Saturday, September 7, 2019

Marvin X reviews Iya Iya’s House of Burning Souls
Lower Bottom Playaz production of three one-woman plays
by North American African Women

Glory by Ayodele Nzinga

Too Much Woman for this World by Kharyshi Wigintons

Tasha by Cat Brooks

Produced and Directed by Dr. Ayodele Nzinga
Flight Deck Theatre
1540 Broadway
Oakland CA
9/6/19

Photos Adam Turner


When Iya Iya’s House of Burning Souls opened with Ayodele’s Glory, I immediately sensed something was amiss in the production order, simply because  I know well the dramatic power of my star student from the beginning of our artistic relationship that began when she enrolled in my Theatre class at Laney College, 1981. 

Just the other day, a competitor of Serena Williams referred to her as a “fucking beast” in the most positive sense of the word. Similarly, Ayodele Nzinga fits the beast mode with her awesome dramatic skills as playwright, actor, director and producer. She is indeed the Grand Diva of Bay Area Theatre, black and white. So as the lights came up, I was puzzled that the show would open with Glory. And it wasn’t because I’d reviewed her performance of Glory at Thomas Simpson’s Afro-Solo Theatre and knew the script, and had made my suggestions to her after the Afro-Solo show. 

Yes, my beloved student is a “fucking beast” that easily overwhelms any audience with her dramatic acumen. As I departed the theatre (also in attendance was our national treasure and sponsor of the production, Alice Walker), I told Ayo what I said above. “Ayo, you gotta change the arrangement.” She said why? “Because no one can follow you!” She was politely and humbly dumbfounded!

But after viewing the three plays, I say again the evening should have ended with Glory, not only because of her skills as actor and playwright, but her superior understanding of what Dr. Cheikh Anta Diop (Cultural Unity of Africa) called the tragic-comic African or Southern Cradle dramatic tradition  as opposed to the European or Northern Cradle tradition of tragedy as dominant theme. The African them is based on nature, e.g., the annual ebb and flow of the Hapi or Nile River, the death and rebirth of crops, allowing optimism to reign supreme. Even death is followed by the joy of Resurrection, alas, even Shakespeare's tragedies are overwhelmed by the European adoption of the Southern Cradle myth of Resurrection.

As Ayo weaved her mythological narrative of grandmother, mother and self, she made reference to Kemetic or Nile Valley culture, Congo and West African culture before her tale takes us through the door of no return, the graveyard in the Atlantic Ocean, echoing Amiri Baraka:

In the Atlantic Ocean
is a railroad of human bones….
The king sold the farmer to the ghost….

Her family arrives in the wilderness of North America to begin their sojourn of sorrow and dread, impossible dreams that must be dreamed by grandmother, discarded by mother but revived by daughter. 

It is the ending of her inter-generational drama that put her in the “beast mode” and secured her in the Diopian African tradition of tragi-comedy or all’s well that ends well, to borrow from the Northern Cradle Shakespearean tradition, although, again, tragedy is the dominant theme in this dramatic literature, i.e., murder, lust for power that extends into the now with the European/American pervasive white supremacy and the concomitant full blown denial! FYI, if the Northern Cradle folks would come out of De Nile (the true name of De Nile River is Hapi) they would arrive at Hapi!


After weaving her autobiographical narrative through generations of women, she ends on the positive, as the original kemetic drama of resurrection passes through crucifixion to resurrection, ending with ascension (the prototypical Osirian Drama of Resurrection, stolen or adopted  by the Christians and sixteen other nations with crucified saviors before Christ).

Too Much Woman For This World by Kharyshi Wiginton examined the North American African woman’s body in voice, space, place and time. She gave us a dynamic deconstruction of the North American African woman’s body, especially the fluffy woman, although she never used this term  that is en vogue with the Hip Hop generation. Her exploration of her over-sized body was a very necessary psycho-sociological deconstruction of what “fluffy girls” go through trying to adapt to the skinny girl ideal that often leads to physical, mental and sexual anorexia. What man wants a fat woman, her uncle chided her? Who will marry her? Yet she persists in her body love. Her choreography to Coltrane and Miles Davis was outstanding and dispelled any notion in our minds that only skinny girls can dance. Her gracious moves would make any man desire her, and as I have been informed by Hip Hop young men, they want a “fluffy girl”, not for her dance moves, although Kharyshi was sexually inviting with her choreography, but young men desire “fluffy girls” because they know they will be well, none of that skinny girl vegan shit! LoL 

But Karyshi’s issues are problematic to the extreme. No matter her addiction to food and the consequences thereof, she has family members with a myriad addictions, drugs, alcohol and other toxic substances, not to mention the most cunning and vile addiction to white supremacy!

She decides to love herself, her body, no matter the size, thus ends her narrative. With my fat ass, I was totally in harmony with her love of body.  More than one of my ex-partners will tell you that they discovered Marvin X was not ashamed to parade around the house in the nude, despite his fat black ass!

Cat Brook’s Tasha ended the evening. Cat is a consummate actress, plus activist. Her dramatization of the real life story of Natasha was riveting and horrifying, ending with a Black Panther Party style shootout in the Oakland tradition, but did not approach Ayodele’s Diopian tragi-comedy in the African or Southern Cradle tradition. After all, the Black Panther were valiant in their armed self defense of community, but were tragically doomed from the start as they were no match against the awesome power of the US military.

Tasha suffered schizophrenia and Cat gave us a most wonderful
psycho-drama of Tasha’s ultimate destruction by the state police. We were warned before the performance of Tasha that it might be overwhelming for those in the audience who’ve suffered the lost of loved ones by the police. The mixed media and Cat’s dramatic performance was indeed overwhelming in delineating state violence and the hapless condition of the mentally ill. 

I sincerely appreciate Cat for giving us a deeper understanding of murder under the color of law, especially when the victim suffers mental disabilities.


Cat’s script was as profound as her performance, yet, I must repeat that Ayo’s Glory gave us the best hope and strength to finish this freedom ritual of North American Africans. Yes, Ayo and a character in Tasha used a rife to settle matters, but a spiritual problem will not be solved by a physical solution. 

Ayo’s Glory presented the solution that lies in the deep structure of North American African mythology, beyond guns, body size, but deep down in the myth-ritual of North American African culture and consciousness shall arise the final solution. It's been 400 years, count on another 200 to extricate us from the ravages of white supremacy.
--Marvin X
9/7/19



















Sunday, September 1, 2019

Dedicated to the Special Virgos in my life
Sherley
Hurriyah
Marsha
Pamela, et al.


Most beautiful women in world
Smart earthy 
rather work than make love
Critical sexual asexual 
gotta take the pussy or have a long conversation before they give it up
explain why you need it
Why they gotta stop working
to give you some pussy
Ignore them
Here they come
Pussy in the night
I came to your room to give you some pussy but you were sleep
Why you didn't wake me up bitch
You know I wanted your good pussy
Juices sweeter than wine
Let me drink all of you
Let Nigara falls consume me
I am drunk with juice of your womb
Ignore her
Here she come again in room
You on computer writing poetry
She say Do you mind if I
Masturbate while you write?
Never finished poem
stuck on pearl tongue
Virgo woman gets what she wants when she wants it!
Better ax sombdy
They say in big H, Houston Texas 
better ax sombdy
Virgo woman take you from your woman
In your woman's face
Bold aggressive arrogant Virgos
Love their spirit.
They say my moon in Virgo
Is this why I love'm so
hypocritical
perfect 
Everybody else wrong
generous
Will share after you share
convinced your love is true!
Love you Virgos!
--Marvin X
9/1/19

Saturday, August 31, 2019

The Smart People and White Supremacy

 Marvin X reading at the University of Chicago, 2015
Photo Burrell Sunrise


You are so on point.I tried to warn activists of the rise and return of the white nationalist right. There are approximatlely 40 million .many with military training.
--Muhammad Ahmad

Very mature (comprehensive) analysis, Marvin. As always well written. 
Li'l Joe

You are so right, my brother!
--Dr. Cornel West, Harvard 









O, the smart people, smarter than God people,why couldn't they predict the explosion of pervasive white supremacy as the natural reaction to the Obama presidency? Didn't you smart people listen to the white right fan the embers of white supremacy every day of the eight years of his administration? Didn't you learn in physics 101 that for every action there is an equal and corresponding reaction? After the initial Black uphoria of his election, many North American Africans were soon disappointed with his policies of soft white supremacy or globalism, a continuation of American imperialism. My more radical friends tried to tried to check my emotional response to his election. They tried to tell me not to be blinded by a black face, after all, they warned me, African and the Caribbean is awash with black face white supremacists. And we've had decades of black elected officials who did nothing for the hood, but became domestic neo-colonialists under the facade of black political power, a betrayal of the revolutionary black power we fought for in the 1960s. After organizing to elect the first black Mayor in Newark NJ, Kenneth Gibson, ancestor Amiri Baraka told me Gibson sold out before inaugratipn day to Prudential Insurance, and the Black mayor's who followed were convicted of corruption. We suspect the present Mayor Ras Baraka may break the black political tradition of corruption. 

But back to President Obama who assassinated American citizens without trial or conviction; who expanded American military hegemony in Africa, yes, a son of Africa; who murdered Col. Gaddafi of Libya, unleashing the ephemeral Arab Spring and the migrant crisis with the concomitant upsurge in neo-slavery and Sunni Muslim terrorism from Africa to Afghanistan, inspite of Obama's right wing Globalist policies that caused black disillusionment with our first black president, such matters of black concern were not the spark that ignited the flames of white supremacy that resulted in the election of Donald Trump. Our jubilation at the first black president was equal or surpassed the jubilation of white supremacy nationalists at the election of President Donald Trump, even though his mantra of MAGA is the delusional cry of a people steeped in their addiction to white supremacy and in full blown denial of USA demographics that are essential to the survival of the USA itself as per economics. America needs immigrants since the white birth rate is declining. Alas, white people of all classes and political stripes prefer dogs as children these days. And the MeToo Movement may stop the sexual abuse of women, but it will surely cause men to decline the chase ritual thus exacerbating the already problematic mating ritual leading to marriage rites. Men addicted to the patriarchal myth-ritual are deficit in knowledge of how to deal with their so-called toxic masculinity since they have not been taught the necessary manhood training for the MeToo Era.

This social phemona is not divorced from the MEGA madness, it is an essential part of the psychopathology of white supremacy nationalism that if not addressed in a communal recovery program, long term, we see the Second Civil War as the final solution.
After all, it is the height of romantism and idealism for anyone to expect white people to dismantle and deconstruct their fantastic notion of white supremacy over night. And let me be clear, this is true for the Right and the Left. Alas, for North American Africans as well who suffer, according to Dr. Nathan Hare, Addiction to White Supremacy Type II.
--Marvin X
8/31/19


__.

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Marvin X new poem: The Smart People



The smart people
smarter than God people
God did not create Smart people
Smart people created God
gave birth to the God idea
There was no God before smart people
They are the mothers and fathers of God
Smart people made God in their image power glory
They define God
He does not define Smart people
Smart people marry trees dogs horses cows
do anything their hearts desire
murder lie steal rape plunder lands
destroy souls of men women children
The lands of smart people
havens of every filthy unclean bird
God cannot save smart people
nor will smart people save God.


Thursday, August 29, 2019

Sponsorship for the Dr Cornel West and Marvin X in Conversation



MARVIN X CORNEL WEST EVENT
SPONSORSHIP
$2,000 PLATINUM SPONSOR
Your Company name/logo on all printed publicity materials: web, radio, newspapers, flyers,
posters and press releases
One booth space for exhibiting your company product and information
Full page ad (outside back) in Souvenir Magazine. Priority given to first confirmed sponsor.
Your company name announced from stage
Ten invitations to VIP reception and VIP seating at event
$1,000 GOLD SPONSOR
Your Company name/logo on all printed publicity materials: web, radio, newspapers, flyers,
posters and press releases
One booth space for exhibiting your company product and information
Full page ad in Souvenir Magazine in a primary location
Your company name announced from stage
Five invitations to VIP reception and VIP seating at event
$500 SILVER SPONSOR
Your Company name/logo on printed publicity materials.
One booth space for exhibiting your company product and information
1/2 page ad in Magazine (4x10 or 10x4)
Your company name announced from stage
Three invitations to VIP reception and VIP seating at event
$250 BRONZE SPONSOR
Your company name/logo on printed publicity materials
¼ page ad in Magazine
Your company name announced from stage
One Invitation to VIP reception and event seating

Monday, August 26, 2019


Sent: Sun, Aug 25, 2019 at 8:37 PM
Subject: The greatest enemy of the Black man is the Black man


Let's go to the root of the problem: in any business transaction there are buyers and sellers. Africans sold us, Europeans and Arabs bought us, and this is still going on, down to the present moment. 

One of my North American African brothers visited Africa not long ago, only to discover anyone could be purchased for $35.00. This reality broke his Pan African heart!

 I was humbled a few years ago when a Ghanaian brother said to me in Oakland, "Marvin, I want to apologise to you because my people sold your people!" 

At my Academy of da Corner Lakeshore, Pan Africans meet and discuss all matters. One North American African said to a brother from the Montherland, "Hey man, you ain't never apologized for selling us into slavery!" The brother from the Motherland quickly apologized, and our conversation continued on other matters, such as the fine women who come through Lakeshore by Peet's Coffee and Trader Joe's.

Sun Ra, Black Arts Movement Master Teacher and father of Afrofuturism, used to teach (listen to the audio version of his lectures at UC Berkeley on YouTube) that Africans owe us reparations along with the Europeans, Arabs, et al. 

But as his student and associate (he told me I would be teaching in the Black Studies Department at UC Berkeley, along with him, 1972, even though Governor Ronald Reagan had me removed from lecturing in the Black Studies Department at Fresno State University, 1969, same time he removed Angela Davis from lecturing at UCLA)--I say North American Africans need to give ourselves Reparations for the pain, suffering, trauma and grief we have caused each other during our 400 year sojourn in this wilderness of North America. Our Reparations to each other transcends money, we need to ask for forgiveness for all the wrongs we have done to each other throughout the centuries down to the now: for the snitching during slavery down to the now, turning state's evidence on each other; for violating the laws of trust, love and respect that should have existed between us brothers and sisters; for inflicting emotional spiritual and physical abuse on our partners and children, siblings and parents, friends and others whose trust we betrayed in our persona as ungrateful bastards.
I wish somebody would hep me!

But let us stay focused, Harriet told us she could have freed more slaves if they had known they were slaves!"

How many more could Marcus Garvey have freed if they had known they were slaves? Negroes sold him out, yes, the Negro leadership, don't make name them!

We were not with Elijah, Malcolm X or Mlk Jr. Who are we with?
Nobody! Democratic party, Republican? Who? Democratic Socialists? White Supremacy Nationalists?  Who?

Who can save the North American African? Can he save himself?

As Langston Hughes titled
his book I Wonder as I can Wander! 
Black man in the wonderland, do not drift without aim or purpose!

Islamic teaching says the greatest Jihad is to win one's own soul! 
 So your greatest challenge is to conquer your own soul!
Thus your greatest enemy is yourself!
Forget about the white man, focus on you, yes, you are the priority!
--Marvin X.
8/25/19

Friday, August 23, 2019

Dr. Justin Gifford interview with poet-playwright Marvin X

University of Nevada, Reno, Professor. Dr Justin Gifford, conducted his second interview with poet-playwright Marvin X at his Academy of da Corner Lakeshore Dr, Oakland. Justin had a few final questions as he concludes research for a biography of Eldridge Cleaver, essayist and Black Panther Party Minister of Information. Marvin was the first person Cleaver hooked up with upon his release from Soledad Prison, 1967. They co-founded the Black House, a political and cultural center that became chief venue for the black cultural revolution in the Bay Area, visited by Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, Apprentice Bunchy Carter, Sarah Webster Fabio, Chicago Art Ensemble, Reginald Lockett, Judy Juanita, et al. Playwright Ed Bullins and Marvin's partner from Black Arts West Theatre, Ethna Wyatt, aka, Hurriyah Assar, lived at Black House, along with Eldridge after he was forced to move there from the white house he shared with his white woman, Attorney Beverly Axelrod.

In his research, Gifford discovered Cleaver lifted Charles Colson's conversion testimony for his own story of discovering Jesus Christ in the moon. Marvin informed the Black Studies professor that he transcribed Cleaver's "Moonshot" and Cleaver instructed him to entitle it The Golden Shower!
Dr. Gifford, author of books on Iceberg Slim, told Marvin, "You were with him at critical points in his life, so you are critical throughout my biography of Cleaver."

Marvin was shocked to learn from the professor that Eldridge Cleaver's son, Ahmed Maceo Eldridge Cleaver, joined the ancestors last October, leaving behind three wives and fourteen children.





Photos Adam Turner