Black Voices of America
Written by Kwani · November 4, 2008
The world is on the threshold of an event that already has great historical significance. On 4th November 2008 the voters of America will decide whether for the first time a person of colour will become President of the United States of America. For Election Day, lyrikline.org, the website for poetry, will be focusing on the voices and poetic modes of expression of African American poets from the USA.
Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Derek Walcott, politically and socially active writer and performance artist Sapphire, the Granddaddy of Rap, Umar bin Hassan of The Last Poets, Spoken-Word artist Ursula Rucker, Sharrif Simmons, a rap poet who grew up in Africa, and Jessica Care Moore, a Slam poet with roots in Hip-Hop – all of them deal in their work with the Black identity with various aesthetic approaches.
While Sapphire, Umar Bin Hassan, Ursula Rucker, Sharrif Simmons and Jessica Care Moore have the roots of their language in the early Black Civil Rights Movement, Ghetto culture and Hip-Hop respectively, Walcott, who was born in the Antilles, has his linguistic roots in the poetic traditions of Europe.
Spoken-Word poet Ursula Rucker in a conversation with Hip-Hopper and poet Mike Ladd analyses Barack Obama’s campaign speeches, discovering borrowings from the language of Hip-Hop, which has become a mass phenomenon. But these means of style and expression are taboo for the Republicans.
Please visit the website for more.
Lyrikline.org is a partner of Kwani?,which will be presenting five kenyan poets on the Lyrikline website later in the year.
WHAT IS KENYAS GIFT TO OBAMA???
Even as we celebrate Obama’s success story, even as we with fingers closed wait for his inauguration as the 1st half black President of the USA. We need as Kenyans to ask ourselves this fundamental question. What has been our contribution to Obama Success?
His BIOLOGICAL father was a Kenyan, who however abandoned his son and escaped any responsibilities of child support. Infact Obama confesses that he learnt more form his Kenyan ‘father’ absence than from his presence. This is kenya’s EMBARASSMENT NO. 1. So his real father was the parents who took Obama in and saw him through his childhood and teenage years giving him the values that he now holds. That’s the reality Kenyans.
His ‘Cousin’ Raila has all along been a source of discredit to his good reputation. Raila with his VIOLENT NATURE, COMMUNIST ORIENTATIONS, MUSLIM ASSOCIATIONS have all been used against Obama. Infact, Raila in himself has cost Obama some support and Obama campaign team had to work hard to show how distant in thinking and association these two men are. This is Kenya’s EMBARASSMENT 2. It has not gone unnoticed to the Mc Cain campaign team that Raila call for mass protest in Kenya led to over 1500 deaths. This explains why Obama banished Raila from any visits to his campaign or why Obama campaign team has consistently turned down on 4 occassions RAILA’S MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS totaling 40,000 USD.
Obama’s Aunt who also happen to be Kenyan has been an illegal immigrant in US for a while. This was also ANOTHER EMBARRASSMENT from yet another Kenyan.
Infact, we OWE OBAMA AN APOLOGY AS A COUNTRY. With all these bad publicity from Kenya’s heritage, Obama has been understanding enough not to talk ill of us. For that we should be grateful.
Looking on the other side, Obama’s real family in the US has been a SOURCE OF INSPIRATION AND GOOD PUBLICITY. Yet, they have been quite about it as we in Kenya tell the whole world how Kenyan Obama is.
So the reality is that KENYA HAS BEEN AN EMBARASSMENT TO OBAMA.
You are also forgetting the fact that Barack’s Grandfather (the father to Obama Snr.)disowned Barack and actually rebuked Obama’s mother for staining the Barack lineage of pure Luos with White blood(read it from his book; Dreams of my father. The Grandfather was a constant cause of the rifts between Obama Snr. and Obama’s mother.
Now because he’s a world hero,suddenly he is OUR SON!! What hypocrisy.
Everyone wants a piece of Obama because of the prestige of association. Think Man U and Arsenal fanatics in Kenya.If anything, it was Obama who insisted on identifying with his roots. In addition no one thought it odd when the Irish in Ireland went overboard celebrating the election of JFK in 60s.
Lighten up.