must happen under us-As long as we do that, we will not lose hope as we will be able to communicate what is right according to our values. Once we allow technology and media to tell us what to do, then we will sink.

Fh: That is a very interesting point __. Ah, Zolani, I believe that you’ve been working on a piece of praise poetry for us. And I’m going to ask that you share that with our viewers this morning. Won’t you go ahead and do that for us.

ZM:
A child was born some time ago.
De-socialized and disorientated
Bad mannered and bad natured.
Today is the rebirth of the African child.
Today the African child is born again
Ready to be issued with a new birthday certificate
The lotion for motion has been issued.
Let us be the thinkers of the great thoughts.
Let us be the doers of the great deeds.
Achievement never yet was given to the people as a gift
But as a reward.
Bring the end through [all of us] at work.
Let us tell the whole world that Africa
IS the mother continent.
Tell them. Them tell.
Tell them that. That them tell.
Them that tell.
Tell them that
Africa IS the continent of the future.
Let us program our heritage.
Let us mainstream our Africanness.
Yes, Africa maluju
Africa Harambee.
Africa Uhuru

Fh – I love that Zolani.

AM – Thank you.

fh- Thank you so much for coming in to join us. Much much appreciated.

****
NOTES:
Setting: Zolani Mkiva and the female television host [no name given] are seated at a desk in a television studio.

The female host is dressed in Western clothing. Zolani Mkiva is also dressed in Western clothing [The camera only shows his upper body]. He is wearing a red short sleeved shirt and a beaded pendant necklace that looks very similar to a circular Native American beaded pendant with small strings of beads hanging from it. Zolani Mkiva also has a thin red and white beaded band on his head. He is also carrying a thin wand-type object which I can’t identify and which isn’t mentioned in that segment.

When Mkiva was responding to the question about how he was groomed as praise poet, the program showed a silent clip of young South African males and females dressed in traditional Xhosa? Zulu? clothing dancing as they move down the street as part of an urban street parade. Another silent clip follows of young males dressed up in three piece Western suits with fedora hats doing tap dances as part of the same? street parade.

When asked the third question, Zolani Mkiva is shown responding to that question in an inserted small box, while a larger silent clip shows Mkiva dressed in traditional clothing at some public event where he is singing praises to an elderly Madiba [Nelson Mandela} who is escorted onto the stage as Mkiva is talking.
-snip-
English translation of certain South African language words:

Imbongis - Xhosa term for traditional praise poet. Click http://esat.sun.ac.za/index.php/Imbongi for information about imbongis.

**
Maluju- [I think it's a Zulu word that means "calm or plea for peace".
I found that definition in the summary statement of this YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JhGAtURewQ
Maluju Africa [Lolo Rollins] Published on Aug 4, 2013

Also, from http://entertainment.iafrica.com/artzine/theatre/previews/44294.html
"The phrase 'Maluju Zulu' means 'it is enough'. It is usually said when an opponent indicates that they want a cease-fire".

**
Harambee - Kiswahili word meaning "pull together"

**
Uhuru - KiSwahili word meaning "freedom"

****
Thanks to Zolani Mkiva for his creativity and his insightful comments. Thanks also to the featured television program and its host. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.

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Visitor comments are welcome.