Saturday, August 15, 2015
Friday, August 14, 2015
Black Lives Matter and Political Correctness in Seattle WA
Black lives trump “politeness”:The disruption of a Bernie Sanders speech in Seattle
There has been a great deal of
heated debate on social media and elsewhere about Black Lives Matter
(BLM) activists shutting down a Bernie Sanders speech in Seattle on
August 8. As attendees at this rally celebrating Social Security,
Medicare and Medicaid, we admire the courage of the two young Black
women who took over the stage to demand that Sanders, and other
candidates for U.S. president, address the epidemic of violence and
oppression faced by black communities across the nation.
At the Seattle event Sanders made no attempt to speak with
the BLM activists, have a dialogue, or address the crowd on this
burning issue of our times. If he’d desired, surely one of the rally
organizers could have walked a mic over to him. Instead, he stood aside
and shook his head, and then walked off the stage without speaking.
Sanders’ reputation as a
progressive should in no way give him a pass on racial justice issues.
He voted for Bill Clinton’s Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty
Act, which props up the racist prison-industrial complex. He voted to
extradite Assata Shakur, an African American freedom fighter who is
living in exile in Cuba. And his refusal to denounce Israel’s war
against Palestinians gives tacit consent to some of the most racist
repression on the planet. (See the Freedom Socialist Party statement,
distributed at the Sanders rally, that critiques his run to be
Democratic presidential nominee: www.socialism.com.)
Besides, politeness was in
short supply when many in the largely white audience reacted to the BLM
action with intense hostility. Some shouted racist and sexist invectives
like “tase them,” “get these Black bitches off the stage,” and “call
CPS” (Child Protective Services). It was chilling.
Members and supporters of
Radical Women and Freedom Socialist Party, and some others in the crowd,
began loudly chanting to support the Black Lives Matter protesters. We
debated those around us. When someone said they could not understand why
the BLM activists were taking over, one of our contingent shot back,
“Have you had a family member arrested or killed by the police?” The
answer was no, and a discussion began on why the fight for racial
equality can’t wait.
We could feel the majority of
the rally crowd grow tense when the BLM protestors leveled charges of
white supremacist liberalism. We see a difference between liberals and
those with an explicitly racist ideology. But racism is racism. At times
some of the viciously hostile responses sounded like a KKK rally.
That's not so surprising in a country built on the foundations of
genocide and slavery, where racism, which is essential to keeping the
profit system alive, permeates everyday life. But it was downright
hypocritical at a social justice event.
It is imperative that we tackle
head-on the racism and sexism that reared its head in Seattle’s
progressive movement. And that we focus on the critical issues the BLM activists raised and Sanders skirted.
For inspiration, let us
remember that the history of the civil rights movement includes
courageous multi-racial organizers who were not polite. Folks of all
colors risked their lives in the effort. We know that white folks
committed to social change can channel their inner John Brown, a white
man who collaborated with Harriet Tubman to free slaves and gave his
life trying to spark an armed slave rebellion.
The “ill-mannered” disruption
of the rally sparked a new national discussion about racism. It’s time
for everyone to link arms with the BLM movement in the fight for radical
change now.
Steve Hoffman, Seattle Freedom Socialist Party
Anne Slater, Seattle Radical Women
Freedom Socialist Party statement
Bernie Sanders’ Bid for President: What Would Eugene Debs Think?
It’s clear why fed-up voters are attracted
to Bernie Sanders. He rails against the billionaires and calls for a
U.S. political revolution. Who doesn’t want to end the rule of banksters
and CEOs? Who doesn’t want to stop the corporate harvesting of all
things profitable at the expense of people and the planet? Who doesn’t
want to hear the needs of working people promoted for a change?
The Republican and Democratic parties … are the political wings of the capitalist system and such differences as arise between them relate to spoils and not to principle. With either of these parties in power one thing is always certain and that is that the capitalist class is in the saddle and the working class under the saddle. … The ignorant workingman who supports either of these parties forges his own fetters and is the unconscious author of his own misery.
In contrast, Sanders is running as a
Democrat; he has chosen to hitch his wagon to the overlords in the
saddle. He has promised to support whoever wins the Democratic primary.
In Congress, he votes with the Democrats 98 percent of the time, and he
consistently supports their presidential candidates.
His function in this election is the same
as left-identified Democratic presidential contenders like Jesse
Jackson, Dennis Kucinich, and others before him. It is to bleed off
protest against the two-party chokehold over U.S. politics and to make
sure that unionists and progressives once again vote — against their own
interests — for a Democrat acceptable to big business.
And what about Sanders’ actual record? It’s seriously at odds with his image.
Wall Street — Sanders
promises to reform Wall Street. But this can’t be done through tweaks
such as taxing certain financial transactions, as Sanders proposes.
Given the devastating power they wield over people’s lives, the banks
need to be nationalized under workers’ control! Also, Sanders aims his
anti-corporate fury almost entirely against Republicans, while giving a
pass to Democratic friends of finance capital.
War — Sanders accepts the
U.S. role as World Cop. In Congress, he has voted to fund nearly every
imperialist military action by the U.S., from Iraq and Somalia to
Afghanistan and Yugoslavia. He refuses to denounce Israel’s war on
Palestinians, and endorsed the sanctions that killed over a million
Iraqi civilians.
Labor — Sanders’ version
of defending U.S. workers is of the jingoistic, “America First” variety.
He points to immigrants and foreign workers as the source of job loss,
rather than the bosses’ policies of speedup, automation, and the global
“race to the bottom.” But, internationally, an injury to one truly is an
injury to all! Even when it comes to U.S. workers, Sanders hasn’t
stepped up to the plate when it counts. Earlier this year, he didn’t
resist when the Democratic governor of Vermont, his ally, pushed through
a budget that meant cutting hundreds of union jobs.
Civil rights — The
Vermont senator has supported racist federal legislation, like Bill
Clinton’s Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, which props up
the prison-industrial complex. He has not championed the Black Lives
Matter movement or other groups aimed at ending police murders and the
criminalization of youth of color.
In his campaign speeches, this supposed
socialist generally has refused to pinpoint capitalism as the problem
and socialism as the solution. While more and more voters are
identifying their affiliation as “independent,” Sanders is headed in the
opposite direction.
He excels at rousing populist oratory, but
considers Hillary Clinton, warmonger of U.S. foreign policy, his “good
friend.” Sanders is the man for the job for the beleaguered Democratic
Party in these times of growing anger and dissent. Not as president,
mind you, but as the latest in a series of perennial false hopes for a
kinder, gentler party — and social system.
On the socialist Left, there are groups,
like the Socialist Alternative of Seattle City Council member Kshama
Sawant, who give Sanders direct or indirect support, ignoring or
downplaying the ugly parts of his record and wishing away his longtime
collusion with the Democratic Party. This is no way to build a movement
for lasting fundamental change.
What would be productive is left cooperation
rather than competition on the electoral battlefield. By joining
forces, it would be much more possible to give people opportunities to
vote for bold, honest, radical opponents of the profit system and its
ravages at home and abroad.
A big part of any joint anti-capitalist effort would have to be
challenging the tangle of state and federal laws that keep Left and
independent labor candidates off the ballot. And a possible outcome of
such an effort could be the launch of a new national party to defend
working people and the oppressed. The Freedom Socialist Party is for a
national conference that could discuss these ideas and get something
moving. And the sooner the better! U.S. voters need relief! |
Fidel Castro and Cuba as Pan African
d
Did America support Malcolm X? Did America support Nelson Mandela and the ANC? No, no, no, but Fidel and the Cuban did. Today the Great Shaitan returns to Cuba, raising the flag of imperialism and white supremacy. Yankee/Gringo go home!
Did America support Malcolm X? Did America support Nelson Mandela and the ANC? No, no, no, but Fidel and the Cuban did. Today the Great Shaitan returns to Cuba, raising the flag of imperialism and white supremacy. Yankee/Gringo go home!
Oba Okunade Sijuwade, the Oni of Ife has joined the ancestors
The Oni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, has passed away.
The monarch died at the age of 85 in a London hospital on Tuesday, Punch reports.
A source told the newspaper that Oba Sijuwade was flown out of the country from Ibadan about five days ago in an unconscious state.
“Kabiyesi was flown out of the country about five days ago in an air ambulance. He was unconscious; his situation was critical.
“As a matter of fact, some people have been weeping in the palace since the weekend because of his situation when he was flown out from Ibadan in that air ambulance,” he said.
Oba Sijuwade became the fiftieth traditional ruler or Ife in 1980.
b
Ife (Yoruba: Ifè, also Ilé-Ifẹ̀) is an ancient Yoruba city in southwestern Nigeria. The city is located in the present day Osun State. Ife is about 218 kilometres (135 mi) northeast of Lagos.[1]
Kings and Gods were often depicted with large heads because the artists believed that the Ase was held in the head, the Ase
being the inner power and energy of a person. Both historic figures of
Ife and the offices associated with them are represented. One of the
best documented among this is the early king Obalufon II who is said to
have invented bronze casting and is honored in the form of a
naturalistic copper life-size mask. [8]
The city was a settlement of substantial size between the 12th and 14th centuries, with houses featuring potsherd pavements. Ilé-Ifè is known worldwide for its ancient and naturalistic bronze, stone and terracotta sculptures, which reached their peak of artistic expression between 1200 and 1400 A.D. In the period around 1300 C.E. the artists at Ife developed a refined and naturalistic sculptural tradition in terracotta, stone and copper alloy - copper, brass, and bronze many of which appear to have been created under the patronage of King Obalufon II, the man who today is identified as the Yoruba patron deity of brass casting, weaving and regalia. [9] After this period, production declined as political and economic power shifted to the nearby kingdom of Benin which, like the Yoruba kingdom of Oyo, developed into a major empire.
Bronze and terracotta art created by this civilization are significant examples of naturalism in pre-colonial African art and are distinguished by their variations in regalia, facial marking patterns, and body proportions. Ancient Ife also was famous for its glass beads which have been found at sites as far away as Mali, Mauritania, and Ghana.
"World: Africa Arrests after Nigerian cult killings." BBC. Monday July 12, 1999. Retrieved on October 31, 2011.
Bascom, Yoruba, p. 10; Stride, Ifeka: "Peoples and Empires", p. 290.
Olupona, 201 Gods, 144-173; Lange, Ancient Kingdoms, 347-366; idem., "Preservation", 130-1.
Homepage of the Ooni of Ife
Olupona, 201 Gods, 94.
Cheikh Anta Diop's Precolonial Black Africa, pg. 203
Walsh, "Edi festival", 231-8; Bascom, "Olojo", 64-72; Lange, Ancient Kingdoms, 358-366; Olupona, 201 Gods, 111-223.
Blier, Suzanne Preston. "Art in Ancient Ife Birthplace of the Yoruba" (PDF). Academia.edu. African Arts 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
Blier, Suzanne Preston (2015). Art and Risk in Ancient Yoruba: Ife History, Politics, and Identity c. 1300. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1107021662.
The monarch died at the age of 85 in a London hospital on Tuesday, Punch reports.
A source told the newspaper that Oba Sijuwade was flown out of the country from Ibadan about five days ago in an unconscious state.
“Kabiyesi was flown out of the country about five days ago in an air ambulance. He was unconscious; his situation was critical.
“As a matter of fact, some people have been weeping in the palace since the weekend because of his situation when he was flown out from Ibadan in that air ambulance,” he said.
Oba Sijuwade became the fiftieth traditional ruler or Ife in 1980.
b
Ilé-Ifẹ̀ Ifè Oòyè |
|
---|---|
Coordinates: 7°28′N 4°34′E | |
Government | |
• Ọọ̀ni | Olubuse II |
• Local Government Chairman of Ife Central | Taiwo Olaiya |
• Local Government Chairman of Ife North | Lanre Ogunyimika |
• Local Government Chairman of Ife South | Timothy Fayemi |
• Local Government Chairman of Ife East | Tajudeen Lawal |
Contents
History
Mythic origin of Ife, the holy city: Creation of the world
According to Yoruba mythology, Olodumare, the Supreme God, ordered Obatala to create the earth but on his way he found palm wine which he drank and became intoxicated. Therefore the younger brother of the latter, Oduduwa, took the three items of creation from him, climbed down from the heavens on a chain and threw a handful of earth on the primordial ocean, then put a cockerel on it so that it would scatter the earth, thus creating the land on which Ile Ife would be built.[2] Oduduwa planted a palm nut in a hole in the newly formed land and from there sprang a great tree with sixteen branches, a symbolic representation of the clans of the early Ife city-state. The usurpation of creation by Oduduwa gave rise to the ever lasting conflict between him and his elder brother Obatala, which is still re-enacted in the modern era by the cult groups of the two clans during the Itapa New Year festival.[3] On account of his creation of the world Oduduwa became the ancestor of the first divine king of the Yoruba, while Obatala is believed to have created the first Yoruba people out of clay. The meaning of the word "ife" in Yoruba is "expansion"; "Ile-Ife" is therefore in reference to the myth of origin "The Land of Expansion".Origin of the regional states: Dispersal from the holy city, Ife
Oduduwa had sons, daughters, and a grandson who went on to found their own kingdoms and empires, namely Ila Orangun, Owu, Ketu, Sabe, Popo and Oyo. Oranmiyan, Oduduwa's last born, was one of his father's principal ministers and overseer of the nascent Edo empire after Oduduwa granted the plea of the Edo people for his governance. When Oranmiyan decided to go back to Ile Ife after a period of service in Benin, he left behind a child named Eweka that he had in the interim with an indigenous princess. The young boy went on to become the first legitimate ruler of the second Edo dynasty that has ruled what is now Benin from that day to this. Oranmiyan later went on to found the Oyo Empire that stretched at its height from the western banks of the river Niger to the Eastern banks of the river Volta. It would serve as one of the most powerful of Africa's medieval states prior to its collapse in the 19th century.Traditional setting
The King (Ooni)
The Oòni (or king) of Ife claims direct descent from Oduduwa, and is counted first among the Yoruba kings. He is traditionally considered the 401st spirit (Orisha), the only one that speaks. In fact, the royal dynasty of Ife traces its origin back to the founding of the city more than two thousand years ago. The present ruler is Alayeluwa Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II, styled His Imperial Majesty by his subjects. The Ooni ascended his throne in 1980.[4] Following the formation of the Yoruba Orisha Congress in 1986, the Ooni acquired an international status the likes of which the holders of his title hadn't had since the city's colonisation by the British. Nationally he had always been prominent amongst the Federal Republic of Nigeria's company of royal Obas, being regarded as the chief priest and custodian of the holy city of all the Yorubas.[5] In former times, the palace of the Oni of Ife was a structure built of authentic enameled bricks, decorated with artistic porcelain tiles and all sorts of ornaments. [6]Cults for the spirits
Ife is well known as the city of 401 or 201 deities. It is said that every day of the year the traditional worshippers celebrate a festival of one of these deities. Often the festivals extend over more than one day and they involve both priestly activities in the palace and theatrical dramatisations in the rest of the kingdom. Historically the King only appeared in public during the annual Olojo festival; other important festivals here include the Itapa festival for Obatala and Obameri, the Edi festival for Moremi Ajasoro, and the Igare masqueraders.[7]Art history
The city was a settlement of substantial size between the 12th and 14th centuries, with houses featuring potsherd pavements. Ilé-Ifè is known worldwide for its ancient and naturalistic bronze, stone and terracotta sculptures, which reached their peak of artistic expression between 1200 and 1400 A.D. In the period around 1300 C.E. the artists at Ife developed a refined and naturalistic sculptural tradition in terracotta, stone and copper alloy - copper, brass, and bronze many of which appear to have been created under the patronage of King Obalufon II, the man who today is identified as the Yoruba patron deity of brass casting, weaving and regalia. [9] After this period, production declined as political and economic power shifted to the nearby kingdom of Benin which, like the Yoruba kingdom of Oyo, developed into a major empire.
Bronze and terracotta art created by this civilization are significant examples of naturalism in pre-colonial African art and are distinguished by their variations in regalia, facial marking patterns, and body proportions. Ancient Ife also was famous for its glass beads which have been found at sites as far away as Mali, Mauritania, and Ghana.
The modern town
Today a mid-sized city, Ife is home to both the Obafemi Awolowo University and the Natural History Museum of Nigeria. Its people are of the Yoruba ethnic group, one of the largest ethnolinguistic groups in Africa and its diaspora. Ife has a local television station called NTA Ife, and is home to various businesses. It is also the trade center for a farming region where yams, cassava, grain, cacao, and tobacco are grown. Cotton is also produced, and is used to weave cloth. Hotels in Ilé-Ife include Cameron Hotel, Hotel Diganga Ife-Ibadan road, Mayfair Hotel, Obafemi Awolowo University Guest House etc. Ilé-Ife has a stadium with a capacity of 9,000 and a second division professional league football team.Exhibition
A major exhibition entitled Kingdom of Ife: Sculptures of West Africa, displaying works of art found in Ife and the surrounding area, was held in the British Museum from 4 March to 4 July 2010.[10]See also
Notes
References
- Olubunmi, A.O. The Rise and Fall of The Yoruba Race 10,000BC-1960AD, The 199 Publishing Palace ISBN 978-2457-38-8
- ---: On Ijesa Racial Purity, The 199 Publishing Palace ISBN 978-2458-17-1
- Akinjogbin, I. A. (Hg.): The Cradle of a Race: Ife from the Beginning to 1980, Lagos 1992 (The book also has chapters on the present religious situation in the town).
- Blier,Suzanne Preston. Art and Risk in Ancient Yoruba: Ife History, Power, and Identity c.1300, Cambridge University Press 2015. ISBN=978-1107021662.
- Blier, Suzanne Preston. "Art in Ancient Ife Birthplace of the Yoruba" African Arts 2012 [1]
- Bascom, William: The Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria, New York 1969 (The book mainly deals with Ife).
- --- "The Olojo festival at Ife, 1937", in: A. Falassi (ed.), Time out of Time. Essays on the Festival, Albuquerque, 1987, 62-73.
- Frobenius, Leo, The Voice of Africa, London 1913 (Frobenius stayed for nearly two months in Ife, in 1910-11).
- Johnson, Samuel: History of the Yorubas, London 1921.
- Lange, Dierk: "The dying and the rising God in the New Year Festival of Ife", in: Lange, Ancient Kingdoms of West Africa, Dettelbach 2004, pp. 343–376.
- ---: "Preservation of Canaanite creation culture in Ife", in: H.-P. Hahn and G. Spittler (eds.), Between Resistance and Expansion, Münster 2004, 125-158.
- ---: "Origin of the Yoruba and 'Lost Tribes of Israel'", Anthropos, 106, 2011, 579-595.
- Ogunyemi, Yemi D. (Yemi D. Prince), The Oral Traditions in Ile-Ife, ISBN 978-1-933146-65-2, Academica Press, 2009, Palo Alto, USA.
- ---: The Aura of Yoruba Philosophy, Religion and Literature, ISBN 0-9652860-4-5, Diaspora Press of America, 2003, Boston, USA.
- ---: Introduction to Yoruba Philosophy, Religion and Literature, ISBN 1-890157-14-7, Athelia Henrietta Press, 1998, New York, USA.
- ---: The Covenant of the Earth--Yoruba Religious & Philosophical Narratives, ISBN 1-890157-15-5, Athelia Henrietta Press, 1998, New York, USA.
- Olupona, Jacob K.: City of 201 Gods: Ile-Ife in Time, Space and Imagination, Berkeley 2011.
- Stride, G.T. and C. Ifeka: "Peoples and Empires of West Africa: West Africa in History 1000 - 1800", New York 1971.
- Walsh, M.J., "The Edi festival at Ile Ife", African affairs, 47 (1948), 231-8.
- Willett, Frank: Ife in the History of West African Sculpture, London 1967 (The book also deals with some oral traditions of Ile-Ife).
- Wyndham, John: "The creation", Man, 19 (1919), 107-8.
Black August: Hugo Pinell down in Cali, BPP Dhoruba Bin Wahad jaw broken in ATL clash with NBPP
Movement Activists Violently Attacked at Atlanta Conference
On Saturday, August 8, 2015, a group of six Black Liberation Movement activists were violently attacked at a downtown Atlanta hotel. The group included members of the Free The People Movement, including their Coordinator, Kalonji Jama Changa, members of the Nation of Gods and Earths and Dhoruba Bin Wahad, the internationally recognized former Black Panther Party leader and political prisoner of 19 years. The group was jumped by 25 to 30 members of The New Black Panther Party at “The Power Belongs to the People 2015 Summit” in Atlanta, Georgia, an event hosted by the New Black Panther Party.
According to eyewitnesses, 71 year-old
Dhoruba Bin Wahad and the others approached the side of the stage where
attorney Malik Zulu Shabazz was speaking. While standing there, Shabazz,
leader of the New Black Panther Party asked, “Who is that?” Bin Wahad
replied, “You know who I am!” Shabazz responded “WAHAD! We’ll deal with
you later!” Bin Wahad countered with “You can deal with me now…” Knowing
that Dhoruba Bin Wahad was there with information that would publicly
expose Shabazz’s government affiliations that contradict his stance as a
Nationalist and activist for Black liberation, Shabazz immediately
ordered the NBPP members in attendance to “Get his b*tch ass out of
here!” At that point the whole group was mobbed and violently attacked
by at least 25 members of the audience.
As they defended themselves, the men were
struck with chairs and other objects. Bin Wahad’s jaw was broken in
three places, one of his associates was choked unconscious and others
received head gashes that required staples.
As of this release, Bin Wahad
is undergoing a 6-hour surgery to reconstruct his jaw and the others
have been treated and released. More details will follow as information
is gathered.
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Blacks 4 Palestine needs your signature now!
Black Arts Movement Poet Marvin X at Gaza Rally, Seattle WA
To: Marvin X, Black Arts Movement District, Oakland CA
Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2015 9:26 AM
Subject: Pushing for 1,000 signatures before our statement is published next week!
Peace everyone,
We wanted to give you a couple of updates on publishing the statement:
- The statement will debut in Ebony next week!
- The statement will remain open for additional signatures until the end of Monday
- We currently have 700 individuals and 29 organizations signed on and we'd like to reach 1,000 over the next five days
If we can add 100-150 signatures by Friday, we'll be in pretty good shape! Can everyone reach out to 5-10 people or organizing lists today? If everyone only gets one new person to sign, we'll still be at 1,500!
We encourage organizations to sign the statement as well. If your org has already signed on, please send another blast asking for individual signatures.
Sample appeals for signatures are below, as well as a list of the orgs and some of the notable figures who have signed so far.
We
recognize we've said that the statement is being
closed/re-opened/published a few times now and appreciate your
patience--it's taken us more time than expected to iron things out, but
the statement has only grown stronger in that time.
Kristian & Khury
Here are some sample social media messages. We still recommend posting on Facebook/mailing lists over Twitter, as the latter opens us up more to getting trolled by anonymous people.
700 Black activists, artists, and scholars have signed this statement of solidarity with Palestine. Help us get to 1,000 over the next five days!
A group of Black activists, artists, scholars, and writers are circulating a solidarity statement with Palestine. We're trying to add 300 signatures by Monday. Will you read, sign and share it? http://www.blackforpalestine.com/
Join Angela Davis, Cornel West, Mumia Abu-Jamal, and me in signing this Black Statement of Solidarity with Palestine! http://www.blackforpalestine.com/
Here is a list of organizations and notable signatories to help with your efforts:
Individuals
Angela Davis
Bill Fletcher, Jr.
Boots Riley
Cornel West
dream hampton
Emory Douglas
Jasiri X
Mumia Abu Jamal
Phil Hutchings
Robin DG Kelley
Rosa Clemente
Sundiata Acoli
Talib Kweli
Tef Poe
Marvin X
Organizations
Amistad Law Project
Assata's Daughters
Baltimore Bloc
Barry University Black Student Union
Black Arts Movement District, Oakland
Black Autonomy Federation-North East Branch
Black Bottom, LLC
Black Student Alliance at Yale
Black Student Alliance Executive Board
- St. Louis University
Black Unity Group
BlaQue UCLA
C
oalition of African Lesbians
Columbia University Black Students' Organization
Columbus Coalition on Mental Health, Addiction & Mass Incarceration
Dorothy Cotton Institute
Friends of the Congo
Hands Up United
Muslim American Society - South Florida
Muslims for Economic, Racial and Reproductive Justice Network for the Elimination of Police Violence
New Afrikan Independence Party
Organization for Black Struggle
Peace by Piece
Spoken Word Alliance at Tufts
Stanford NAACP Executive Committee
The Dream Defenders
Tribe X
UCLA Afrikan Student Union
Ujima People's Progress Party
Wisdom Within Health & Wellness
Abraham is not my father, Palestine is not my home
But I would fight any man
Who kicked me out of my house
To dwell in a tent
I would fight
To the ends of the earth
Someone who said to me
I want your house
Because my father lived here
Two thousand years ago
I want your land
Because my father lived here
Two thousand years ago.
Jets would not stop me
From returning to my home
Uncle toms would not stop me
Cluster bombs would not stop me
Bullets I would defy.
No man can take the house of another
And expect to live in peace
There is no peace for thieves
There is no peace for those who murder
For myths and ancient rituals
Wail at the wall
Settle in "Judea" and "Samaria"
But fate awaits you
You will never sleep with peace
You will never walk without listening.
I shall cross the River Jordan
With Justice in my hand
I shall return to Jerusalem
And establish my house of peace,
Thus said the Lord.
PALESTINE by Marvin X (El Muhajir)
I am not an Arab, I am not a JewAbraham is not my father, Palestine is not my home
But I would fight any man
Who kicked me out of my house
To dwell in a tent
I would fight
To the ends of the earth
Someone who said to me
I want your house
Because my father lived here
Two thousand years ago
I want your land
Because my father lived here
Two thousand years ago.
Jets would not stop me
From returning to my home
Uncle toms would not stop me
Cluster bombs would not stop me
Bullets I would defy.
No man can take the house of another
And expect to live in peace
There is no peace for thieves
There is no peace for those who murder
For myths and ancient rituals
Wail at the wall
Settle in "Judea" and "Samaria"
But fate awaits you
You will never sleep with peace
You will never walk without listening.
I shall cross the River Jordan
With Justice in my hand
I shall return to Jerusalem
And establish my house of peace,
Thus said the Lord.
© 1972 by Marvin X, published in Black Scholar Magazine, circa 1970
Two Poems for the People of Syria
Oh, Mohja
how much water can run from rivers to sea
how much blood can soak the earth
the guns of tyrants know no end
a people awakened are bigger than bullets
there is no sleep in their eyes
no more stunted backs and fear of broken limbs
even men, women and children are humble with sacrifice
the old the young play their roles
with smiles they endure torture chambers
with laughs they submit to rape and mutilations
there is no victory for oppressors
whose days are numbered
as the clock ticks as the sun rises
let the people continue til victory
surely they smell it on their hands
taste it on lips
believe it in their hearts
know it in their minds
no more backwardness no fear
let there be resistance til victory.
--Marvin X/El Muhajir
Oh Marvin, how much blood can soak the earth?
The angels asked, “will you create a species who will shed blood
and overrun the earth with evil?”
And it turns out “rivers of blood” is no metaphor:
shiny with blood hissing from humans? Dark
and dazzling, it keeps pouring and pumping
from the inexhaustible soft flesh of Syrians,
and neither regime cluster bombs from the air,
nor rebel car bombs on the ground,
ask them their names before they die.
They are mowed down like wheat harvested by machine,
and every stalk has seven ears, and every ear a hundred grains.
They bleed like irrigation canals into the earth.
Even one little girl in Idlib with a carotid artery cut
becomes a river of blood. Who knew she could be a river
running all the way over the ocean, to you,
draining me of my heart? And God said to the angels,
“I know what you know not.” But right now,
learn the names of all the Syrians.
See what your species has done.
--Mohja Kahf
how much water can run from rivers to sea
how much blood can soak the earth
the guns of tyrants know no end
a people awakened are bigger than bullets
there is no sleep in their eyes
no more stunted backs and fear of broken limbs
even men, women and children are humble with sacrifice
the old the young play their roles
with smiles they endure torture chambers
with laughs they submit to rape and mutilations
there is no victory for oppressors
whose days are numbered
as the clock ticks as the sun rises
let the people continue til victory
surely they smell it on their hands
taste it on lips
believe it in their hearts
know it in their minds
no more backwardness no fear
let there be resistance til victory.
--Marvin X/El Muhajir
Syrian poet/professor Dr. Mohja Kahf
Oh Marvin, how much blood can soak the earth?
The angels asked, “will you create a species who will shed blood
and overrun the earth with evil?”
And it turns out “rivers of blood” is no metaphor:
shiny with blood hissing from humans? Dark
and dazzling, it keeps pouring and pumping
from the inexhaustible soft flesh of Syrians,
and neither regime cluster bombs from the air,
nor rebel car bombs on the ground,
ask them their names before they die.
They are mowed down like wheat harvested by machine,
and every stalk has seven ears, and every ear a hundred grains.
They bleed like irrigation canals into the earth.
Even one little girl in Idlib with a carotid artery cut
becomes a river of blood. Who knew she could be a river
running all the way over the ocean, to you,
draining me of my heart? And God said to the angels,
“I know what you know not.” But right now,
the angels seem right. Cut the coyness, God;
learn the names of all the Syrians.
See what your species has done.
--Mohja Kahf
www.blackbirdpressnews.blogspot.com
jmarvinx@yahoo.com
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