"Our youth, aren't alien creatures. They came from us.."
Dear friends,
There’s an African proverb that goes, " To live together is to have a common fate." In other words, as a community, in the grand scheme of things, as it were, we need each other, regardless of either physical or social differences.
But if people, in any specific community, share a common fate, then it only seems fair that all parties involved should have a voice in their destiny. Unfortunately, for all of America’s brave words of " freedom and democracy", when do Our children ever experience these lofty ideals, particularly, democracy?
What young people actually feel is that they are controlled, having little or no input, regarding decisions that directly affect their existence. They feel powerless. As a consequence, they become angry and frustrated. Moreover, in their feeling of powerlessness, quite intelligently, they rebel.
Yet, the problem with much of the rebellion of Our youth, particularly, in the inner city, is that young people often protest in ways that are self-destructive, largely due to the types of options available to them.
Even worse, Our responses to anti-social behavior by Our youth are themselves often destructive, counter-productive, and mean-spirited. For example, " zero tolerance" in schools and harsher sentences for youthful offenders may feel good to some, but not even those punishments or " more jobs", for instance, will change the situation, if we ignore the anger and frustration that Our youth must necessarily express in a negative way, if we don’t afford them opportunities to make good choices.
Consequently, it seems that our efforts need to be concentrated on building Our community better from its most basic unit – the non-adult human being. Clearly, if there is one thing that we humans need in the world today, it is community-building skills.
Youth sports, more than anything else is about community building. After all, Our youth have a great deal to learn in order to competently replace us and, in turn, pass adequate knowledge and ability on to those who will follow them.
Sports participation allows young people to resolve the anger, fear, sadness, and frustration which results from their feelings of powerlessness, through the personal strength of positive energy and group support, instead of various expressions of anti-social behavior. Mastering skills in most activities, whether for business or pleasure, requires using energy in a positive way, relying upon inner powers like memory, discipline, focus, and concentration. Activities like sports are no exception.
Finally, Our youth, aren't alien creatures. Rather, they came from us. Their language, and, therefore, their thoughts, along with their actions are all based on behavior inherited from us. They are part of Our community. To paraphrase the great philosopher Kahlil Gibran, " Before one is willing to get rid of an oppressor, s/he must first get rid of the oppressor from within."
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Capitalism and "Youth Culture"
Dear friends,
Capitalism has been so attractive, because it is, thus far, the only type of economy that has afforded total political freedom to its participants, as workers. That means that a person can "flip the boss a bird", as it were, and walk away, being "free" to find another opportunity for employment. This was certainly not the case in either slave or feudalistic societies. So-called “Socialist” countries do not allow that kind of freedom either, since everyone works for the "State" and, therefore, must work where he or she is assigned, more or less.
The downside of total political freedom for workers within the capitalist political economy is: The "market” then controls all economic and, , social relationships, based upon the notion of "supply and demand", whether for the human commodity - labor, or non-human ones (commodities). Unfortunately, since, the end of World War 1 or so, the "market" has taken control of what we see as culture. As a result, the definition of culture, which historically, has referred to all of the actions by a specific population group, has become anything that the market determines it to be. Consequently, the notions of “youth" culture (clothing, hairstyles, piercing and tattoos, books, magazines with ads sold in them, and so forth), "Hip-hop" culture (drugs, guns, gangs, and so forth), and “gay" culture (weddings, nightclubs, exclusive recreational venues, magazines and newspapers with ads sold in them, and so forth), are, totally, market constructs. Additionally, while there are social constructs like “race” and gender, for example, those social structures were not created for the appetite of the market. Rather, they serve the purpose of establishing social relationships within society itself that will allow it (said society) to last for hundreds or even thousands of years.
The idea that a culture can develop without any connection to the past (except its increased availability of consumables) is a contradiction in terms. Hence, the notion of "youth culture", for example, is designed to exploit the vast and seemingly endless energy and enthusiasm of young people. Yet, it seems, at least, to me, that the energy and courage of Our youth should, actually, serve the purpose of moving society forward - but only under the guidance of that part of society (parents and other elders) that has both the experience and understanding to recognize the values that maintain both Our humanity and spirituality.
G. Djata Bumpus Read full post
Capitalism has been so attractive, because it is, thus far, the only type of economy that has afforded total political freedom to its participants, as workers. That means that a person can "flip the boss a bird", as it were, and walk away, being "free" to find another opportunity for employment. This was certainly not the case in either slave or feudalistic societies. So-called “Socialist” countries do not allow that kind of freedom either, since everyone works for the "State" and, therefore, must work where he or she is assigned, more or less.
The downside of total political freedom for workers within the capitalist political economy is: The "market” then controls all economic and, , social relationships, based upon the notion of "supply and demand", whether for the human commodity - labor, or non-human ones (commodities). Unfortunately, since, the end of World War 1 or so, the "market" has taken control of what we see as culture. As a result, the definition of culture, which historically, has referred to all of the actions by a specific population group, has become anything that the market determines it to be. Consequently, the notions of “youth" culture (clothing, hairstyles, piercing and tattoos, books, magazines with ads sold in them, and so forth), "Hip-hop" culture (drugs, guns, gangs, and so forth), and “gay" culture (weddings, nightclubs, exclusive recreational venues, magazines and newspapers with ads sold in them, and so forth), are, totally, market constructs. Additionally, while there are social constructs like “race” and gender, for example, those social structures were not created for the appetite of the market. Rather, they serve the purpose of establishing social relationships within society itself that will allow it (said society) to last for hundreds or even thousands of years.
The idea that a culture can develop without any connection to the past (except its increased availability of consumables) is a contradiction in terms. Hence, the notion of "youth culture", for example, is designed to exploit the vast and seemingly endless energy and enthusiasm of young people. Yet, it seems, at least, to me, that the energy and courage of Our youth should, actually, serve the purpose of moving society forward - but only under the guidance of that part of society (parents and other elders) that has both the experience and understanding to recognize the values that maintain both Our humanity and spirituality.
G. Djata Bumpus Read full post
Sunday, May 11, 2014
A Happy Mothers' Day salute - for all adult females!!!
"...long live the symmetry of nature, in its never-ending expression of females protecting and nurturing but letting go of their charges, that makes female humans maintain the integrity of all aspects of human existence..."
Dear friends,
Today, not to trivialize the hard work of females who have both born and raised offspring, I must “Holla!” - Happy Mother’s Day!!! –to all females who have mothered other people - whether you birthed them or not, or even other living things that you have mothered like non-human animals, plants. or even causes.
Moreover, long live the symmetry of nature, in its never-ending expression of females protecting and nurturing but letting go of their charges, that makes female humans maintain the integrity of all aspects of human existence - which makes life so worthwhile. On the link below, Will Downing says it best.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEOKmd1mIlw Read full post
Dear friends,
Today, not to trivialize the hard work of females who have both born and raised offspring, I must “Holla!” - Happy Mother’s Day!!! –to all females who have mothered other people - whether you birthed them or not, or even other living things that you have mothered like non-human animals, plants. or even causes.
Moreover, long live the symmetry of nature, in its never-ending expression of females protecting and nurturing but letting go of their charges, that makes female humans maintain the integrity of all aspects of human existence - which makes life so worthwhile. On the link below, Will Downing says it best.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEOKmd1mIlw Read full post
Friday, May 9, 2014
Love on the Bill Cosby Show
Fear friends,
Read full post
This one and a half minute or so long video below is unfortunate, because Claire Huxtable's attitude was give-and-take, as opposed to explaining that the two of them were committed to sharing care and concern for each other, trying to always understand each other, and feeling responsible to each other. Otherwise, the relationship is not really based upon love for each other, but instead, they simply have a well regulated business-type partnership.
G. Djata Bumpus
From an Elder of mine (91) to me, from earlier this year (1/26/14):
"Birthday greetings to Djata Bumpus....Hi, my good young friend....have a great day. My gift to you today is a simple reminder of what you already know. The present is the sink of all that has transpired in the past. It is the "black hole" into which the entire past events are swallowed up and archived for all who care to analyze for abiding principles of truth. At the same time the present is the fount, the source of the future. It pours forth the events of the future along a trajectory already formed out of the events of the past. That trajectory is not random...it is deliberately aimed at specific targets that define the future. Sink and source...depository and provider...simultaneously functioning at all times.
I remind you of these facts because I know you to be a devout observer and analyst of the past and a passionate proposer of policies that enhance the human condition. Keep up the good work. Tweak those who take the future for granted. Provide a continuing bruising of the conscience of those who would betray or otherwise stifle the aspirations of working people throughout the land. Set your sights on the real enemy of the people's struggle for a decent existence. It is generally not the ordinary working people whose organizations may be socially and politically backwards or who may be co-opted by evil forces in the society. The real culprit is usually those who privately accumulate the wealth of the society which is always and everywhere produced by the labor of the working people. Stores of wealth in the hands of the few are nothing but a reflection of the devastating poverty of large segments of the people.
Go forth and do good work as usual....lloyd
" - Professor Lloyd Hogan (ret.)
Yes, Sir! Read full post
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Re-visiting THE EMANCIPATION OF WOMEN: An African Perspective
"...the most significant one being: People who are filled up with Western culture have no right to assume that their understanding of the problems of people from other cultures are even relevant, much less valid."
Dear friends,
Below, I am sharing a book review that I wrote in 1995, for the now-defunct African World magazine (publisher - Chinua Achebe, editor - Okey Ndibe). The book itself helps put the conditions and relationships of the people of the continent of Africa, as a whole, in a more realistic light.
Finally, Male Supremacy rules even in places where White Supremacy doesn't. And it was in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America long before Europeans, the babies of human civilization, knew little more than how to create a heap of garbage. We must end Male Supremacy! That is, if we are genuinely interested in liberation for all people.
One Love, One Heart, One Spirit,
G. Djata Bumpus
************************************
Book review, by G. Djata Bumpus
THE EMANCIPATION OF WOMEN: An African Perspective (102 pages)
by Florence Abena Dolphyne
Ghana Universities PressAccra, Ghana (1991)
Printed by Assemblies of God Literature Centre Limited, Accra
"What is Africa to me:
Copper sun or scarlet sea,
Jungle star or jungle track,
Strong bronzed men, or regal black
Women from whose loins I sprang..."
Countee Cullen, African American poet
************************************
In spite of its imperfections, this small book is quite important. For it introduces genuine dialogue as well as plans for action in its description and promotion of solutions to the plight of the female preservers of African cultures - that is, African women. With a good deal of the focus on Ghana, the author, Professor Florence Abena Dolphyne (University of Ghana), highlights the International Women's Year in 1975 and the United Nation's Decade for Women (1976-85) as the initial springboards that helped launch a movement that has been slowly making its way through Africa for the last 18 years. Undoubtedly, this publication is a tough "pill" for millions of African men to swallow.
Moreover, Emancipation does several things. They are: 1) It firmly establishes that Western feminists do not have a monopoly on theories pertaining to the oppression of women. 2) It asserts that African women have solutions to their problems within the context of their own cultural backgrounds. 3) It emphasizes action over pretense.
Dolphyne insists that the guiding force for African women, regarding issues relevant to their survival, should be action for change. Thus, she avoids succumbing to the cultural hegemony of fanciful Western feminists. Furthermore, Dolphyne maintains, "I never considered and still do not consider myself a 'feminist', for the term evokes for me the image of an aggressive woman who, in the same breadth, speaks of a woman's right to education and professional training - as well as a woman's right to practise prostitution and lesbianism." Many African American women too complain about the connection between Western feminism and lesbianism. Perhaps, Western feminists' lack of respect for the diverse sexual as well as other cultural practices of non-Western women explains why female circumcision (specifically, clitoridectomy) is their most prominent concern - even amongst many African American women - when analyzing the oppression of African women on the continent.
At times, Professor Dolphyne's perspective is confusing, however. For example, in the introduction (preface), she shares, "... there is the Palestinian woman who has to bring up her children in the violent environment of a refugee camp... Then there is the South African woman who has to cope with bringing up her children single-handed in a squatter camp...There is also the woman in an African village who watches helplessly while her child dies of malnutrition and preventable diseases...For all these women, the issue of women's emancipation cannot be separated from the politics that brought about their situation." Obviously, at least at this point of her work, Professor Dolphyne appears to be employing an inclusive writing style (later in the book she even mentions that young African boys need mandatory and free formal education as much as their female counterparts.) Yet, for whatever reasons, the author absolutely never draws a connection between African women on the continent and their sisters in the Diaspora.
Not surprisingly then, Dolphyne makes no mention of the relationship between Pan-Africanism and the worldwide liberation of all African people.
On top of that, although Professor Dolphyne herself represents the legacy of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, she deliberately took a swipe at the great statesman and philosopher by calling his government, on her first mention of it, a "regime".
Some of the problem seems to rest in the author's use of the "discipline" of cultural anthropology for her theoretical basis. Perhaps, this may help explain some of the book's shortcomings. For cultural anthropology, at least to me, is a euphemism for racial science. It recognizes trivial aspects of any given people's existence while ignoring the necessary relationships that folks must enter into in order to feed themselves. As a result, the culture of a people is defined (sophisticated or unsophisticated, that is, inferior or superior) within the context of its corresponding features or lack thereof with the "higher aspects" (i.e., visual art, music, religion, and so forth) relative to those fabrications that are identified as European cultures.
The subject matter of the text is divided into three chapters. In the first chapter, called "Traditional Practices," the author gives the reader an overview of the psycho-socio as well as economic factors of familial relationships between males and females in African cultures, revealing the status of most - but not all - women in African cultures as property. However, Dolphyne makes it clear that, unlike European cultures (which are not very old), African cultures are steeped in long traditions, many of which (for example, polygamy, child marriage and female circumcision) are quite acceptable to the practitioners. She, therefore, sees one of the real solutions for combating social inequality as, "...it is crucial that basic formal education be made available and accessible to both boys and girls in all (African) countries if any headway is to be made in eradicating, or even modifying the traditional practices that continue to keep women in subordination in Africa." Dolphyne also points out that many of the decisions that African women have made historically regarding their personal relationships have been based on economics. As a result, she sees it as pertinent to African women's emancipation that they have the "independent" ability to care for themselves and their children.
The second chapter, "Promoting Women's Emancipation through Specific Activities," details some of the methods and programs instituted - in this case, Ghana specifically - that have helped to raise "self-esteem and self-confidence" in many women. Moreover, Professor Dolphyne asserts that while there are some women with respected status in African nations, "Such hereditary position of authority is, however, not accessible to the majority of women." The author then continues to reiterate the need for formal education and economic independence for African women as a major step towards emancipation.
Unfortunately, Dolphyne does not provide readers with a clear understanding of certain concepts - such as role model, formal education, and economic independence - that she uses repeatedly throughout this chapter, particularly, and the book, generally. After all, the meanings of most social terms are not the same for everyone. That is, a member of a particular social, political, and economic class will necessarily have an entirely different understanding of or appreciation for a specific social concept than a member of another class, even though both persons live in the same society.
Anyhow, the final chapter, "The Way Forward," mainly identifies, uncritically, those organizations or groups that have participated in providing assistance to Ghanaian women in the past 15 years or so. One of the groups favorably mentioned (more than once in the book, regrettably) was US AID. To be sure, AID (Agency for International Development) - a U.S. government bureau - has not been good for Africa, either economically or environmentally (see America the Poisoned, by Lewis Regenstein). Yet, here Professor Dolphyne seems to be playing the role of being a "pragmatist" - one must suppose. Is it wise to attain "freedom at any cost"? In fact, is said freedom acquired at any cost, really desirable?
It may be instructive for us to refer to an article by Elizabeth Schmidt that appeared in a journal called Food Monitor-No. 5 (July/August 1978) during much of the same period that Dolphyne points to as being relevant to some African women's economic progress. The article is about the effects of OPIC (Overseas Private Investment Corporation), another U.S. government "aid" agency. Created in 1969 by an amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act, according to its architects, OPIC was intended to "serve as an impetus to private investment in developing economies". Actually, their claim is misleading. As Schmidt recorded:
Although it would be unfair to write off all OPIC-sponsored projects as detrimental, their actual developmental impact is negligible. In 1976, an OPIC loan helped to establish the Pioneer Food Cannery in Ghana, a joint enterprise of Starkist Foods, Inc., and a Ghanaian businessman. The cannery, a renovated Russian mackerel cannery, has the capacity to annually produce 206,000 cartons of canned tuna and 67,000 cartons of tuna cat food. Nearly all of the tuna is exported to Western Europe.Sorry Charlie, but something here is not right. It looks as though the purpose of OPIC, judging by its actions as opposed to its rhetoric, has been to insure that Western "transnationals" maintain control in the so-called Third World. As the late Walter Rodney taught us some time ago in his classic, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, and Lloyd Hogan informed us in his equally important Principles of Black Political Economy, whether male or female, African peoples cannot possibly expect to have meaningful political or economic freedom, without control over the manner in which we acquire access to a food supply along with the "artificial" or human-created needs which result from the prolonged existence that adequate nutrition provides.
In summary, Professor Dolphyne has articulated the particularities of the African woman's often powerless condition. Also, THE EMANCIPATION OF WOMEN: An African Perspective is a healthy contribution to the current dialogue regarding this matter. Yet, the omissions mentioned earlier involving Dolphyne's lack of clarity when presenting certain ideas as well as her unwillingness to challenge the harm still being done by transnational corporations to the development of a united Africa should not be taken lightly.In other words, although this book is highly recommended, not only for Africans on the continent, but those in the Diaspora, as well, Emancipation does have a number of noticeable shortcomings. Nevertheless, there are some extremely important messages delivered in this work. Perhaps, the most significant one being: People who are filled up with Western culture have no right to assume that their understanding of the problems of people from other cultures are even relevant, much less valid. Read full post
Dear friends,
Below, I am sharing a book review that I wrote in 1995, for the now-defunct African World magazine (publisher - Chinua Achebe, editor - Okey Ndibe). The book itself helps put the conditions and relationships of the people of the continent of Africa, as a whole, in a more realistic light.
Finally, Male Supremacy rules even in places where White Supremacy doesn't. And it was in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America long before Europeans, the babies of human civilization, knew little more than how to create a heap of garbage. We must end Male Supremacy! That is, if we are genuinely interested in liberation for all people.
One Love, One Heart, One Spirit,
G. Djata Bumpus
************************************
Book review, by G. Djata Bumpus
THE EMANCIPATION OF WOMEN: An African Perspective (102 pages)
by Florence Abena Dolphyne
Ghana Universities PressAccra, Ghana (1991)
Printed by Assemblies of God Literature Centre Limited, Accra
"What is Africa to me:
Copper sun or scarlet sea,
Jungle star or jungle track,
Strong bronzed men, or regal black
Women from whose loins I sprang..."
Countee Cullen, African American poet
************************************
In spite of its imperfections, this small book is quite important. For it introduces genuine dialogue as well as plans for action in its description and promotion of solutions to the plight of the female preservers of African cultures - that is, African women. With a good deal of the focus on Ghana, the author, Professor Florence Abena Dolphyne (University of Ghana), highlights the International Women's Year in 1975 and the United Nation's Decade for Women (1976-85) as the initial springboards that helped launch a movement that has been slowly making its way through Africa for the last 18 years. Undoubtedly, this publication is a tough "pill" for millions of African men to swallow.
Moreover, Emancipation does several things. They are: 1) It firmly establishes that Western feminists do not have a monopoly on theories pertaining to the oppression of women. 2) It asserts that African women have solutions to their problems within the context of their own cultural backgrounds. 3) It emphasizes action over pretense.
Dolphyne insists that the guiding force for African women, regarding issues relevant to their survival, should be action for change. Thus, she avoids succumbing to the cultural hegemony of fanciful Western feminists. Furthermore, Dolphyne maintains, "I never considered and still do not consider myself a 'feminist', for the term evokes for me the image of an aggressive woman who, in the same breadth, speaks of a woman's right to education and professional training - as well as a woman's right to practise prostitution and lesbianism." Many African American women too complain about the connection between Western feminism and lesbianism. Perhaps, Western feminists' lack of respect for the diverse sexual as well as other cultural practices of non-Western women explains why female circumcision (specifically, clitoridectomy) is their most prominent concern - even amongst many African American women - when analyzing the oppression of African women on the continent.
At times, Professor Dolphyne's perspective is confusing, however. For example, in the introduction (preface), she shares, "... there is the Palestinian woman who has to bring up her children in the violent environment of a refugee camp... Then there is the South African woman who has to cope with bringing up her children single-handed in a squatter camp...There is also the woman in an African village who watches helplessly while her child dies of malnutrition and preventable diseases...For all these women, the issue of women's emancipation cannot be separated from the politics that brought about their situation." Obviously, at least at this point of her work, Professor Dolphyne appears to be employing an inclusive writing style (later in the book she even mentions that young African boys need mandatory and free formal education as much as their female counterparts.) Yet, for whatever reasons, the author absolutely never draws a connection between African women on the continent and their sisters in the Diaspora.
Not surprisingly then, Dolphyne makes no mention of the relationship between Pan-Africanism and the worldwide liberation of all African people.
On top of that, although Professor Dolphyne herself represents the legacy of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, she deliberately took a swipe at the great statesman and philosopher by calling his government, on her first mention of it, a "regime".
Some of the problem seems to rest in the author's use of the "discipline" of cultural anthropology for her theoretical basis. Perhaps, this may help explain some of the book's shortcomings. For cultural anthropology, at least to me, is a euphemism for racial science. It recognizes trivial aspects of any given people's existence while ignoring the necessary relationships that folks must enter into in order to feed themselves. As a result, the culture of a people is defined (sophisticated or unsophisticated, that is, inferior or superior) within the context of its corresponding features or lack thereof with the "higher aspects" (i.e., visual art, music, religion, and so forth) relative to those fabrications that are identified as European cultures.
The subject matter of the text is divided into three chapters. In the first chapter, called "Traditional Practices," the author gives the reader an overview of the psycho-socio as well as economic factors of familial relationships between males and females in African cultures, revealing the status of most - but not all - women in African cultures as property. However, Dolphyne makes it clear that, unlike European cultures (which are not very old), African cultures are steeped in long traditions, many of which (for example, polygamy, child marriage and female circumcision) are quite acceptable to the practitioners. She, therefore, sees one of the real solutions for combating social inequality as, "...it is crucial that basic formal education be made available and accessible to both boys and girls in all (African) countries if any headway is to be made in eradicating, or even modifying the traditional practices that continue to keep women in subordination in Africa." Dolphyne also points out that many of the decisions that African women have made historically regarding their personal relationships have been based on economics. As a result, she sees it as pertinent to African women's emancipation that they have the "independent" ability to care for themselves and their children.
The second chapter, "Promoting Women's Emancipation through Specific Activities," details some of the methods and programs instituted - in this case, Ghana specifically - that have helped to raise "self-esteem and self-confidence" in many women. Moreover, Professor Dolphyne asserts that while there are some women with respected status in African nations, "Such hereditary position of authority is, however, not accessible to the majority of women." The author then continues to reiterate the need for formal education and economic independence for African women as a major step towards emancipation.
Unfortunately, Dolphyne does not provide readers with a clear understanding of certain concepts - such as role model, formal education, and economic independence - that she uses repeatedly throughout this chapter, particularly, and the book, generally. After all, the meanings of most social terms are not the same for everyone. That is, a member of a particular social, political, and economic class will necessarily have an entirely different understanding of or appreciation for a specific social concept than a member of another class, even though both persons live in the same society.
Anyhow, the final chapter, "The Way Forward," mainly identifies, uncritically, those organizations or groups that have participated in providing assistance to Ghanaian women in the past 15 years or so. One of the groups favorably mentioned (more than once in the book, regrettably) was US AID. To be sure, AID (Agency for International Development) - a U.S. government bureau - has not been good for Africa, either economically or environmentally (see America the Poisoned, by Lewis Regenstein). Yet, here Professor Dolphyne seems to be playing the role of being a "pragmatist" - one must suppose. Is it wise to attain "freedom at any cost"? In fact, is said freedom acquired at any cost, really desirable?
It may be instructive for us to refer to an article by Elizabeth Schmidt that appeared in a journal called Food Monitor-No. 5 (July/August 1978) during much of the same period that Dolphyne points to as being relevant to some African women's economic progress. The article is about the effects of OPIC (Overseas Private Investment Corporation), another U.S. government "aid" agency. Created in 1969 by an amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act, according to its architects, OPIC was intended to "serve as an impetus to private investment in developing economies". Actually, their claim is misleading. As Schmidt recorded:
Although it would be unfair to write off all OPIC-sponsored projects as detrimental, their actual developmental impact is negligible. In 1976, an OPIC loan helped to establish the Pioneer Food Cannery in Ghana, a joint enterprise of Starkist Foods, Inc., and a Ghanaian businessman. The cannery, a renovated Russian mackerel cannery, has the capacity to annually produce 206,000 cartons of canned tuna and 67,000 cartons of tuna cat food. Nearly all of the tuna is exported to Western Europe.Sorry Charlie, but something here is not right. It looks as though the purpose of OPIC, judging by its actions as opposed to its rhetoric, has been to insure that Western "transnationals" maintain control in the so-called Third World. As the late Walter Rodney taught us some time ago in his classic, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, and Lloyd Hogan informed us in his equally important Principles of Black Political Economy, whether male or female, African peoples cannot possibly expect to have meaningful political or economic freedom, without control over the manner in which we acquire access to a food supply along with the "artificial" or human-created needs which result from the prolonged existence that adequate nutrition provides.
In summary, Professor Dolphyne has articulated the particularities of the African woman's often powerless condition. Also, THE EMANCIPATION OF WOMEN: An African Perspective is a healthy contribution to the current dialogue regarding this matter. Yet, the omissions mentioned earlier involving Dolphyne's lack of clarity when presenting certain ideas as well as her unwillingness to challenge the harm still being done by transnational corporations to the development of a united Africa should not be taken lightly.In other words, although this book is highly recommended, not only for Africans on the continent, but those in the Diaspora, as well, Emancipation does have a number of noticeable shortcomings. Nevertheless, there are some extremely important messages delivered in this work. Perhaps, the most significant one being: People who are filled up with Western culture have no right to assume that their understanding of the problems of people from other cultures are even relevant, much less valid. Read full post
Sunday, May 4, 2014
On Having and Being
Deart friends,
This 22 minutes-long video by the great Erich Fromm is actually a perfect Sunday sermon… In this market-driven, possession-oriented society of ours the idea of "having is the most important concern of the average person.
Yet, whether speaking of today, yesterday, or antiquity we see that some of the world's biggest scoundrels either have or have had a great amount of "possessions", as it were, while not possessing any measure of human decency.
Moreover, Masters of living like Kan Kan Musa, Confucius, Moses, the historical Jesus, and Muhammad were not fooled by the glitter of gold or trinkets and baubles. For African American people particularly, and humanity generally, the vile and perverted political economy or process of social reproduction called Capitalism deliberately intends to deprive people of their dignity by having the latter constantly prostitute their powers to create and produce/work, as opposed to using their inner powers to market and manage their own skills and the products of their labor for the commonweal, without neighbors and fellow citizens using each other as means to ends.
G. Djata Bumpus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzpT1mZf718 Read full post
This 22 minutes-long video by the great Erich Fromm is actually a perfect Sunday sermon… In this market-driven, possession-oriented society of ours the idea of "having is the most important concern of the average person.
Yet, whether speaking of today, yesterday, or antiquity we see that some of the world's biggest scoundrels either have or have had a great amount of "possessions", as it were, while not possessing any measure of human decency.
Moreover, Masters of living like Kan Kan Musa, Confucius, Moses, the historical Jesus, and Muhammad were not fooled by the glitter of gold or trinkets and baubles. For African American people particularly, and humanity generally, the vile and perverted political economy or process of social reproduction called Capitalism deliberately intends to deprive people of their dignity by having the latter constantly prostitute their powers to create and produce/work, as opposed to using their inner powers to market and manage their own skills and the products of their labor for the commonweal, without neighbors and fellow citizens using each other as means to ends.
G. Djata Bumpus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzpT1mZf718 Read full post
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Boys - and Girls - need Fathers too!
"It's not just every BOY who needs a great Father - every GIRL does too!"Dear friends,
It's not just every BOY who needs a great Father - every GIRL does too! And when I say "great Father", I mean a REAL MAN...That is, one who, in spite of his relationship to the child's Mother or whether or not She is even around, will show love to his child(ren), by educating himself in many areas, constantly, then teaching and guiding him/her/them through any number of issues on life's journey to adulthood, so that each one of his progeny is able to develop a "sense of self", as s/he grows up to be his or her own parent, while always being able to reflect, in moments of either confusion or inexperience, and say to himself or herself, "What would Dad do?"
One Love!
G. Djata Bumpus Read full post
Is Fatherhood an African American Problem?
Dear friends,
There is, constantly and consistently, talk about the need for more fathers in African American households (as if European American and other households don't have a problem with their young).
However, at least to me, the problem with far too many of the guys of my generation, that is, World War II baby-boomers, is: too many cats are confused about being mature adults So what do you expect their sons (and daughters) to be like?
The two photos here show images that are not only stored forever in the unconsciousness of every person who is looking at them, but more importantly, they are etched just as permanently in the minds of both the fathers and their sons here.
Moreover, because the "market" determines both the values of our society, as well as how we acquire the material means by which We subsist, it also affects how, why, what and when We consume whatever it is that we either need or desire.
For example, most of today's television sitcoms, from Two and a Half Men to The First Family To The Big Bang Theory show silly, immature males as the "latest models" for young men and women to consume/emulate. This whole idea of boys and girls never growing up also plays itself out in the behavior of many of Our professional athletes these days.
To be sure, this is lucrative for those who control the "market". However, once We learn how to build genuine communities that are based upon nurturing Our youth in a way that makes them know that they not only have a vested interest in the continuation of the culture, but, as well, will further the process by preparing for those who've yet to come, then the tables will be turned and the "market" will reflect the values of Our society, instead of the exact opposite as it does right now. Ya dig? Peace.
G. Djata Bumpus Read full post
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
INTERGENERATIONAL ACTIVITIES for AFRICAN AMERICAN YOUTH in PHILADELPHIA and elsewhere
“We must convince Our young (and allow them) to not only share in controlling their own destinies, but, as well, to prepare for the generations that will follow them.”
Dear friends,
We must end the murders and other overwhelmingly inhuman actions that leave Us always on the receiving end of suffering. In order to do so, We must convince Our youth to cease their current behavior, whether it is legal (like gangsta rap) or illegal (like robbing and/or stealing from, and killing one another). Politicians who now call for more police and additional funds for crime and "community courts" programs have no plan or clue. In fact, these same people have witnessed the decline of Our community, on their watches. Period! Therefore, it is up to the community itself to solve this problem. We must convince Our youth that they have a stake in the continuation of Our historical experience.
A people’s culture determines the manner in which We transmit and share both behavior and ideas to present and future generations. However, the first thing that We must understand about culture is that it is largely tied to a people's resources. That is, social status and income as well as materials to produce what people need or desire determine how, why and through what medium folks can express themselves as a distinct group.
African American culture has contributed quite positively, and in a large way, to the development of the United States of America. However, the legacy of chattel slavery that was bestowed upon Us by both European American and African American slave owners has left Our culture in shambles. Worse yet, much of the problem of the lack of community amongst Us is based upon cultural habits that are made all too obvious by the sense of disenfranchisement that many of Our youth both feel and display.
There’s an African proverb that goes, " To live together is to have a common fate." In other words, as a community, in the grand scheme of things, as it were, We need each other, regardless of whatever extent that We are physically-able or whatever social differences that We have - like gender and age. But if people, in any specific community, share a common fate, then it only seems fair that all parties involved should have a voice in their destinies. Unfortunately, for all of America’s brave words of "freedom and democracy", when do Our children/youth ever experience either of these lofty ideals, particularly, democracy?
What young people actually feel is that they are controlled, having little or no input, regarding decisions that directly affect their existences. They feel powerless. As a consequence, they become angry and frustrated. Moreover, in their feeling of powerlessness, quite intelligently, they rebel. Yet, the problem with much of the rebellion of Our youth, particularly in the inner city, is that young people often protest in ways that are self-destructive, largely due to the types of options available to them.
We should no longer ignore the anger and frustration that Our youth must necessarily express in a negative way, if We do not provide them with opportunities to make good choices. Consequently, it seems that Our efforts need to be concentrated on building Our community from its most basic unit - the non-adult human being. After all, Our youth have a great deal to learn in order to competently replace Us and, in turn, pass on adequate knowledge and ability to those who will follow them.
Participation in both the decision-making and application processes of building Our community will help young people to look inside of themselves and resolve the anger, isolation, fear, sadness, and frustration which results from their feelings of powerlessness, through the personal strength of positive energy and group support. Mastering skills in most activities, whether for business or pleasure, requires using energy in a positive way, relying upon focus and concentration - each being human powers just as energy itself is. We must help Our youth develop these skills.
By the way, while many adults are quick to write off Our youth, as if they are lazy and selfish beings who came from another planet, it is important for Us to remember that Our youth are not alien creatures. That is, they came from Us. Their language, and, therefore, their thoughts, along with their actions are all based upon behaviors, both good and bad, inherited from Us. Notwithstanding, to paraphrase the great philosopher Kahlil Gibran: Before one is willing to get rid of an oppressor, he or she must first get rid of the oppressor from within.
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Ore of the ways that we can provide them with options to make positive choices, is for Us to have intergenerational programs in which they can engage,
Monitoring the Elderly
One of the most important aspects of youth-oriented programs are their intergenerational activities. This would more likely be successful by forming youth clubs, for the elderly. That way, you could have peer monitoring, to make sure that elders were being watched and cared for and more importantly to make sure that they were not being mistreated or taken advantage of. You do not want young people stealing from their houses, bullying them. borrowing money from them, and so forth. Their has to be a strict system of etiquette monitored by peers. Youth in churches would be good for this and the churches could identify elders who would take advantage of the service while keeping track of those elders to make sure the service was as intended.
1.) "I'm Okay" Program
Teenagers could get small stipends to volunteer services for their elderly neighbors - like running errands, or keeping an elder company, by reading to him or her. The money earned from the stipends could go towards their college funds. Regarding intergenerational programs, a dear friend of mine who lives in Florida who saw a rough draft of this proposal wrote back, “When I worked in a low income housing development here in Florida, we used to have a program where the elderly would put a sign in their window every morning saying "I'm Okay". As the kids would go to school they would look for the signs. If there was no sign in the window, they reported it. Every other month their would be a "social" for both groups to dance or sit and talk. The kids loved it and the senior citizens felt like someone cared.”
We need an “I'm Okay” sign program in Philadelphia. In other words, if elderly folks have signs in their windows that say “I'm Okay”, then they are left alone. However, if the sign is taken down, then that address would be reported to a designated person who after contacting that particular elderly person who is not “Okay” (for reasons other than medical ones), said designator would then assign a teenager to take care of the problem, whether it be grocery shopping, being read to, just wanting some company, or whatever.
Now, I will admit that the idea of a sign in the window would have worked well for Our generation (Baby-boomers and those before Us), because We were taught to stop and help an elder carrying heavy bags, and so forth. This generation is getting very little of the "manners" education. Neighbors are much more alienated from each other than Our generation. (In the wealthy neighborhoods, they do not even bother to make sidewalks anymore.)
2.) Grandparents Read Too
It will be valuable to include some Elementary school program with elderly as well. There are some schools around the country that have a grandparents' breakfast each week. Elders are invited to come and have breakfast with the kids, even if they do not have grandchildren there. However, mostly kids invite their own grandparents. Additionally, elders can help with reading, after school homework, and classroom projects.
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To be sure, there is a generation raising children that is so steeped in this market-driven, possession-oriented culture that ideas of community, and so forth, represent the folklore of generations past. Additionally, it is hard to steer the imagination towards humanity, community, and the common good in a society that holds individualism as paramount. Individualism has its place, but given too much emphasis, it can encourage greed, selfishness and petty materialism, creating serious identity problems along the way. For instance, there already exists a vulgar mimicry of genuine individualism that has young African American males wearing pigtails, earrings in each ear, along with placing jewelry and tattoos at bizarre points on their bodies.
However, We must convince Our young (and allow them) to not only share in controlling their own destinies, but, as well, to prepare for the generations that will follow them. Therefore, and ultimately, if Our youth are to be Our future, then it will only happen if We as adults, particularly parents, take the reins of this present culture and provide Our children with both an historical and social conscience, and set the example for them, by informing identity through recognition of the connection between generations and defining human life in a meaningful way (as opposed to basing who they are upon unstantiated claims regarding with whom they are having sex, or what "gang colors" they're wearing). That way, Our society will someday benefit from the "leadership" of Our youth.
At any rate, connecting to institutions where youth already participate, rather than trying to form new ones, is essential, for any hope of success. Church youth groups, school clubs, athletic teams, specialty learning centers (like boxing, karate, art, trade schools, and so forth), as well as college groups will all have interest in community service on some level, whether for positive publicity or to give concrete application of their principles. Eventually, even gangs could be convinced to act more as social clubs, giving their members a more positive sense of purpose.
By the way, instead of being “anti-gang”, perhaps, We should consider getting gangs to identify with positive behavior, at least, under some circumstances. After all, who would have ever thought that the famous biker gang known as the “Hell’s Angels”, originally out of California, would be connected to philanthropic activities, although their name continues to, sometimes, be connected with criminal activity? Even the infamous Blackstone Rangers of Chicago, at one point, became known for actions other than their violent ones. This can happen with the Crips and Bloods, as well.
Still, for all that has been discussed thus far, the proverbial bottom line is: Capitalism has been so attractive, because it is, thus far, the only type of economy that has afforded total political freedom to its participants, as workers. That means that a person can "flip the boss a bird", as it were, and walk away, being "free" to find another opportunity for employment. This was certainly not the case in either slave or feudalistic societies. Socialist countries do not allow that kind of freedom either, since everyone works for the "State" and, therefore, must work where s/he is assigned, more or less.
The downside of total political freedom for workers within the capitalist political economy is: The "market” then controls all economic and, social relationships, based upon the notion of "supply and demand", whether for the human commodity - labor, or non-human ones (commodities). Unfortunately, since, the end of World War 1 or so, the "market" has taken control of what we see as culture. As a result, the definition of culture, which historically, has referred to all of the actions by a specific population group, has become anything that the market determines it to be.
Finally, culture has no meaning once taken out of the context of a reproductive process. A people who cannot reproduce themselves as a people will cease to exist as a people and become part of something else. This is not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself. For example, the culture that held Africans in slavery, in this society, could no longer reproduce itself in that form and had to change, because of the well-deserved hostility and resistance it engendered.
To be sure, the idea that a culture can develop without any connection to the past (except its increased availability of consumables) is a contradiction in terms. Hence, just as We hear about "Hip-hop" culture (drugs, guns, gangs, and so forth), and “Gay" culture (weddings, nightclubs, exclusive recreational venues, magazines and newspapers with ads sold in them, and so forth), the notion of "Youth" culture, for example, is designed to exploit the vast and seemingly endless energy and enthusiasm of young people. Yet, it seems, at least to me, that the energy and courage of Our youth should, actually, serve the purpose of moving society forward - but only under the guidance of those of that part of society (parents and other elders) who have both the experience and understanding to recognize the values that maintain both Our humanity and spirituality.
So let Us stop asking children what they want to be, in the context of what they will possess, when they grow up. Instead, let Us ask, what they want to be, regarding their relatedness to others. Let Us ask, "How will you help the community when you grow up?" Let Us ask, "What kind of work will you do to help people when you grow up?"
If We are to become a real community and stop the murdering, thievery, and other improprieties that We direct towards one another, We need the will and actions of a community. Obviously, We do not have either right now. Still, it seems that it is equally apparent, from the current standpoint, that We definitely have the resources and can provide the options for Our youth to develop a loving and prosperous African American community here in Philadelphia, and in any other locales across the country. Let's do it! Peace.
G. Djata Bumpus Read full post
Monday, April 28, 2014
"...this is a White Supremacist nation! So what's really the beef?"
Dear Friends,
At least to me, it is interesting that so much attention is being paid to a nasty, old, demented man, as opposed to the real issue here of a young woman, as every other young woman in this society starting at The very early age of being a toddler, finds her self-worth in receiving approval from others, especially boys as well as men of any age.
To be sure, Ellen DeGeneres and other wealthy older women, under the guise of being "lesbian", are certainly just as culpable as Sterling and his ilk.
Besides, why are African Americans so upset about words from a flighty-minded elderly man, but afraid to denounce the fact that so many scores of millions of European Americans mean-spiritedly pit themselves against millions of their fellow citizens, by making the phony claim of being "White" thus forming an artificial "majority" group, while calling the latter just mentioned "minorities"?
I mean, that's why this is a White Supremacist nation! So what's really the beef? It's just the usual drivel from the useless to us, but useful to the rulers, mainstream government- and corporate-controlled media.
Liberation!
G. Djata Bumpus Read full post
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Being Role Models for Youth - both Male and Female
Dear friends,
I think it's sad for anyone to base his or her decisions about his or her career on how much money s/he will make. This type of value judgment shows a shallow way of looking at life, to me.
It is no different than a businessperson who is more concerned with making profits than creating customers. In both cases, the dominating factor in decision-making is greed for such people. Greed is always shortsighted, from the cheating spouse to the BP oil spill.
Moreover, while it is important for both young males and females to have male role models, female role models play no less an essential part in how young people relate to others and themselves, male or female.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
I think it's sad for anyone to base his or her decisions about his or her career on how much money s/he will make. This type of value judgment shows a shallow way of looking at life, to me.
It is no different than a businessperson who is more concerned with making profits than creating customers. In both cases, the dominating factor in decision-making is greed for such people. Greed is always shortsighted, from the cheating spouse to the BP oil spill.
Moreover, while it is important for both young males and females to have male role models, female role models play no less an essential part in how young people relate to others and themselves, male or female.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
Why Erotic Love is not Unconditional
"...through your five senses you are attracted to the other person by the way s/he looks, smells, sounds, feels to you and makes you feel, and even how s/he takes (kisses, and so forth)"
Dear friends,
Erotic love, a relationship that is based upon sexual intimacy, can never be unconditional as, say, love between a parent and child, or two or more siblings, because it is based upon conditions that are difficult to maintain (please see Erich Fromm's "The Art of Loving"). For example, through your five senses you are attracted to the other person by the way s/he looks, smells, sounds, feels to you and makes you feel to him or her, and even how s/he tastes (kisses, and so forth). Yet, even then, as we have feelings about anything, there are conflicting feelings at the same time .
Moreover, the standards for either familial or close friend relations are not so scrutinized. Worse yet, in a market-driven society such as ours, there seems to be a tendency for individuals who live in such a social formation that requires people to always be looking for the “latest model”, whether dealing with human beings or nonhuman consumables like cars and clothes. Hence, we are witnessing shorter and shorter lengths of time that couples are staying in erotic love relationships today, because people desire a “new” lover/latest model, just as much as they want nonhuman consumable like car s,clothes. and so forth.
Of course, all of this mentioned above has been made more evident than ever with the market construct that began in the 80s which turned homosexuality away from its rightful diagnosis as a mental health problem to an alleged "gay culture" that is not based upon a reproductive process - like that of African American, Latino, Indigenous, Asian, or European-American cultures, but simply refers to an increased availability of consumables (gay nightclubs, gay magazines, gay marriage, gay this, gay that, etc.). Let's face it. People, "famous" or otherwise, who feel that they need attention are now coming out of the woodwork (not the closet) claiming that they are gay/the latest model.
Perhaps, as we continue to evolve as a species we will all be able to appreciate our fellows within the context of our/their humanity, as opposed to using each other as a means to an end, by seeing each other as objects for consumption. For then, it seems, at least to me, that having unconditional love for a girlfriend, boyfriend, wife, or husband will not be so difficult, since the love will be based upon showing care and concern for, trying to understand, and feeling responsible towards that special person in a committed way, and not surrendering to the illusion called "ego"that makes us "want" something, just so that we can say that we have it.
One Love, One Heart, One Spirit !
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
Dear friends,
Erotic love, a relationship that is based upon sexual intimacy, can never be unconditional as, say, love between a parent and child, or two or more siblings, because it is based upon conditions that are difficult to maintain (please see Erich Fromm's "The Art of Loving"). For example, through your five senses you are attracted to the other person by the way s/he looks, smells, sounds, feels to you and makes you feel to him or her, and even how s/he tastes (kisses, and so forth). Yet, even then, as we have feelings about anything, there are conflicting feelings at the same time .
Moreover, the standards for either familial or close friend relations are not so scrutinized. Worse yet, in a market-driven society such as ours, there seems to be a tendency for individuals who live in such a social formation that requires people to always be looking for the “latest model”, whether dealing with human beings or nonhuman consumables like cars and clothes. Hence, we are witnessing shorter and shorter lengths of time that couples are staying in erotic love relationships today, because people desire a “new” lover/latest model, just as much as they want nonhuman consumable like car s,clothes. and so forth.
Of course, all of this mentioned above has been made more evident than ever with the market construct that began in the 80s which turned homosexuality away from its rightful diagnosis as a mental health problem to an alleged "gay culture" that is not based upon a reproductive process - like that of African American, Latino, Indigenous, Asian, or European-American cultures, but simply refers to an increased availability of consumables (gay nightclubs, gay magazines, gay marriage, gay this, gay that, etc.). Let's face it. People, "famous" or otherwise, who feel that they need attention are now coming out of the woodwork (not the closet) claiming that they are gay/the latest model.
Perhaps, as we continue to evolve as a species we will all be able to appreciate our fellows within the context of our/their humanity, as opposed to using each other as a means to an end, by seeing each other as objects for consumption. For then, it seems, at least to me, that having unconditional love for a girlfriend, boyfriend, wife, or husband will not be so difficult, since the love will be based upon showing care and concern for, trying to understand, and feeling responsible towards that special person in a committed way, and not surrendering to the illusion called "ego"that makes us "want" something, just so that we can say that we have it.
One Love, One Heart, One Spirit !
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
Friday, April 25, 2014
"THE FOUNDATION FOR LIFE IS LOVE" by KT TERRY THE POETIC QUEEN
THE FOUNDATION FOR LIFE IS LOVE
BY KT TERRY THE POETIC QUEEN
KT TERRY THE POETIC QUEEN
FOUNDER & ORGANIZER, HOMELESS NOT HOPELESS POETS FOR CHANGE
PLAYWRIGHT, AUTHOR, MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER
CONTACT:
610-905-0802
vauntee23@gmail.com
hnhpoetsforchange.weebly.com
Read full post
Try surviving without it.
You have to love yourself to even care to survive.
The world is full of folk who end it all
because they no longer can find the love in themselves
to reach for hope, for possibilities, for change and for a purpose to live.
The power of love teaches us to be kind to one another,
to care for our sister or our brother.
It is that power that causes us to fight for what is right,
that what uplifts the land and our fellow man.
Without love our goal is to destroy everything in our path
as long as we get what we want.
Love disciplines us to be selfless and gracious.
If that were the flow for the generation we live,
everyone would have just what they needed.
There would be no poor and no middle class
and folks wouldn’t be intimidated
to give others a pass - to their futures.
There’d be no need to feel superior,
but satisfied with one’s own interior.
Because of love when we leave our place most likely,
we won’t get knocked upside the head
by a loveless being.
Yes, love is supernatural and protects us.
It restrains us from acting in a way that causes chaos
and the demise of others.
It promotes a sense of well-being and support,
a sense of worth and purpose.
An example of an entity that operates without love,
unfortunately, is our government.
Surely there is no loving act in vetoing healthcare for those
who cannot afford the high cost of recovery.
Love is lost as soon as war is declared on another nation of people
or as a third party selling weapons to other nations to help them destroy their own communities.
Secret projects that cause more pain than pleasure.
The loveless run on ego, arrogance, selfishness, greed, or anger.
Suppose this was the norm for every citizen you meet.
You’d have a heck of a time just walking down the street.
Diver’s eyes and divers tongues would surely weaken even the strongest one
under the oppression of such a loveless journey.
Love is not a sentimental erotic emotion;
it is not a fleeting fancy of a visionary thrill.
It’s not a negative four letter word.
It is the sweetest expression of the human soul.
It is as deep and powerful as the hatred that destroys lives.
It is the ingredient that keeps a man and woman together when circumstances surrounding are out of kilter.
Love is the ultimate shelter for ones heart.
Without love we couldn’t even connect with the creator,
as God is the ultimate example of unconditional love.
Love is the invisible blood that permeates throughout the air.
Love is in the blood and many times blood is in the love we share.
Ask Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who shed his blood trying to teach a nation respect through brotherhood.
Ask Malcolm X who shed his blood trying to raise the consciousness of a community -
he died for the love of unity.
What about Gandhi? That gentle spirit who gave up the ghost for the love of peace.
John F. Kennedy who resisted the status quo trying to bring equality to every race;
a parent who would face a bullet to protect their child.
The most profound and important bloodshed for love
is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ
who died so that we could all have the opportunity
to renew our souls and to reconnect with the ultimate love for eternity.
Make no mistake about it
bling and those other fleeting things are not the fruits of life.
The greatest gift flows through the heart from above.
My sisters and brothers of every race, creed and color,
my fellow Americans the foundation for life is love.
KT TERRY THE POETIC QUEEN
FOUNDER & ORGANIZER, HOMELESS NOT HOPELESS POETS FOR CHANGE
PLAYWRIGHT, AUTHOR, MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER
CONTACT:
610-905-0802
vauntee23@gmail.com
hnhpoetsforchange.weebly.com
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Talk about School Segregation is a Red Herring
Dear friends,
While integration is important, at least to me, the enrichment of life in the community is of far more significance… Consequently, there is a tendency in African American communities, and a well-deserved hostility and resentment towards centuries of White Supremacy, to prepare our youth for adulthood on our own, as opposed to relying upon those who really have no vested interest in the progress of our communities other than being a place where they can make some money… Unfortunately, the argument about a system of apartheid here is a red herring… This is essentially true, because almost none of the people who are working within the charter school system, much less the traditional school system, have a clue or even desire to have one in a way that will make African American people work towards developing communities where neighbors relate to each other in a manner that make the youth also feel the same sentiment towards those who have yet to even come… But European American communities have exactly the same problem, as quite as it's kept.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.democracynow.org/2014/4/23/resegregation_of_american_students_new_report Read full post
While integration is important, at least to me, the enrichment of life in the community is of far more significance… Consequently, there is a tendency in African American communities, and a well-deserved hostility and resentment towards centuries of White Supremacy, to prepare our youth for adulthood on our own, as opposed to relying upon those who really have no vested interest in the progress of our communities other than being a place where they can make some money… Unfortunately, the argument about a system of apartheid here is a red herring… This is essentially true, because almost none of the people who are working within the charter school system, much less the traditional school system, have a clue or even desire to have one in a way that will make African American people work towards developing communities where neighbors relate to each other in a manner that make the youth also feel the same sentiment towards those who have yet to even come… But European American communities have exactly the same problem, as quite as it's kept.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.democracynow.org/2014/4/23/resegregation_of_american_students_new_report Read full post
Monday, April 21, 2014
Black Wall Street Massacre
Dear friends,
This 10 minutes long video is a remarkable display of what Rap and Hip-hop could have/should have become. That is, instead of becoming art as a liberating force, they became nothing more than narcissistic buffoon minstrelsy!
Liberation!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wOu7H3ohvs
Read full post
This 10 minutes long video is a remarkable display of what Rap and Hip-hop could have/should have become. That is, instead of becoming art as a liberating force, they became nothing more than narcissistic buffoon minstrelsy!
Liberation!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wOu7H3ohvs
Read full post
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Easter Sunday and Jesus
“Our spirituality should be a vitamin - not a drug.”
Dear friends,
Looking back into this nation's history, with little property or access to being able to feed Ourselves, due to the discriminating behaviors of Our European American fellows, most African Americans, whether captives or freedmen were forced to look elsewhere for their salvation. For the first two hundred years, or eight generations, of our existence in North America, Africans used a theology of hope and liberation as Our strongest asset.
Unfortunately, after the Civil War, Black ministers started betraying their congregations and started to water down the sentiments of freedom on Earth for the more acceptable "white" mission that would have Black folks being more concerned with the Hereafter. Consequently, although messiah-type saviors have long been in the hearts and minds of oppressed peoples worldwide since time immemorial, it was at that point in North American history, roughly a generation or so prior to the North American Civil War, that led by Black clergy, the search for "Jesus" became the new spiritual sentiment among the African American populace. Moreover, for many African Americans, since manumission five generations ago, their religion has been no different than a narcotic. Webster's Dictionary defines the word narcotic as, "a drug that dulls the senses, relieves pain, and produces sleep." In fact, it is not uncommon to hear the refrain from some African Americans, "I'm high on Jesus."
Of course, We now know that there is little evidence to support the notion of the existence of an historical Jesus, outside of active imaginations. Moreover, a number of scholars have traced the origins of the Jesus myth to Ancient Egypt. Mythology helps people deal with uncertainty. Through it, We make Ourselves feel that we have some understanding of the world in which we live, and, consequently, some ability to control natural forces.
Dr. Charles S. Finch says about Egyptian mythology, "the powers of nature, whether animal, vegetable, or elemental, were not worshiped but provided images to fashion mental concepts and make the world comprehensible." (Journal of African Civilizations, Vol.4-No.2)
Professor John G. Jackson cites, “Two principal types as savior-gods have been recognized by hierologists - vegetation gods and astral gods...The vegetation cults were the most ancient, but they were later blended with the astral worship" (Journal, op. cit., Vol.4-No.2)
Jackson uses a passage from Dr. David Forsyth's book, Psychology and Religion, to illustrate the abovementioned vegetation theory, “Many gods besides Christ have been supposed to die, be resurrected and ascend to heaven. This idea has now been traced back to its origins among primitive people in the annual death and resurrection of crops and plant life generally. This explains the world-wide prevalence of the notion...It is from this erroneous belief of primitive tribes that Christianity today derives its belief in Christ's Death and Resurrection.”
In addition, about astral worship, Jackson says, “In primitive sacrificial rites, the victim was originally the king or chief of the tribe or clan. The prosperity of the group was supposed to have a magical relation to the health of the king; if the ruler became old and feeble, it was thought that the nation or tribe would suffer a similar decline, so the king, considered to be a god in human form, was sacrificed for the good of all, and then replaced with a younger, and more vigorous successor.... In even later days a condemned criminal replaced the royal victim. The culprit was given regal honors, for a time, then put to death. After being entombed, he was believed to rise from the dead within 3 days; the 3 days being based on the 3 day interval between the old and new moons." (Journal, Vol.4-No.2, ibid.)
Many people picture Jesus Christ as a living being, not an imitation of Egyptian mythology. However, at least some Egyptologists seem to share the view that Jesus Christ was a figure created by imaginative scholars who studied the Egyptian deity called Horus (whose story was being told centuries earlier than that of the historical Jesus.)
In fact, the renowned Gerald Massey's work, "Ancient Egypt", reveals nearly 200 "similarities", as it were. Dr. Albert Churchward, one of Massey's disciples, has extracted a few of these parallels. Among them: “Horus was with his mother, the virgin, until 12 years old...Jesus remained with his mother, the virgin, up to the age 12...From 12 to 30 years of age there is no record of the life Horus. From 12 to 30 years of age there is no record in the life of Jesus. Horus, at 30 years of age, became adult in his baptism by Anup. Jesus, at 30 years of age, was made a man of, in his baptism by John the Baptist. Horus in his baptism, made his transformation into the beloved son and only begotten of the Father, God, the Holy Spirit, that is represented by a bird. Jesus, in his baptism, is hailed from Heaven as the beloved son and only begotten of the Father, God, and the Holy Spirit, that is represented by a dove." - The Signs and Symbols of Primordial Man (Journal, Vol.4-No.2, op. cit.)
If the above mentioned is true, did Jesus really exist? Dr. Charles S. Finch has an interesting perspective, “A man named Joshua Ben Pandira (Joshua means “Jesus” in Greek) did live more than a century before the gospel Jesus was supposed to have been born. He was an Essene who learned "magic and wonder-working" in Egypt, traveled through and performed wonders in Palestine, and was tried and crucified by hanging on that account by Jewish magistrates in the city of Lydda on the eve of Passover (Christian Easter). (op. cit.)
This crucifixion happened about 70 years before the historical Jesus Christ was supposed to have been born. Dr. Finch continues, “If there was an historical Jesus, he was it. There was an almost universal expectation of the appearance of a savior in the world's religions of the time and perhaps the life and work of Joshua the Essene provided the germ around which the vast savior mythology - in existence for thousands of years-coalesced (united
We know too, from the Dead Sea Scrolls and other revived documents, which Christianity evolved directly from Essenism and eventually supplanted (replaced) it entirely." (Journal, Vol.4-No.2, op. cit.)
In the overall North American experience, the notion of people appreciating African spirituality as a basis for liberation has been largely erased, although periodically there are Black clerics who continue to struggle against social injustice towards African Americans.
Additionally, "religious" thinking is so pervasive in our society that even when the idea of liberation does enter the dialogue of the Black experience, each outstanding African American leader that appears is appreciated only in the context of “Jesus” Hence, Martin Luther King and others are spoken of as "saviors", instead of individuals who have been or are merely part of a centuries-long liberation movement. Even Barack Obama, the current US president is thought of that way.
As a result, nonsensical comments are made such as, “If it wasn't for Martin Luther King, We'd still be riding the back of the bus. “Never mind!”, Dr. W.E.B. DuBois would have said. It took the sacrifices of thousands - locally - and millions of African Americans - nationally, to make the Montgomery Bus Boycott work, not the eloquence of a few charismatic leaders.
Civil rights professionals/hustlers and corporate media people alike have been pushing the same type of Jesus sentiment. Yet, perhaps, one day, all of humankind will wake up, stop the pretense called religion, and finally admit that we no longer believe in a Supreme Being or a world-ruling personality. After all, who lives their lives according to the tenets of religion? No one! Nevertheless, such a confession will introduce a new period of human liberation, which will, in turn, allow us to reach a new level of humanity and consider "higher aims."
For, as Maurice Cornforth put it so eloquently in his important work, The Open Society and The Open Philosophy, “We (humans) are deeply concerned with 'spiritual' things - and impoverish themselves if they ignore them...(But) if people's material life is impoverished, they do not get much chance to cultivate the things of the spirit-just as they do not do so either if they fail to appreciate the real character of human relations and concern themselves with nothing but their own individual material satisfactions. If only we can better inform our practice - by getting better to know ourselves, our needs, our dependencies on one another, we stand at least a chance of finding how in practice to cultivate all the higher human capacities, the things of the spirit"
Finally, at least to me, our spirituality should be a vitamin - not a drug. Peace.
G. Djata Bumpus Read full post
Dear friends,
Looking back into this nation's history, with little property or access to being able to feed Ourselves, due to the discriminating behaviors of Our European American fellows, most African Americans, whether captives or freedmen were forced to look elsewhere for their salvation. For the first two hundred years, or eight generations, of our existence in North America, Africans used a theology of hope and liberation as Our strongest asset.
Unfortunately, after the Civil War, Black ministers started betraying their congregations and started to water down the sentiments of freedom on Earth for the more acceptable "white" mission that would have Black folks being more concerned with the Hereafter. Consequently, although messiah-type saviors have long been in the hearts and minds of oppressed peoples worldwide since time immemorial, it was at that point in North American history, roughly a generation or so prior to the North American Civil War, that led by Black clergy, the search for "Jesus" became the new spiritual sentiment among the African American populace. Moreover, for many African Americans, since manumission five generations ago, their religion has been no different than a narcotic. Webster's Dictionary defines the word narcotic as, "a drug that dulls the senses, relieves pain, and produces sleep." In fact, it is not uncommon to hear the refrain from some African Americans, "I'm high on Jesus."
Of course, We now know that there is little evidence to support the notion of the existence of an historical Jesus, outside of active imaginations. Moreover, a number of scholars have traced the origins of the Jesus myth to Ancient Egypt. Mythology helps people deal with uncertainty. Through it, We make Ourselves feel that we have some understanding of the world in which we live, and, consequently, some ability to control natural forces.
Dr. Charles S. Finch says about Egyptian mythology, "the powers of nature, whether animal, vegetable, or elemental, were not worshiped but provided images to fashion mental concepts and make the world comprehensible." (Journal of African Civilizations, Vol.4-No.2)
Professor John G. Jackson cites, “Two principal types as savior-gods have been recognized by hierologists - vegetation gods and astral gods...The vegetation cults were the most ancient, but they were later blended with the astral worship" (Journal, op. cit., Vol.4-No.2)
Jackson uses a passage from Dr. David Forsyth's book, Psychology and Religion, to illustrate the abovementioned vegetation theory, “Many gods besides Christ have been supposed to die, be resurrected and ascend to heaven. This idea has now been traced back to its origins among primitive people in the annual death and resurrection of crops and plant life generally. This explains the world-wide prevalence of the notion...It is from this erroneous belief of primitive tribes that Christianity today derives its belief in Christ's Death and Resurrection.”
In addition, about astral worship, Jackson says, “In primitive sacrificial rites, the victim was originally the king or chief of the tribe or clan. The prosperity of the group was supposed to have a magical relation to the health of the king; if the ruler became old and feeble, it was thought that the nation or tribe would suffer a similar decline, so the king, considered to be a god in human form, was sacrificed for the good of all, and then replaced with a younger, and more vigorous successor.... In even later days a condemned criminal replaced the royal victim. The culprit was given regal honors, for a time, then put to death. After being entombed, he was believed to rise from the dead within 3 days; the 3 days being based on the 3 day interval between the old and new moons." (Journal, Vol.4-No.2, ibid.)
Many people picture Jesus Christ as a living being, not an imitation of Egyptian mythology. However, at least some Egyptologists seem to share the view that Jesus Christ was a figure created by imaginative scholars who studied the Egyptian deity called Horus (whose story was being told centuries earlier than that of the historical Jesus.)
In fact, the renowned Gerald Massey's work, "Ancient Egypt", reveals nearly 200 "similarities", as it were. Dr. Albert Churchward, one of Massey's disciples, has extracted a few of these parallels. Among them: “Horus was with his mother, the virgin, until 12 years old...Jesus remained with his mother, the virgin, up to the age 12...From 12 to 30 years of age there is no record of the life Horus. From 12 to 30 years of age there is no record in the life of Jesus. Horus, at 30 years of age, became adult in his baptism by Anup. Jesus, at 30 years of age, was made a man of, in his baptism by John the Baptist. Horus in his baptism, made his transformation into the beloved son and only begotten of the Father, God, the Holy Spirit, that is represented by a bird. Jesus, in his baptism, is hailed from Heaven as the beloved son and only begotten of the Father, God, and the Holy Spirit, that is represented by a dove." - The Signs and Symbols of Primordial Man (Journal, Vol.4-No.2, op. cit.)
If the above mentioned is true, did Jesus really exist? Dr. Charles S. Finch has an interesting perspective, “A man named Joshua Ben Pandira (Joshua means “Jesus” in Greek) did live more than a century before the gospel Jesus was supposed to have been born. He was an Essene who learned "magic and wonder-working" in Egypt, traveled through and performed wonders in Palestine, and was tried and crucified by hanging on that account by Jewish magistrates in the city of Lydda on the eve of Passover (Christian Easter). (op. cit.)
This crucifixion happened about 70 years before the historical Jesus Christ was supposed to have been born. Dr. Finch continues, “If there was an historical Jesus, he was it. There was an almost universal expectation of the appearance of a savior in the world's religions of the time and perhaps the life and work of Joshua the Essene provided the germ around which the vast savior mythology - in existence for thousands of years-coalesced (united
We know too, from the Dead Sea Scrolls and other revived documents, which Christianity evolved directly from Essenism and eventually supplanted (replaced) it entirely." (Journal, Vol.4-No.2, op. cit.)
In the overall North American experience, the notion of people appreciating African spirituality as a basis for liberation has been largely erased, although periodically there are Black clerics who continue to struggle against social injustice towards African Americans.
Additionally, "religious" thinking is so pervasive in our society that even when the idea of liberation does enter the dialogue of the Black experience, each outstanding African American leader that appears is appreciated only in the context of “Jesus” Hence, Martin Luther King and others are spoken of as "saviors", instead of individuals who have been or are merely part of a centuries-long liberation movement. Even Barack Obama, the current US president is thought of that way.
As a result, nonsensical comments are made such as, “If it wasn't for Martin Luther King, We'd still be riding the back of the bus. “Never mind!”, Dr. W.E.B. DuBois would have said. It took the sacrifices of thousands - locally - and millions of African Americans - nationally, to make the Montgomery Bus Boycott work, not the eloquence of a few charismatic leaders.
Civil rights professionals/hustlers and corporate media people alike have been pushing the same type of Jesus sentiment. Yet, perhaps, one day, all of humankind will wake up, stop the pretense called religion, and finally admit that we no longer believe in a Supreme Being or a world-ruling personality. After all, who lives their lives according to the tenets of religion? No one! Nevertheless, such a confession will introduce a new period of human liberation, which will, in turn, allow us to reach a new level of humanity and consider "higher aims."
For, as Maurice Cornforth put it so eloquently in his important work, The Open Society and The Open Philosophy, “We (humans) are deeply concerned with 'spiritual' things - and impoverish themselves if they ignore them...(But) if people's material life is impoverished, they do not get much chance to cultivate the things of the spirit-just as they do not do so either if they fail to appreciate the real character of human relations and concern themselves with nothing but their own individual material satisfactions. If only we can better inform our practice - by getting better to know ourselves, our needs, our dependencies on one another, we stand at least a chance of finding how in practice to cultivate all the higher human capacities, the things of the spirit"
Finally, at least to me, our spirituality should be a vitamin - not a drug. Peace.
G. Djata Bumpus Read full post
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Time, Music, and Liberation
Dear friends,
Certainly, it is difficult for most of Us, particularly young people, to envision time periods of the past. Therefore, with the idea that a generation is about 25 years long, by assuming that a grandmother's age represents two generations or an average of roughly fifty years, We shall look backwards in terms of so many "grandmothers ago". Accordingly, if looking back 200 years, then We're actually talking about four grandmothers ago; that is, the grandmother of one's grandmother's, grandmother's, grandmother. In other words, We are speaking in terms of each grandmother's grandmother as representing 100 years.
Also. for many generations past and to this very day, many Early American Native women (so-called American Indians) have said and continue to say of their menstruation period, "My grandmother is visiting." Consequently, Our use of grandmothers to represent time periods is reasonable.
In any case, for African peoples everywhere, being musicians has been part of Our cultural and psychic structures or internal labor processes, for millennia or scores of grandmothers' lifetimes. Lorenzo Johnston Greene further confirmed this assertion in his timeless book, The Negro In Colonial New England, "Zelah, a Negro of Groton, Massachusetts, who later fought in the American Revolution, became famous in his neighborhood as a musician.".
Greene also refers to Newport Gardner, "...the slave of Caleb Gardner of Newport, Rhode Island, was given music lessons. He soon excelled his teacher and later opened a music school of his own on Pope Street where he taught both Negroes and white persons." (Certainly, the music school that Gardner opened was made possible after he had freed himself from chattel slavery...Greene indicates that, a little more than 200 years or four grandmothers ago, Gardner "purchased" the liberty of himself and most of his family members after winning two thousand dollars in a lottery.)
Finally, it was common for earlier African Americans to look out for each other, by buying Our fellow sisters and brothers out of chattel slavery, if the former received some kind of economic windfall. But like their descendants of today (Hip-hop moguls and wealthy drug dealers, for example), some African Americans used newfound wealth to purchase captive workers (or-called "slaves"). Let's keep things in perspective.
"One Love!" - Bob Marley
G. Djata Bumpus Read full post
Certainly, it is difficult for most of Us, particularly young people, to envision time periods of the past. Therefore, with the idea that a generation is about 25 years long, by assuming that a grandmother's age represents two generations or an average of roughly fifty years, We shall look backwards in terms of so many "grandmothers ago". Accordingly, if looking back 200 years, then We're actually talking about four grandmothers ago; that is, the grandmother of one's grandmother's, grandmother's, grandmother. In other words, We are speaking in terms of each grandmother's grandmother as representing 100 years.
Also. for many generations past and to this very day, many Early American Native women (so-called American Indians) have said and continue to say of their menstruation period, "My grandmother is visiting." Consequently, Our use of grandmothers to represent time periods is reasonable.
In any case, for African peoples everywhere, being musicians has been part of Our cultural and psychic structures or internal labor processes, for millennia or scores of grandmothers' lifetimes. Lorenzo Johnston Greene further confirmed this assertion in his timeless book, The Negro In Colonial New England, "Zelah, a Negro of Groton, Massachusetts, who later fought in the American Revolution, became famous in his neighborhood as a musician.".
Greene also refers to Newport Gardner, "...the slave of Caleb Gardner of Newport, Rhode Island, was given music lessons. He soon excelled his teacher and later opened a music school of his own on Pope Street where he taught both Negroes and white persons." (Certainly, the music school that Gardner opened was made possible after he had freed himself from chattel slavery...Greene indicates that, a little more than 200 years or four grandmothers ago, Gardner "purchased" the liberty of himself and most of his family members after winning two thousand dollars in a lottery.)
Finally, it was common for earlier African Americans to look out for each other, by buying Our fellow sisters and brothers out of chattel slavery, if the former received some kind of economic windfall. But like their descendants of today (Hip-hop moguls and wealthy drug dealers, for example), some African Americans used newfound wealth to purchase captive workers (or-called "slaves"). Let's keep things in perspective.
"One Love!" - Bob Marley
G. Djata Bumpus Read full post
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