"Mysteries (For Pam Mordecai)" @ St. Somewhere

"Ten O'Clock" by Charlotte Hamrick and my poem "Mysteries (For Pam Mordecai)" have been published over at  St. Somewhere.

"Mysteries (For Pam Mordecai)" is one of the poems in my forthcoming collection, DUB WISE.

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Mark Your Calendar: Rex Speaks (2/17/2010)

Many outside the Caribbean may not understand the impact of Prof. Rex Nettleford's scholarship on Jamaican/Caribbean culture. Therefore, on February 17, 2010, I will be publishing a speech that Professor Nettleford gave on the First Annual Arts Festival at Broward Community College (2003).

Known for his deeply insightful ruminations on just about every aspect of Caribbean life, Prof. Nettleford spoke on cultural diversity and its impact on the political and economic development in the Caribbean basin.

The speech was recorded and edited by Olivier Stephenson.

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That's the official statement. Rex Nettleford was a scholar, trade unionist, dancer--and much more. He embodied an elegance that always urged his audience to reach beyond the world of the senses toward an aesthetic that was grounded in in the mind, body, and spirit of our people.

Rex Nettleford understood and revealed our deepest contradictions: our bravado and our modesty; savagery and gentleness; the expansiveness of our hearts and mean-spirited-ness of our minds.

He challenged us to love ourselves, our artists, our religions--everything about us that made us beautiful, even as we shed those parts of ourselves that were deformed and disfigured by slavery and colonialism. And we believed him.

For whenever he appeared in public, he was always an image of dignity, of compassion, of strength, who as a guardian of our mythologies and ways of the folk,  encouraged us to discover individually that terrifying space between tradition and the unknown--whose body guided by his remarkable intellect became a metaphor of our creative genius.

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Here are a few of the books written by Rex Nettleford:

Mirror Mirror: Identity, Race, and Protest in Jamaica (1970), Caribbean Cultural Identity (1978), Dance Jamaica: Cultural Definition and Artistic Discovery (1985), Inward Stretch, Outward Reach: A Voice from the Caribbean (1993), and (with Philip Sherlock) The University of the West Indies: A Caribbean Response to the Challenge of Change (1990); and editor of Manley and the New Jamaica (1971), Jamaica In Independence: Essays on the Early Years (1989), and Race, Discourse, and the Origin of the Americas (1995), as well as of Caribbean Quarterly, the University of the West Indies journal of cultural studies.

Source: Active Voice

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A Tribute to Rex Nettleford @ Wordle

Created with Wordle: http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/1630170/Rex_Nettleford

Based on Active Voice &  National Gallery of Jamaica Blog.

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New Blog: Lifelines - African Proverbs for Daily Living

Lifelines - African proverbs for daily living: "When the occasion arises, there is a proverb to suit it. (Proverb from Rwanda and Burundi)

Welcome to this space where we can talk at proverbs that we can relate to (or not), and proverbs that make sense to us (or not). Most of all we can discuss how proverbs make us think about life and living. We can also share experiences of proverbs that have provided us with lifelines or just the chance to reflect.

For more proverbs and for information on Lifelines: the Black Book of Proverbs, please visit us at www.lifelinesproverbs.com.

Enjoy!

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Happy Birthday, Brother Bob (2010)

"So Much Things To Say"~ Bob Marley

"When the rain falls, it don't fall on one man's house top."

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Zafen.org – Coming Soon!

'Zafen, Creole for 'It's our business,' soon will offer you the opportunity to lend or contribute to sustainable economic development projects in Haiti.

'By providing support to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, together we can bolster the Haitian economy, create new jobs, and improve the lives of those living in some of the poorest conditions in the world.'"

Via Caribbean Free Radio: "Zafen.org – Coming Soon!"

Haiti-specific Kiva.org and donation site rolled into one:

You can sign up for e-mail notification @ http://www.zafen.org/en

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A Word for Haiti – Catch a Vibe

Thursday 28th January 2010 saw the launch of the Black Londoners Appeal, an initiative by the Black Londoners Meetup Group and supported by various London based Afro/Caribbean centric grassroots groups and organisations.

The initial focus of the appeal will be a year long appeal for Haiti in 2010 which aims at:

• Raising funds for the appeal’s chosen Haitian charitable organisation, the Lambi Fund

• Raising awareness of the historic significance of Haiti in world events

• Promoting the Haitian cultural experience

A Word for Haiti – A Call for Submissions

Call for submission open to poets, writers, journalists and graphic artists from all backgrounds and origins. We invite you to write in solidarity for Haiti. You can send us poems, song lyrics, short stories, opinion pieces, drawings, paintings or photographs. The work must be about or inspired by Haiti, its people and its culture.

The entries shortlisted will be made into a book. Proceeds of the book sales will be donated to Lambi Haiti Fund. A book launch will take place in London, with writers & poets invited to read excerpts of the book.

Submission deadline: Thursday 18 March

Guidelines:

- Please send poems of 1000 words max. Short pieces of prose should be 2500 words max. Include a short bio about yourself and / or a link to your blog. Documents must be sent as an attachment in .doc format. You can submit up to 3 different pieces

- Drawings / paintings / photographs: send a high resolution picture in a jpeg or gif format. They can be in colour or in Black and White. B&W will be used in the internal pages of the book, colour will be used for the cover.

- Upon agreeing to publication, catchavibe.co.uk and Black Londoners acquires first rights and retains the right to archive the work for an indefinite period. The author retains all the rights upon publication.

- We’ll accept only original, non published work, no reprints.

All submissions and info requests must be sent to: wordforhaiti@googlemail.com

There is no fee involved as this is a charity project. Submission deadline: Thursday 18 March.

A Word for Haiti – A Call for Volunteers

We need a number of skills in order to produce this anthology:

- Researcher: to identify writers or artists we could contact directly + the different networks where we could promote the project

- Editorial Assistant: to shortlist and edit the submissions received. An experience in publishing would be preferable

- Admin Assistant: to manage our incoming messages

- Desktop Publishing Specialist: to help us produce the final book

- Publicist: to manage contacts with the media and create a buzz around the project

Please send an email to wordforhaiti@googlemail.com and we will send you more information about the different roles.

Updates on Haiti

For updates on the situation in Haiti, visit chitchatafrica

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Via Kalamu @ Yahoo Groups

What I Learned From...Children

When I first learned that I was going to be a father, to say that I was overwhelmed would be an understatement.

I was still in graduate school at the University of Miami and trying to learn the skills that I would need to become a writer and teacher. So when my wife presented me with a pair of baby booties as a hint, I was determined to provide my children with the best environment in which they could grow to become healthy, creative individuals who would be able to provide for themselves and to share their talents within our community. They would be our gift to the future.

So far, I think my wife and I have done a good job. My children have grown to become three remarkable individuals whom I love dearly and I am proud to be their father. As I have taught them, they, in turn, have taught me many things at different times in their lives and mine. And as they have grown older, the lessons that they have been teaching me have now solidified into character.

From my eldest, I have learned to continue living and loving intensely. The elder has reminded me that no matter how much “wisdom” there may be in the world, the experience of life is your own and sometimes you have to “feel the rain on your skin.” And from my youngest, I have learned that life should be lived with integrity, for he is in many ways a noble young man.

Of course, I could list many more “life lessons’ that they have taught me, but my most poignant memory about what children have taught me has nothing to do with my children. And I think it has stuck with me because it strikes at my twin vocation as a writer/teacher and my protective role as a father.

A few years ago, I was hired by TigerTail Productions to be a part of the Poets-in-the-Schools program of Dade County Public Schools. Along with Adrian Castro and Jeffrey Knapp, we became known as the “Bicycle Poets.” On warm, sunny South Florida mornings when eager students would be sitting out on the lawn or playground of their elementary school, we’d ride in on our bicycles *fanfare and applause* to listen to the children read their poems. Then, we’d conduct mini-workshops and we’d teach the kids how to write poems. After a week or so, depending on the school, we’d collect the poems and publish a chapbook so that each student could have a copy of a poem s/he had written.

As we saw it, working for the program was easy because in most of the schools, especially in affluent neighborhoods, the kids were highly motivated and loved to express themselves. For many of them, learning was fun.

Jeffrey, Adrian, and I did this for many years—sometimes as a trio, sometimes singly. The incident that stands out in my mind was when I went alone into one of our so-called underserved schools in Miami. I was excited about visiting the school because I’ve always liked working in schools with predominantly black and brown children. Many of the kids in these schools need role models to show them that it is possible to have a career and that they don’t have to accept whatever circumstances they are in as the determinants of their futures.

The day before I went, I called the principal and the homeroom teacher to make sure everything was ready. I prepared my handouts and practiced all of my exercises that had worked in many other schools. I was ready. I was excited. I was pumped.

However, when I got to the school and began the exercises, none of the kids responded. Apparently they had been told by the teacher that they needed to "behave themselves" and I later learned that this teacher ran “a tight ship.”

The workshop was a disaster. And this went on for three hours for three consecutive days. The children wanted to learn, wanted to share, wanted to express themselves because that’s how children are--they want to be recognized. But they were in a stifling environment and they barely responded to anything. I also did not want to undermine their teacher’s authority because as I was told, I wouldn't be there to clean up whatever "mess" I'd created. It was one of the most disheartening experiences that I’ve ever had as a writer and teacher. And as a father, I was enraged at my inability to protect the children from a teacher who was killing the creativity of the children in her care.

Fifteen years later and I’m still angry. Yet I took away many lessons form that incident. I learned that children are naturally giving and spontaneous and if we are not willing to accept some of the “wild energy” of our children and if we continue to treat our schools as warehouses, then we should be prepared to accept the death of their imagination. We should also be prepared when they seek to get the recognition that they crave in self-destructive ways. What’s even worse is these dead zones are in schools where the children will need their creativity to grow beyond the often dire circumstances in which they find themselves. For many of them, learning is never fun.

It was a hard lesson for me. But it also toughened my resolve to foster the creativity and individuality of my children and to become the best father, writer, and teacher I could be.

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This is part of a group write project @ Middle Zone Musings: What I Learned from…Children.

Marassa Jumeaux

Marassa Jumeaux

Already offerings of candy and toys
have been spread at our feet to appease,
but we had no part in this. So many souls

did not have to join the ancestors.
Bondye has given you the power to save
yourselves, but like those priests who pretend

they don’t know we are older than their god;
presidents who sold blood for pearls as smooth
as skulls that hang around Michelle’s neck;

poets who would not speak in their mother’s
tongue, but remained mute as mulattos
who banned the name Papa Dessalines,

nèg refuse to see the fault that runs
deep through the chains of these islands,
betrayals that not even Maman Défilé

could heal. So bury us soon, for although
the earth is young, this island has been shaking
since the saints awakened at Bois Caiman.

Put our tiny bones in the caves of Jacmel,
under the waterfalls of Cormier Plage,
erect headstones from crushed cement

and twisted rebar to rebuild the dream,
for there is one who has always stood between us
in whose presence we tremble.

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Rex Nettleford, 1933-2010

PROFESSOR REX NETTLEFORD, Vice Chancellor Emeritus of the Unversity of the Wset Indies, died at 8 o'clock tonight in a Washington hospital. He was one day short of his 77th birthday

May he rest in Peace.

~John Maxwell

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Mr. Nettleford’s death is a tremendous loss for Jamaica and the Caribbean. As a social critic, his insights have had a profound impact on the political and social development of Jamaica, and it should be remembered that Mr. Nettleford was one of the first to recognize the importance and impact of Rastafari in Jamaica and the Caribbean.

But it is in the arts that he will be missed.  As a founder on the NDTC, Mr. Nettleford was instrumental in demonstrating the connection between the spiritual practices of the folk and the aspirations of Jamaicans. At the recent Caribbean American Book and Art Fair in Miami, Derek Walcott described Mr. Nettleford as the “ideal reader” of his work and lauded him for his contribution to the arts, especially in the field of dance.

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Related Posts:

Backyard Labrish
National Gallery of Jamaica
Blogworld

Carib World News

Commonwealth Short Story Competition 2010

Enter the 2010 Commonwealth Short Story Competition

First prize of £2,000

Special and Regional prizes of £500

The Commonwealth Short Story Competition is an annual scheme to promote new creative writing, funded and administered by the Commonwealth Foundation and the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association. Each year around 25 winning and highly commended stories from the different regions of the Commonwealth are recorded on to CDs and broadcast on radio stations across the Commonwealth.

Anyone aged 19 or over who is a citizen of a Commonwealth country can enter, whether a professional or amateur writer. Stories should be original, unpublished, written in English and no more than 600 words long. Only one entry may be submitted per person. Commonwealth citizens who are 18 or under can enter the Commonwealth Essay Competition.

In addition to the first prize and four regional prizes, this year there will be special prizes for the best story for children and the best story concerning Science, Technology and Society, the Commonwealth Day theme for 2010.

Entries will be accepted via an online application form on the Commonwealth Foundation's website after 15 February.

There is no entry fee.

Here is the link: http://www.commonwealthfoundation.com/culturediversity/shortstory/


Closing date for receipt of entries: 31 March 2010.

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Albert Huie 1920 –2010

Albert Huie was the last survivor of the so-called  Drumblair Group of artists and intellectuals that formed round Edna and Norman Manley in the late 1930s at the beginning of the national movement for Jamaican Independence and provided much of the intellectual horsepower of the movement.

Huie, who was probably the best known of the artists, achieved early renown when he represented Jamaica at the 1938 New York World's Fair winning several prizes. Albert was best known as a landscape artist and inspired dozens of imitators.

Albert was born in Falmouth, Trelawny on December 30,1920

~John Maxwell

Photo: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Albert-Huie-dead_7378195

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Chimamanda Adichie: The Danger of the Single Story

"I realized that people like me, girls with the skin color of chocolate, whose kinky hair could not form ponytails, could also exist in literature."

More at Ted.com: Talks Chimamanda Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story

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I was fascinated with Chimamanda Adichie’s lecture, which led me to ask these questions:

Does the Caribbean have a “single story”?

If the Caribbean has a “single story,”

What is it?

When did this “single story” begin? With whom?

Who are the writers who continue to tell this “single story”?

Why does the “single story,” continue to be told?

Who benefits from the telling of the “single story”? Who doesn’t?

How does the “single story” continue to be told? Who tells it? Why?

Do we want to hear these other stories? Why? Why not?

Do we want to hear anything else but the “single story”? Why? Why not?

What would a story that deviated from the “single story” sound like? Do other stories exist?

Why? Why not? Who is telling them?

What are the implications of this “single story” on Caribbean culture(s)?

 Do trade publishers (Caribbean and non-Caribbean) continue to tell this” single story”? Why?

If a writer or publisher refused to tell this single story, would she be rewarded or punished?

What are the advantages of continuing to tell the” single story”? What are the disadvantages?

Do textbook publishers and schools continue to tell this “single story”? Why?

Do we tell this story to ourselves? Why?

If the story is disadvantageous, why do we continue to tell it?

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