May 2013
4 posts
Reflections on Yoruba and Kemetic gender...
I’ve been reading Oyeronke Oyewumi’s work on gender in Yoruba society. I’m finding her work exceedingly interesting. I was struck by the indigenous conceptualization of Osun as “Oore yeye”, the “generous mother”. I found this quite interesting given that Osun also represents (among other things water and harmonious relations). This made me think about...
The state’s latest move to apprehend Assata is a powerful message for African youth: the path of Black Radicalism will not be tolerated, and the state will employ any means—including deception, assassination, and false imprisonment to crush any movement for self-determination that falls outside of the sanction of the established order. When considered in concert with the corporate assault on...
April 2013
2 posts
On Endings
Just as “beginnings” (please read my posts titled “On Beginnings”) seldom indicate a strict demarcation from their antecedents, the same is true of “endings”.
Nas famously declared that Hip Hop was dead. The purist in me agreed. But had it really died? Or had it instead morphed into something distinct? Had it not simply bifurcated? I maintain that there are two Hip...
On beginnings
I’m often stuck by the discourse surrounding endings; particularly the endings of eras, societies, and movements. This discourse often suggests that we can easily demarcate the apex, plateau, decline, and dissolution of a particular human enterprise. While I agree that these exist as definitive stages, I am disinclined to believe that they exist as fully discrete phases of social activity....
March 2013
6 posts
African Deep Thought on the intellectual vocation
“(He is one) with a heart informed about these things of which one is otherwise ignorant; farseeing when he goes deep into a problem; consistently moderate in action; profoundly versed in the ancient writings; skilled in unraveling complicated issues; genuinely wise; one who has educated his own heart…, who stays awake at night, seeking ways to truth; who daily surpasses the...
Mdw Ntr-Kiswahili: Exploring linguistic...
The international conference of the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations has been an immensely inspiring and stimulating occasion. You can see many of my reflections from it via my Twitter page (http://twitter.com/kamaurashid), with the hashtag #ASCAC.
One of the things that I’ve been grappling with has been the need to further my study of African languages. I have a...
“…Theories of citizenship had been advanced—in the tradition of Western Political Theory—by white, heterosexual males who identified a homogenous citizenship through a process of systematic exclusion rather than inclusion in the polity.”
-Carlos Alberto Torres
The academy demands scholarly productivity, and in doing so has enabled the creation of a vast publishing industry. When considered in relation to the seeming ubiquity of information from other data and narrative sources, much of which operates within an unquestioning acceptance of the cultural practice of the conspicuous consumption of goods and services, one wonders how much of what is produced...
I presented on Ch. 13 of Intellectual Warfare by Jacob H. Carruthers this morning. My presentation focused on Diop’s notion of consciousness, and how this notion of consciousness was conceptualized as a critical stage in the development, refinement, and expansion of what he called the “African Human Sciences”. I ended my presentation with a discussion of several prospective areas...
February 2013
2 posts
One of the points that I tried to make yesterday in my talk is that the Intellectual War that Dr. Carruthers wrote of is a particular stage of struggle. It reminds us that African-Centered pedagogy is not compartmentalized, not divorced from the varied areas of knowledge that enable communities to be self-sustaining and self-determined.
I find it interesting how many advocates of fundamentalist ideologies claim some form of divine sanction for their intolerance of the socially-constructed other. In this sense their loathing of “the other” is not simply a feature of their chosen loathing. No, these groups are subjects of some form of divine judgement, hatred, punishment, or rejection. In claiming divine sanction,...
January 2013
15 posts
Nowhere Men #3 by delves deeper into rise and fall of World Corp. The space station that blew up in the second issue crashes in Tunisia, revealing hints of World Corps shadowy dealings and spreading a strange disease.The crew of the space station touch down at various locations on Earth, discovering that they have mutated and gained fantastic abilities.
This has been one of the most intriguing...
“But the hushing of the criticism of honest opponents is a dangerous thing. It leads some of the best of the critics to unfortunate silence and paralysis of effort, and others to burst into speech so passionately and intemperately as to lose listeners. Honest and earnest criticism from those whose interest are most nearly touched—criticism of writers by readers, or government by those...
Thinking about Besouro
I haven’t heard a lot of discussion pertaining to Besouro and Yoruba and Kikongo cosmology. The Orishas (Ogun, Oya, Ossain, and Eshu) were a central feature of the film, in addition to concepts such as spirit possession, ancestor veneration, ancestors as guardians of their living descendents, as well as the cyclical nature of time.
After watching this film again I saw a lot of things that...
7 tags
The ultimate crisis
At present there exists such a radical disconnect between the reality of climate change and resource scarcity, and the responsiveness of human social systems to adapt to these crises. We are in the midst of the sixth mass-extinction, yet most of us live our lives and envision a future that is fundamentally incongruent with the tangible realities of our present climatic instability, the certain...
Nowhere Men from Image Comics (@ImageComics) is my new favorite sci fi series. It depicts science as the new pop culture, and the four scientists that sought to change the world…and failed.
I just read Black Panther #4 by Christopher Priest and Mark Texeira. This was without a doubt one of the funniest stories that I’ve ever read. There’s a whole scene where this fearsome demon gets knocked out, T’challa gouges out its hearts, tosses it to his State Department liaison, who drops it in a pickle jar. Classic stuff.
A review of Change #1 by Image Comics
I just read Change #1 published by Image Comics and written by Alex Kot. It was a unique take on the old “the Earth is doomed” story, centering on a rather unconventional trio: a rapper, a screenplay writer, and a cosmonaut. Morgan Jeske’s art was very kinetic—its quality of movement, coupled with the constantly shifting scenes, and ambient narration makes this book a...
http://ifanboy.com/articles/rons-list-of-the-best-t... →
“While Marvel and DC have been stumbling over themselves to relaunch and reposition themselves in the marketplace, Image Comics stood up and put a stake in the ground around the simple idea of great creators and unlimited access to their creativity. The idea that a new spin on things or a retelling an origin is a short sighted way to do business and instead, simply putting out quality work...
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I just found out that February is the 20th Anniversary of Milestone, the comic book company that created Static, Icon, and a host of diverse characters in the 1990s. Notable talents such as the late Dwayne McDuffie, M.D. Bright, Denys Cowan, and many others contributed to this great endeavor. I would like to find some way to commemorate this.
The final day of Kwanzaa at Malcolm X College was outstanding! The house was packed, with overflow seating filled. 2013 begins with a ritual of renewal, as Imani (Faith) reflects our belief in our capacity to solve the vexing challenges that face us. The closing ritual, the pulling of seven strong Harambee, is demonstrative of how we must move into the future: pulling together, while drawing from...
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Indigenous African thought on the sacredness of...
“There are many enemies of the Earth, especially in Western societies. To think of the Earth as a place to be exploited is like stealing the precious things that belong to the Orisa. Since we feel that the Earth is an Orisa, we do not believe in a shameless exploitation of the Earth.
A Yoruba proverb says,…
The child of the owner of a piece of land
walks gently on top of the soil,
...
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The dilemma of the two-headed crocodile
Funtummireku-Dεnkyεmmireku: “Two-headed crocodile which struggles for food that goes into same stomach”.
The great African American nationalist, educator, father, husband, and organizer Baba Hannibal Afrik would begin every program that he officiated by pouring libation. The purpose of this ritual was to reinforce the significance of our ancestors to our present, and to the forward flow of...
December 2012
3 posts
When I grew up we’d always sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at school assemblies. We only sang the first verse. Subsequently I never bothered to learn the other two. Today at community events people always sing the first two or three verses. My deficit of knowledge has now become a liability.
People should have the decency of keeping their music listening private when riding public transit. I truly have no interest in starting my day listening to profanity laced, misogynistic music that amounts to little more than a celebration of violence and drug trafficking. Its no wonder that there’s so much alienation in this society given the mentally enfeebling media that people consume. I...
November 2012
4 posts
Bemusing Mutability: Since 2006, 46 Israelis have... →
thepeoplesrecord:
The Israeli military struck 1,350 targets since November 14, while Palestinians fired 848 projectiles, 302 of which were shot down by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system.
As Palestinians celebrated the ceasefire in the streets, Israelis protested against the ceasefire.
“Be extremely subtle even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent’s fate.”
-Sun Tzu, The Art of War
“What causes opponents to come of their own accord is the prospect of gain. What discourages opponents from coming is the prospect of harm.”
-Sun Tzu, The Art of War
October 2012
1 post
I’m reading Dr. Antonia Darder’s latest article in Educational Studies titled “Neoliberalism in the Academic Boderlands: An On-going Struggle for Equality and Human Rights”. This article reflects so much of what I’ve seen in academia: the corporatization of administrative policy, the monetization of research through the incessant push for funded research, the...
September 2012
3 posts
Despite all appearances to the contrary, Chicago is still beholden to the practice of democracy, and the public schools still must answer to children, parents, and the teachers. The latter is extremely important, as we live in an era where teachers have been constructed as the harbingers of all that is ill within the domain of public education. The reduction of teachers’ control over...
Whiteness in the academy, or something that I...
Academia is a bastion of whiteness. This reflects the structural determinants of society at-large, which are shaped by the contemporary political-economy of racism and white supremacy. Academia’s whiteness is not so much a by-product of a mythical meritocracy, but rather a social system in which people of color—specifically people of African descent—have been systematically...
August 2012
6 posts
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My top five comic book series
1. Green Lantern—Geoff Johns has weaved a complex and compelling tale. This is one of the best examples of the potential inherent in the superhero genre.
2. Planet of the Apes—Daryl Gregory and Carlos Magno have constructed a mythos that truly elevates the Planet of the Apes storyline. Regrettably this series ended last month.
3. The Massive—Brian Wood’s latest...
There was a guy on The Afternoon Shift (WBEZ Chicago) a few weeks ago who was talking about how people became engaged with art and cultural movements prior to the ascendency of the internet. One of the things that he mentioned was that people would start ‘zines to promote a particular art, perspective, or movement. This made me so nostalgic. I remember going into stores and seeing little...
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Flash #11 Review
This issue features Barry Allen reorganizing his life around a greater immersion into his identity as the now infamous vigilante—The Flash. His quest lands him in the midst of a mysterious feud between two of his most deadly enemies: Captain Cold and Heatwave.
Overall this was a good issue. The story makes the at times unclear point of this series’ current arc a bit more intelligible, this...
I think that we have to remember that the work of teaching for social justice is in some ways a process of ameliorating the intergenerational legacy of inequalities that pervade society in the hopes of creating a better society, a society where the rights of humans are more consequential than the pursuit of profits.
While polices may change, the attendant cultural systems which provide the rationales, resources, and legitimize oppressive systems are rarely eradicated. These endure, often adopting new language which masks the static (or worsening) plight of the dispossessed.
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I was reflecting upon the fact that we can clearly see different strands of school reform over the last fifty years. One is top-down reforms originating from the state and seeking to reorder schools around some centralized bureaucracy, curriculum, and system of control. The second strand that we see are grass-roots reforms which are dispersed, idiosyncratic, and reflective of key concerns of the...
July 2012
1 post
2 tags
In spite of my earlier position, I’ve gone back to reading The Flash. Number 10 was good and sets up some interesting anticipation for the next two issues. Also, Earth 2 is a great book. The story is being told on a grand scale that’s quite reminiscent of Geoff John’s Green Lantern stories or Jonathan Hickman’s Ultimates.
June 2012
3 posts
3 tags
X-Men #30 Review
X-Men #30 is Brian Wood’s debut issue on the title. He begins with an arc that suggests that the origin of mutants may be markedly different from what we have believed thus far. In addition to this, Storm’s team takes on a distinctly clandestine character, as Storm herself becomes more shrewd and calculating. Pixie’s powers are pushed to a new limit, and the team gets a new...
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I just removed The Flash, Stormwatch, and Batwing from my pull list. The Flash started off cool, but the recent story arc about his rogues gallery requires a depth of interest in the Barry Allen/Flash mythos that I simply lack. I may come back later. Its hard to read Stormwatch after discovering The Authority. The Authority stories had depth, were highly compelling, and pushed the envelop of the...
“In the absence of a systemic imperative for African community development, the...”
– “Slavery of the Mind: Carter G. Woodson and Jacob H. Carruthers-Intergenerational Discourse on African Education and Social Change” by Kamau Rashid, Ph.D. published in The Western Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 29, No. 1, 2005 